Words, words, words! What words should students be taught? One of the most frequent requests we receive is for a list of words that students should be taught in each grade level. The quick answer is that students should be taught a rich mixture of academic, content, and support vocabulary in every grade. But what…
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Any person who has taken the requisite foreign language classes in high school can understand how difficult it is to learn a foreign language. But now imagine you are back in high school and you are also required to take English, math, science, and history all taught in that same foreign language! That is what…
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After reading The Diary of Anne Frank, a student is asked, “Who is Anne Frank?” To answer the question, the student simply recalls the information he or she memorized from the reading. With the implementation of Common Core, students are expected to become critical thinkers instead of just recalling facts and ideas from text. In…
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Deeper Learning is a term that represents a new direction in education that goes beyond the knowledge of content, to something which usually is hard to measure. What is beyond content? Skills like problem-solving, critical-thinking, creativity, and collaboration. The Hewlett Foundation has commissioned a major study of Deeper Learning, and is now committed to promoting…
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For more than a decade, the DataWORKS tagline has been “All students successfully taught grade-level work every day.” This is an important concept that we truly believe in, as it places the same expectations on all students, in every classroom. Every classroom has a diverse student population, however. Some students need additional support before tackling…
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Acronym Alphabet Soup Education is littered with a variety of acronyms. “EOCs MSL,” and “Good PD fosters a solid PLC,” are actual sentences. For anyone who isn’t shoulder deep in educational acronyms, these sentences translates to “End of Course tests Measure Student Learning” and “Good Professional Development fosters a solid Professional Learning Community.” STEM…
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In the United States, compulsory public schooling started in Massachusetts in 1852, and then spread to other states. By 1918, all states required it. Since that time, there has been constant discussion about what constitutes Better Education. Is it reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic? Is it class size? Is it the teacher? Is it the books…
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There are many specific strategies you can use that contribute to effective and successful Pair-Sharing. (1) Desk Arrangement. Desks need to be suitably arranged so students have physical access to their pair-share partner. Move the desks if necessary. Most teachers are sliding rows of desks closer together. Also, students need to face the teacher to…
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Pair-Shares are super important for multiple reasons. Here are fifteen reasons. Each one of them justifies the use of Pair-Shares. (1) Every student orally answers every question. Pair-Shares go beyond having students think of an answer. Now, all of them are actually saying the answer aloud. Think about it. Every student orally answers every question…
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The Common Core State Standards include literacy standards that are to be used in history, science, and other technical subjects. These standards focus on developing literacy outside of the English classroom beginning in the 6th grade. There are three major components to these: Reading in History; Reading in Science and Technical Subjects; and Writing…
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