All resources in BranchED 2021 OER Summer Institute

Reading Comprehension Student Template: Question-Answer Relationship

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This template is an instructional tool that can be used to guide elementary students (grades 2-5) through the reading strategy of questioning. The template is based on the Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) approach in which students classify questions according to type and then provide answers from text. The template was designed to be used with the Feature Story, The Dance of Life, by students in grades 2-5. It is a PDF document that can be copied and distributed to students.

Material Type: Student Guide

Author: Jessica Fries-Gaither

Diversity: Shared Struggles

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My learning plan 04/07/2017 Diversity: Shared Strategies Essential Question: What are the benefits and challenges of living in a diverse society? Central Text: Becoming Joey Tasks & Strategies Tasks & Strategies Word Work (Strategies) Illustrated Vocabulary 6-12 In this visual strategy, students divide vocabulary words into parts and draw illustrations to represent the separate meaning of each part. L.6-12.4, L.6-12.6 Community Inquiry (Strategies) Text-based Fishbowl 6-12 A strategy for organizing medium- to large-group discussions. Students are separated into an inner and outer circle. In the inner circle, or fishbowl, students have a text-based discussion; students in the outer circle listen to the discussion and take notes. RL.6-12.1, RL.6-12.3, RI.6-12.1, RI.6-12.3, SL.6-12.1, SL.6-12.6 Do Something (Tasks) Truth to Power: Writing Letters for Change 6-12 Students write informed letters to corporate or elected officials, outlining their views on a social issue and calling for specific action

Material Type: Interactive, Module, Simulation

Author: Kate MacMillan

What is the most important advancement of art/inventions of The Renaissance period and how has it impacted your life?

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The Renaissance time period was one of the most pivotal moments in history for art and inventions. It was a time of inquiries and freedom to explore and create ingenuity at its finest. As a result, many artists rose to fame and are know today like Van Gogh, and many new inventions made life easier or made it easier to take away by an enormous amount of advancements in weaponry. The goal is for students to become more familiar with the Renaissance and important advancements made at the time. This allows for a lot of independent thinking and good persuasive arguments as the most important advancement of the time can be argued. This is important for 9th graders because it is crucial to understand how the advancements made back then still are important to this day and have an impact on our everyday lives more than you would even know.In groups of 4, students will be researching different inventions or art forms of the Renaissance, and then ultimately present their findings to the class to show what they learned and why it is important. The presentation must have a persuasive well thought out argument as to why it is important and as to how it affects modern life and also life in that time period.            In general, these inventions and art  transformed our lives and they should be talked about. The students should do research on inventions/art forms of the time and then discuss the importance of them before settling on one that has greatly impacted them. This will help them become engaged and see why this time period was so important. It will also give them the creativity because it was a time of many inventions/art forms and they get to choose which one they found was most important and useful.            To begin the lesson, we will begin by watching a short video to just give the students an example of a few of the inventions of the time and lead them into the driving question that they will be researching. They will also read a short article on some more inventions and then go into a full fishbowl conversation on different inventions. They will also be reading an article on some art forms of the time period. This will be facilitated by the teacher, but the kids will have the main arguments. They will be discussing different inventions/art forms and how it has affected their daily life, cool inventions created during that time, and also how the inventions have changed over time to what they are today. The discussion should give them a better understanding of what was going on at the time and why is was important. It’s crucial for them to hear about a bunch of inventions/art forms so that they can argue for their project extremely well because they have already learned about a few.            Over the course of the lesson, the students will research and explore many key inventions/art forms of the Renaissance in order to gain a better understanding of everything that was going on at the time. They will most likely have to pick an invention based on their daily lives and things they like to do. Some inventions/art forms may seem more important to one group over and that is reasonable.            By the end of the lesson, there are many different possibilities of important inventions/art forms that the students. For example, some students may focus on inventions/art forms that helped advance knowledge whereas others might pick inventions/art forms they find cool that has personally impacted their lives.During the final presentation, students should present their visual aid and argue why it is important. They also need to be able to explain where it originated and how it has impacted their lives. They also should be prepared to answer questions from other groups on why it is the most important and be ready to defend themselves.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Lela Anthony

Strategy Guide: Think-Pair-Share Technique

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In this strategy guide, you will learn how to organize students and classroom topics to encourage a high degree of classroom participation and assist students in developing a conceptual understanding of a topic through the use of the Think-Pair-Share technique. The Think-Pair-Share strategy is designed to differentiate instruction by providing students time and structure for thinking on a given topic, enabling them to formulate individual ideas and share these ideas with a peer. This learning strategy promotes classroom participation by encouraging a high degree of pupil response, rather than using a basic recitation method in which a teacher poses a question and one student offers a response. Additionally, this strategy provides an opportunity for all students to share their thinking with at least one other student which, in turn, increases their sense of involvement in classroom learning. Think-Pair-Share can also be used as in information assessment tool; as students discuss their ideas, the teacher can circulate and listen to the conversations taking place and respond accordingly.

Material Type: Reading, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Collaborative Learning: Getting Everyone in the Game

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The updated AASL Standards Framework for Learners includes the shared foundation of Collaboration. The standard calls for students to engage in cooperative learning in order to grow their own knowledge base. Students may have experienced varying levels of success with group learning experiences. The following lesson provides students an opportunity to improve their group learning skills and gain an understanding of the benefits of collaborative learning. Learning Objectives Students will collaboratively determine what makes a successful collaborative learning experience. Students will identify the major benefits of collaborative learning. Students will identify important components of self-reflection and peer evaluation. Cover image attribution: "Collaboration" by diannehope14 at Pixabay.com

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: Tracy Cramer, MSDE Admin

Being in the Noh: An Introduction to Japanese Noh Plays

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Noh, the oldest surviving Japanese dramatic form, combines elements of dance, drama, music, and poetry into a highly stylized, aesthetic retelling of a well-known story from Japanese literature, such as The Tale of Genji or The Tale of the Heike. This lesson provides an introduction to the elements of Noh plays and to the text of two plays, and provides opportunities for students to compare the conventions of the Noh play with other dramatic forms with which they may already be familiar, such as the ancient Greek dramas of Sophocles. By reading classic examples of Noh plays, such as Atsumori, students will learn to identify the structure, characters, style, and stories typical to this form of drama. Students will expand their grasp of these conventions by using them to write the introduction to a Noh play of their own.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Individual Authors

Math, Grade 6, Putting Math to Work, Project Rubric & Relevant Criteria

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Students design and work on their projects in class. They review the project rubric and, as a class, add criteria relevant to their specific projects.Key ConceptsThroughout this unit, students are encouraged to apply the mathematical concepts they have learned over the course of this year to new settings. Help students develop and refine these problem-solving skills:Creating a problem-solving plan and implementing their plan systematicallyPersevering through challenging problems to find solutionsRecalling prior knowledge and applying that knowledge to new situationsMaking connections between previous learning and real-world problemsCommunicating their approaches with precision and articulating why their strategies and solutions are reasonableCreating efficacy and confidence in solving challenging problems in a real worldGoals and Learning ObjectivesCreate and implement a problem-solving plan.Organize and interpret data presented in a problem situation.Analyze the relationship between two variables.Use ratios.Write and solve proportions.Create rate tables to organize data and make predictions.Use multiple representations—including tables, graphs, and equations—to organize and communicate data.Articulate strategies, thought processes, and approaches to solving a problem and defend why the solution is reasonable.

Material Type: Lesson Plan