Try one out in class if you can and tell us what you did and how it worked.
If you can't fit one in this week, explain how you could use one in an upcoming unit.
Post a response by Friday December 5th and respond to one or two of your colleagues posts by Monday December 8th.
Also, if you need to catch up on posting/commenting from previous weeks, please continue to do so.
Thanks,
Carrie
I am going to be doing FACT #18, Focused Listing, in class on Friday before we begin our week on renewable energy. This FACT asks students to "recall ideas and experiences related to a science topic they encountered in a prior instructional unit or grade." Many students have studied renewable energy in some capacity before, so I am asking them the following:
ReplyDeleteBased on your prior knowledge of studying renewable energy, create a list with as many concepts, facts and ideas that you can recall from 5th and/or 6th grade.
I will give them this after the electricity quiz and before they begin the reading that starts this unit. I will take a look at them over the weekend and see what prior knowledge they bring to class.
I liked this one because it said: "It also helps students avoid the common complaint of "we already did that in X grade" by recognizing that teaching and learning require revisiting previous concepts and experiences in order to build upon them for deeper understanding. We get this a lot in 7th grade science! We truly are building on a lot of prior knowledge!
I really like that FaCT as well. I can see it being useful at many stages of a unit. Please let me know how it goes.
DeleteWell...I just read through many of them. I think the list may not have been appropriate for the prompt because a lot of them wanted to do a lot of explaining and wrote a whole paragraph instead. It definitely gave me a good sense of who remembered what (not much!), but I'm not sure it was the best FACT for the job!
DeleteI liked the same thing you did while I read benefits of FACT #18. I had a lot of students "complain" they already did the roller coaster lab in 6th grade.... and they informed me of this a few days prior to being observed/evaluated on the lesson. We could use this FACT for units with a high level of crossover from 5th or 6th to instill that revisiting topics and building on prior knowledge is a positive thing.
DeleteThe FACT called fist to five seems so simple that I'm not sure why I haven't been using it for the past 10 years. I think this is very similar to the red yellow green cards as well. I think the cards may allow for a little more anonymity for the kids though. The only one who can really see the card that is up is the person facing the room. I have seen the math teachers have the red yellow green cups on all of their desks as well. I'm not sure if they use it like a fist to five technique or if kids put the red cup up when stuck so the teacher knows they need help on a problem....either way it is a quick check for comfort level within the room.
ReplyDeleteI've read about using the cups, but always thought it was more appropriate for math and/or elementary grades. I think they usually put their cup up if they're stuck and need help. Still, a pretty good way to quickly look around the room and assess if the kids are doing ok.
DeleteI would find red/green/yellow cards easier to visually scan than thumbs up/middle/down, especially for larger classes. Those colors would stand out vs. looking at a bunch of hands held up at various levels or ways. Like the idea.
DeleteLike Tammy, I also tried the fist to five FACT a few weeks ago (my fault for confusion with assignment dates/FACT #'s). John led a waves demo on a Friday as an introduction to the unit. The demo was fast paced, covering lots of material within one class period. I started class the following Monday with a modified version (thumbs up / middle / down) to assess student understanding of concepts and help inform instruction, readdressing concepts more in-depth where needed. This FACT was so quick and easy to implement. All students participated as this FACT didn't single anyone out or induce fear of failure before peers.
ReplyDeleteI also like FACT #20 (Frayer Model), and contemplated implementing two at the same time for series and parallel circuits. Students could draw a few schematics for each instead of writing examples in the lower left corner (my students learned "old Christmas lights-series, household wiring-parallel"). I would have to modify the lower right "non-examples", as students would probably just copy schematics from opposite circuit examples. This could be assigned as review as the test approaches. After peer groups review/discuss, students could revise or add to their templates as needed.
I think the fist to five is perfect for the occasion in which you used it. Checking in after a big lesson is really helpful. I think I would like to use this more by revisiting learning targets throughout the unit. I think I do a good job of introducing them (and doing the thumbs survey), but then I don't revisit them at all during the unit.
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