learning menus: appetizers: background information

LEARNING MENUS:APPETIZERS:BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Presenter: Kelli StairAuthor of VoiceThread for Digital Educationhttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/356369 and QRevolution (available for preorder)https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/368369

www.angrybunnypublishing.com Email: kellistair2013@gmail.com kellistair@angrybunnypublishing.com

What’s a Learning Menu?

Differentiation strategy Menu: student choice of learning activities Different points for different types/levels of

tasks Divided into sections (appetizer, entrée, etc.) Students choose options from each section Options are tasks or activities for students to

complete in order to earn that set of points

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Beverages: VocabularyAppetizers: Background InformationSoup/Salad: Supplementary Texts and TasksEntrée: Anchor Text and TasksDessert: Summative Assessment

Unit Menu Template

Appetizers: Background Information

Most important place to differentiate Most overlooked piece Create the base for adding

information/ underlying schema Offer many types of information,

especially videos Over 70% of population=visual

learners Tasks to include should be basic

comprehension/completion checks

Guiding Questions What do my students need to know

to understand the theme/topic/anchor text?

What cultural differences might they not understand? (historical, technological, economic, social, geographical, etc.)

Where might they get confused? What may be completely unfamiliar? What will differ slightly, but in a way that is confusing?

Activate and Level Activate: helping students identify

and connect what they already know Journal, discuss, debate, anticipation

guide, poll, brainstorm Level: supplement background

information for students who may not know enough to be successful prior to beginning a unit Videos, articles, compilations: high

interest, short, focused, regular opportunities to react/respond—process information

Types of Activities

Individual, small group, large group Even individual activities can have feedback

Written, discussion, reading/viewing, visualizing—creating graphic organizers

Activation and Leveling Using texts—visuals are best: images, videos,

infographics, compilations Processing/ guided processing activities Open-ended: questions, reflections, inquiry

Examples with Tech Tools Discussion with Backchannel

(Todaysmeet) Journal/writing (blogs) with response

group Poll (PollEverywhere) Graphic Organizers (Exploratree) Collaborative Brainstorm (Twiddla) Gallery Walk with Discussion Forums (QR

codes) Compilation reading/viewing (Storify/

Scoop.It)

VoiceThread Example https://voicethread.com/share/4757970/

Accountability Participation

Discussions, brainstorms, gallery walks, VoiceThread, journals

Comprehension check Online quiz for article or video resources

consumed separately

POINT: students participate in knowledge support activities to prepare them for more in-depth literacy-based activities—anchor and supplementary texts

Resources for Content: GeneralGoogleYouTubeLiveBinders (search feature)FREE: Teaching Resources Online http://free.ed.gov/

Social Studies http://theweekinrap.com/

Flocabulary site

http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/ CNN 5+minute student news report daily

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/ NYTimes articles for students

English Language Arts www.shmoop.com

Novel, short story, and poetry resource for students

www.bartleby.com Online novels

http://www.pinterest.com/adriennebc/high-school-english-resources/ Great HS resources

Science http://www.edutopia.org/blog/websites-for

-science-teachers-eric-brunsell Blog of 10 science resources

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org PBS Learning Media- videos by PBS

http://sciencenetlinks.com/ Great digital resources

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Kelli Stair—Writer, Teacher Consultantwww.angrybunnypublishing.com

If you liked this presentation, you’ll love my eBook VoiceThread for Digital Education available at

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other eBook retailers.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/356359

Look for QRevolution coming November 25, 2013.

PreOrder for $2.99 at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/368369

Be sure to join me every Tuesday and Thursday for more great teaching with technology.