Assignment #2: Complete the 4 part assignment format as you read, reflect, and respond to Chapter 2 – Identifying Similarities and Differences.
Although your course packet asks you to post to blog for parts A, B, C, and D…we are asking that you only post part C and D. We’re trying to make the blog easier to read and more user- friendly. Thanks!
A. Guiding Questions for Self Assessment of Current Beliefs and Practices: This component asks you to reflect on how and why you currently use the instructional strategies of identifying similarities in your classroom. The intent of this is to activate your prior knowledge of your strategy use so that you can make comparisons as you read the chapter. Below are the questions to help you complete your self-assessment. (Complete – but do not post!)
• What is the purpose of asking students to compare?
• What kinds of activities do I use to help students compare?
• I can think of a time that I asked students to compare, and I was pleased with the results. Why did it go well?
• I can think of a time that I asked students to compare, and I was not pleased with the results. Why did it not go well?
• What questions do I have about using comparing in my classroom?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 2 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for identifying similarities and differences. (Complete – but do not post!)
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to teach to your students (If you are not currently teaching, you may share how you would use this strategy in your classroom) – please post a brief reflection of how this went to the posting labeled Week Two: Identifying Similarities and Differences. Click on the “comment” link below.
D. Final Strategy Reflection: Use the following sequence of questions/prompts to reflect on what you’ve learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you’ve learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner. Please post your brief reflection to the posting labeled Week Two: Identifying Similarities and Difference by clicking on the “comment” link below.
How has the information you read in this chapter on comparing affected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• How has reading this information affirmed some of what you already knew about comparing?
• What is something you now understand better about comparing?
• How might you change how you use comparing in your classroom?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
C.
I used a Venn diagram to compare two governments from different eras. This activity was also used as a review before a test. We are studying the Romans and I asked my students to compare the Roman Republic to the United States government of today. The process I used was teacher directed with the topics, the lists of facts and the Venn diagram. The students were to use the information and place the facts properly in the Venn diagram. I used a document camera and had 6 heterogeneous groups of 4-6 students working together to come up with the proper placement of the items (facts about the Roman republic and US government). Each group was numbered 1-6 and had a reporter to speak for the group. I had a spinner to determine the group order of reporting. This really worked well as a review of the chapter and the two governments. The last question on the test asked the students to compare the Roman Republic with our current government and without prompting almost all used the Venn diagram to demonstrate their knowledge. I was very pleased with the results. After we read about the Roman Empire, we will use a Venn diagram to compare the Republic versus the Empire.
D.
I think by reading about and being reminded of all the different ways of comparing different topics through diagrams and charts was very beneficial. I sometimes forget to use the visual prompts and am trying to venture away from just reading and filling in worksheets. Students need to “see” what they know via diagrams more often. By using the strategy of the graphic organizer (Venn diagram) to compare one topic (Republics) in two different eras, I believe my students learned where our founding fathers came up with their idea about our early government and current government.
I learned that it is sometimes better to use many different Venn diagrams to show similarities and differences of one topic. It is better to break the information down into smaller pieces (more than one diagram). For example, I would break the comparisons of the two governments into titles of officials and jobs of officials. As a learner, I would like to try the comparison Matrix when discussing the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and the US Dem. Republic. I will continue to use graphic organizers involving future topics and gradually move toward more student directed comparisons.
Kelsey Boyd
Assignment 2
C.
I used classifying with my students in order for them to identify similarities and differences between arctic animals. I gave them a chart with a space for the animal names and four categories: habitat, size, body covering, and class. We had already talked about these categories, and how they related to the animals, Students needed to write the animal name and then list the appropriate habitat, size, body covering and class for each animal in the corresponding area. Then they grouped animals by each of those categories (one category at a time of course). I had the pictures up in the classroom and we used the docu-cam to complete the chart together. All my groups from first through fifth grade really seemed to benefit from this exercise since they were able to group animals together by the categories and correctly use our sentence frames telling what the similar and different animals were in each category.
D.
Reading this section has affirmed much of what I already know as an ELD teacher. We are taught to use as many visual aids as possible to assist in our students learning. This section about identifying similarities and differences also reminded me of the different strategies to do so. I find that my go to strategy is compare and contrast and by reading this section I was reminded to try other ways such as classification. I am trying to figure out how to bring creating metaphors and creating analogies into my classroom for my higher level students.
I learned that it is good to vary the strategies you use so that the students know a variety of ways to identify similarities and differences when they are working independently. I also learned that in the future when using the strategy of classification I should do one category per worksheet instead of four categories on each sheet. This way the students would be able to better see the comparisons. During this same lesson I also used a variety of Venn diagrams and I will continue to use the strategies as well as try to add more as we go through the year.
Week Two: Identifying Similarities and Differences
Practice: Similarities and differences are a common topic in health class, though with some of the topics being subjective there are not always clear lines between categories. For some of the more factual biological information we do use Venn diagrams to compare and contrast. We stress to students that the ‘differences’ should not just be opposites, but rather independent characteristics. A recent lesson where I used the Venn diagram was in discussing physical, mental/emotional, and social changes during puberty. First, students brainstorm a list of changes during puberty. After the list is projected, the image will be ‘frozen’ on the document camera. The students will all try to put the list of changes into a Venn diagram for males and females with the similarities being applicable to both genders. After the students have completed their own diagram, student volunteers will go to the front of the room to fill in the graphic organizer under the doc cam, which is still frozen. Then the last student ‘reveals’ the graphic organizer so students can debate if the changes are completed correctly, while checking their own document for accuracy. Because this is a self correcting lesson, students at different levels of learning are able to adjust their final product as needed to ensure they have all of the information placed correctly. Students are encouraged not to just cross off and move changes to match the projected graphic. Rather they should think about the change and if they feel they can justify why it should fall into a different category. If they can identify a way that the change impacts both boys and girls it can go in the middle. Often times the physical changes are separated and many of the mental/emotional changes are in the center. We have a good discussion of how sometimes it is the specifics that cause something to be a difference. For example, hormone production increases for both genders, but testosterone production is a male trait, estrogen production is a female trait.
Final Strategy Reflection: I definitely do using comparing in my classroom frequently. It is a great way to access student’s prior knowledge and make those connections that are so essential (especially to sometimes apathetic teenagers). This is a skill that I think we use so much not just in the traditional classroom but in life, classifying things is a natural human trait. Developing this skill for my students enables them to really focus on the important parts of anything, and that will impact their writing, knowledge retention and speaking abilities. The chapter definitely made me realize the difference between teacher led comparison and student led. If the standard is something that requires a specific set of knowledge to be classified, a teacher led activity is clearly preferable. When the purpose of the classification strategy is more the complex and higher level thinking, a student led classification is perfectly acceptable. This actually gives the students the opportunity to justify their reasons for the classification, which is skill they greatly need to develop. Overall, this chapter encouraged me to branch out and use more student directed classification, including using graphic organizers.
Hi Therese.
It is a good reminder to use graphic organizers and visuals to aid students. Most students are visual learners. Breaking the information down for the students into smaller pieces is an important thing to remember as well. I think the comparison Matrix would be useful when you compare the Roman Republic, Roman Empire and the US Dem. Republic. Two other points to take from the reading and your post are to use the graphic organizers with familiar topics when learning the basics of comparing and to eventually move towards more student directed comparisons.
Hi Kelsey,
Glad you were reminded of other ways to compare with your students. (Classification and your goal to utilize metaphors and analogies in your classroom.) Varying the instructional strategies not only exposes the students to different methods of comparison but also engages them in the lessons.
Erica,
It is evident how well comparisons and classifications work in a health class! The lesson you shared is a great example to demonstrate how comparing and contrasting can provide opportunities for students to justify their reasons. As you said, students really need to develop this skill. This activity not only includes higher order thinking but also is a good example of formative assessment at work in the classroom.
Assignment #2
Identifying Similarities and Differences
C. My 4th grade title students are working on a reading unit that focuses on the seasons-what scientifically causes them and how they affect the growing season. I used two different graphic organizers with these students. The first was a comparison matrix on the similarities and differences of the four seasons. We looked at areas such as hours of day and night, average temperature, crops, axis of the earth, etc. We researched the categories together to fill in the required information. The other graphic organizer we used was a bubble web to better understand the vocabulary words they needed to learn for their unit, such as equinox, solstice, calendar, lunar, etc. In addition to doing definitions we were able to group words or connect them based on how they went together. All of my students loved doing the research together to become “experts” on the seasons beyond the basics of leaves falling, bare trees, blooms coming out, hot days, etc, etc.
D. This chapter helped remind me of both the importance for providing visual and mental connections as well as the variety available for doing so. I too made a lot of connections to prior ELD training. Anytime you can provide visuals, or connect to background knowledge it helps students (regardless if they are second language learners or not) to understand and retain the new information. If a teacher can lower the students filter for what they have to process they can get straight to learning the new information. If the new information is organized in a way that makes sense they can make connections that might “stick” for them later. I think as teachers we tend to discuss a lot without putting ideas in a visual context. The visual piece is such a huge part of learning. Even as an adult I know I remember things better if I hear it and see it rather than just hearing it. Providing a variety of organizers is also important because everyone has a personal way of learning and retaining information-what works for one student might not work for another, and vice versa. This chapter was an excellent reminder of the variety of possibilities to put in my bag of tricks for organizing lesson information , and the importance of providing it in a visual format.
#2- Identifying Similarities and Differences
C.I used a process grid with third grade classifying the 3 states of matter and a “mixture” category. We used words to label as well as cutting pictures from magazines to place on a very large classroom grid. After the direct teaching of the 3 states early on in the unit were taught, the grid was referred to for the remainder of the unit and used for extension activities. As the unit progressed many questions were raised and rich vocabulary and language was added to the grid. This gave the students a visual aid to refer to the entire unit and was a springboard for writing activities. Later we used the grid as an organizer to begin an expository writing assignment.
D. This activity was very successful for all students. It was extremely visual and rich in scientific vocabulary. When we finished the unit and wrote an expository paper the students referred to it for guidance. This gave the ELL students and the reluctant writer’s confidence to write “more” (which is always an issue at this level) and to use vocabulary words they would never use on their own. Earlier in the year we had written a whole group story using a process grid as our guide/organizer to help with writing so the students had seen a model and were familiar with how to use it. Without this “teacher-directed” piece, the activity would not have been as useful. Classifying through the process grid helped the students clearly understand the science concepts and take their knowledge to another level in writing about what they had learned.
C. I used a Venn Diagram in reading groups to compare earthquakes and volcanoes. As a class, we filled in the diagram with things that were common only to earthquakes, only to volcanoes, and finally their similarities. Together then, we came up with sentences about their similarities and differences. This was very teacher led and served as a model for them. Then, students were sent out in pairs to come up with one statement each about how they are alike and one statement about how they are different. We shared these again and discussed further to make sure we understood the process. Finally, I asked students to again come up with one statement each about their similarities and differences. To differentiate for my students who needed it, I gave them sentence frames to start with and they filled those in.
D. I felt this chapter was a good reminder that visuals for students are a great way to help them to process information. The Venn Diagram is a graphic organizer that we use often in reading groups and can easily be used in any subject. The Comparison Matrix is similar to the process grid, which is a GLAD strategy we use quite often. I will continue to use these graphic organizers and others to help students better understand and further process the information.
Hi Molly, Christi and Renee.
Glad you were reminded of the importance of using the visual supports with your students. As your examples demonstrate the supports are helpful tools for the students for reference, discussion and writing aside from helping them develop vocabulary and make connections to the content. As with many things in education, many of us know about the importance of visual supports, but in the day-to-day race to get through curriculum and content, we “forget” to use them. Reading about strategies in a course or workshop is helpful to tweak our instruction so it’s the most effective for our students.
Post a Comment