“ARE YOU WITH ME SO FAR?”:

STRATEGIES FOR CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING

Presented by Marianne KenneySecondary Social Studies Instructional SpecialistApril 13, 2009

By the end of this session we will :

Be able to walk away with a variety of strategies to check for student understanding without always using paper and pencil.

Have participated in strategies for instant feedback to check for understanding or misunderstanding.

ThinkIndividually, think silently for 15 seconds…

“Why is formative assessment important?”

Think-Pair-ShareWith your shoulder partner,Share your ideas for 30 seconds each

OR one minute total.

In Three Words Please define:

Pearl Harbor Be precise and concise Think of words that capture a great

deal of meaning Have fun!

Body MatchChoose a green or pink cardFind your partnerAre you with me so far? How would you use….?

Body Match Review Students are given cards with a term, description,

picture related to concept; an analogy with response; problem and solution; historical event…. Move around classroom to match their card with the correct response (body). Once all matched, rest of the class assesses each with thumbs up or thumbs down and teacher poses questions

Are you with me on this?

Clothesline A statement is announced and students take

a stand on an imaginary line which stretches from one end of the room to the other

1. Students line up without talking2. Students listen to similar points of view

(those standing next to them in line)3. Value line is folded, and then they play

“Talking Chips” or another communication skill structure.

4. Examples: Agree/Disagree/which would you rather be/birthdays/heights/alphabetical order

Ideas for my class?

ValueslineSocial Studies examples: The killing of innocents is never justified The United States made the correct decision

in dropping the bomb on Nagasaki. The bombing of Dresden was an act of

terrorism.

Talking Chips Each student has one “talking chip.” Students place their chip in the center of the

team table each time they talk. Students can speak in any order, but cannot

speak a second time until all chips are in the center.

When all the chips have been placed (everyone has spoken), the chips are all collected and anyone in any order can speak again.

When groups complete task they high 5.Ideas for my class?

Send a Problem In your newly formed groups, brainstorm a good

caption for the cartoon taped to the envelope. The cartoon deals with the environment or globalization.

Once you reach consensus write your answer on the index card and place it inside the envelope.

The envelope is then passed clockwise to the next group. Each group brainstorms for 3 minutes on the cartoon they receive without reading the previous group's work and then place their solutions inside the folders.

This process continues until all four groups have made their guesses.

And the answer is…. Cartoon A: Toxic Waste

“Don’t tell me where to put it. Just so long as you get rid of it.”

Cartoon C: Smokestacks“One day all this will be outsourced.”

Send a Problem How could you use this strategy in

your classroom?

White BoardNumbered Heads Together

Staying in your same group number off by 1, 2, 3, 4. . If one group is smaller than the others have no. 3 answer for no. 4 as well.

Put your “heads together” and write the letter of the answer on the white board for the questions that follow.

I will ask for an answer by calling a number. The students with the number called holds up the white board.

Ready?....

White Board Explain what the following people, places or

events have in common.

Napoleon Bonaparte Adolf Hitler Mao Tse-Tung Saparurat

Niyazov Kim Jong Il Saddam Hussein

And the answer is….All of these are leaders who have

used propaganda and the media to create cult of personalities, to gain or maintain power.

White BoardExplain what the following people,

places or events have in common.

The requirement that South African blacks carry passes.

The encomienda system in colonial Latin America.

Ukrainian collectives under Josef Stalin.Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China.

And the answer is… All are ways that one group ( a

minority) dominated and/or subjugated another group (the masses) in order to keep control and power.

White BoardExplain what the following people,

places or events have in common.

The Hutu and Tutsi after the Rwandan genocide. The Union and Confederacy after the American Civil

War. East and West Germany after the fall of the Berlin

Wall. Serbs and Croats after Slobodan Milosevic. Red and Blue states after the 2000 election.

And the answer is… These time periods all demonstrate

the difficulties involved in reuniting after a bitter conflict because of long-standing hatred, mistrust or abuse.

Showdown Teacher reads a question Students write answer on white boards

making sure no one else sees their answer. Teacher announces “Show Down.” Students compare answers and make sure

everyone in the group has the right answer.

ShowdownExplain what the following people,

places or events have in common.

Kashmir Palestine Tibet Former Yugoslavia

Showdown In all these places, long-standing

conflicts occurred over land with strong cultural, ethnic and/or religious meaning.

Showdown Explain what the following people,

places or events have in common. The Byzantine Empire Mesopotamia Ancient Rome Ancient Greece Egypt Jamestown

Showdown These are all examples that

demonstrate how geographic location and advantage can contribute to the success and longevity of a civilization.

Give One, Get One

Using the graphic organizer, choose one strategy and “paraphrase”/write down in your own words what it is. Then give one pro and one con for its use.

1. Give One/Get One: Walk around the room to fill in a graphic organizer. Give one answer and get one in return. Pro: reinforces/clarifies learning and provides

socialization Con: time, organization

With me?

Give One, Get OneHow could you use this strategy in your classroom?

Think PadSo far today….

Which strategy was new to you?

TICKET TO LEAVE

What one strategy will I try tomorrow? How will I use it? Questions I still have?

“Are you with me so far?”

Thank you!