Category Archives: Teaching Strategies

Homework

How can teachers encourage students to do their homework?

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Getting students to complete their homework is a huge obstacle that frustrates teachers on a daily basis. I’ve come up with a list of tips that may help you improve your homework return rate.

1. Agenda: Make sure your students have their homework written down. They are more likely to complete their homework if they have their homework written down in their agenda no matter what grade level they are in. Make sure there is a set time during class that they are to write their homework into their agenda that can become a routine. Make sure your assignment is in an obvious place in the room and is written neatly in that spot everyday. I like to have my students write their homework down right after they do the opener or bell ringer at the beginning of the class. This gives me the opportunity to check their agendas during the mini-lesson while they write their notes. I stamp their agendas, which is faster than writing my initials, if it is done correctly. If it is not, I tell them to fix it and wait next to them while they do it. Other teachers like have their students write down their homework at the end of class and then check it. I used to do that but I noticed that at least once a week, I would run out of time and wouldn’t be able to check it or I would create a traffic jam at my door as I checked them as a ticket out the door. Having students write their homework in their agenda at the beginning of class eliminates those problems.

2. Time: In middle school, each core teacher (math, social studies, science, and language arts) should only be giving about 10-20 minutes of homework a night.

3. Ability Levels & Appropriateness: Think about the students you have in your class. Do any of them read lower than grade level? Does someone have dyslexia, ADD or ADHD or other special needs? Do you have any ELL or ESOL students? I have never met a middle school teacher that has ever had a class that was full of on grade level readers and had no accommodations or interventions due to special education, ELL, or the RTI process. Our students usually span from kindergarten level to college with their reading levels. So if you choose to assign a reading assignment out of the textbook or on a tablet, if your school is tech savvy, and it is on grade level (Did you know that most textbooks are actually written above grade for the grade they are approved for?), it will take your students that are on a lower ability level or in special education or receive ELL services 3 to 4 times longer to complete the reading assignment because they will not only have to comprehend but decode as well or their medicine will have run out and will not be able to concentrate. I have a few ideas that can help you get these students to return their homework completed.

a. Rewrite the chapter at a lower reading level for students who are not on grade level. This is time consuming but most teachers will use the same textbook for at least five years so in the long run, it’s really not so bad. Co-teachers can help out with this.

b. Assign only the paragraphs that are necessary to answer the questions that you assigned to make sure they comprehend the reading. Have students either flag the paragraphs with strips of sticky notes or put a light dot next to the paragraph with a pencil. This reduces the quantity of reading they have to do but doesn’t reduce the quality of the reading.

c. Use a slotted reading assignment (slotted notes or questions for each paragraph assigned) that will force them to answer questions as they go through the reading. This will force them to stop while they read and make sure they are comprehending. I recommend doing this only for the paragraphs that are the most important as this may actually increase the amount of time that is spent reading. It is worth it though because it makes sure that the students are comprehending what they are reading. It is a great technique to use as an intervention and as an accommodation.

d. Allow students on a lower reading level, students that have dyslexia, ADD or ADHD 2-3 days to complete reading comprehension homework by breaking the chapter up into several days. A piece of it should be due on each of the days the assignment is spanning otherwise your procrastinators will just wait until the night before anyway and your efforts will be for not.

4. Consistency of Grading: Teachers need to be consistent with grading homework. It should only take a teacher 3 days maximum to return a homework assignment to a student with a grade. The sooner you return homework, the better for the student. They need to see the effects of their effort before they forget about the effort, or lack there of, that they put into it. If you do not plan on grading something, don’t assign it unless it’s to study something like vocabulary which could be graded during a quiz the next day.

5. Quality not Quantity: You do not have to assign homework. If you don’t have something that will help preview, review or enrich then don’t assign it. Do not give students busy work. It’s a waste of their time and because you should be grading everything that they do for homework, it’s a waste of your time as well.

6. Communication with Parents/Guardians: If students are consistently not returning their homework then teachers should contact home. Their parents may not be aware of it.

7. Start in Class: Allow students to begin their homework in class during the last five minutes. This allows you to go over the directions with them and if they don’t understand something then you can explain it to them.

8. Class website: Update and post the homework assignments and the due dates on your class or teacher website/webpage so if students forget their agendas, they can check what they are supposed to do when they get home.

These suggestions are not going to make you have a 100% homework turn in rate. They should help increase it though. If you have more suggestions on how to improve the homework return rate, please comment so I can approve it. I love to hear new ideas and techniques that can help my students.

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

How can you differentiate instruction for the Clayton Antitrust Act?

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Differentiated Instruction Ideas for the Clayton Antitrust Act

Clayton Antitrust Act is a great topic to differentiate instruction with. Differentiated instruction can be done in different ways. I tend to stick to two of them which would be the use of Multiple Intelligences and Leveling/Scaffolding/Tiering.

I use the Clayton Antitrust Act in a differentiated instruction lesson plan about Progressive Era Trusts. In order to introduce the Clayton Antitrust Act, I use a vocabulary sheet that gives them the word, definition and allows them to choose between writing a sentence using the Clayton Antitrust Act correctly or drawing a picture to represent the words. This gives them a choice between using the linguistic multiple intelligence and the spatial multiple intelligence. This exposes them to the Clayton Antitrust Act twice in the first five minutes of class. In order to differentiate instruction for vocabulary teachers can provide students with a lower ability level or those who need accommodations with a partial or complete definition and those who need enrichment can decide the most important information that they need to write down and do it in their own words.

The next part of the social studies differentiated instruction lesson plan about Progressive Era Trusts would be the PowerPoint mini-lesson, which the Clayton Antitrust Act is a part of. I include two different versions of the PowerPoint mini-lesson in order to differentiate instruction with leveling. This works really well if there is a co-teacher in the room. The enriched level would go into more detail and include more critical thinking. The basic level would use simplified language and more repetition.

After I go into more detail or simplify the Clayton Antitrust Act during the mini-lesson. I also immediately reiterate it using another multiple intelligence. I bring in the Linguistic Multiple Intelligence and Musical Multiple Intelligence through poetry. I include Musical Multiple Intelligence because poetry can be rhythmic.  I use the following poem to help students remember the Clayton Antitrust Act:

Clayton said that unions worked well,

When prices were fixed he rang the bell,

The bosses were jailed and down they fell.

Teachers can then have students use a graphic organizer. In order to differentiate instruction with a graphic organizer, teachers can create a word box for lower ability levels but allow upper ability levels to use a higher level of critical thinking by allowing them to decide for themselves what the title of the chart is and what should be in it. You could even allow them to create their own graphic organizer but have the lower ability level use a template. This brings the amount of times a student is exposed and uses the Clayton Antitrust Act to five.

Teachers can also assign a writing assignment to review the Clayton Antitrust Act by asking them to explain how antitrust acts progressed over the years. This can be leveled by using the leveled writing system found here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico.

I included information from this article in a lesson plan about Progressive Era Trusts. It is located at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico or the PowerPoint mini-lesson can be purchased at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Differentiated-Instruction-PowerPoint-Mini-Lesson-Trusts

To find more ideas about how to teach vocabulary from theProgressive Era: Trust differentiated instruction lesson plan follow the link below!

http://socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com/how-to-teach-about-progressive-era-trusts-using-differentiated-instruction/

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico (Connect with me on Linkedin.com)

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

How can I differentiate instruction to teach about Horizontal and Vertical Integration?

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Differentiate Instruction to Teach Vertical Integration and Horizontal Integration

Social Studies differentiated instruction can be done in different ways. I tend to stick to two of them which would be the use of Multiple Intelligences and Leveling/Scaffolding/Tiering.

In order to introduce vertical integration and horizontal integration I use a vocabulary sheet that gives them the words, definition and allows them to choose between writing a sentence using the vertical integration and horizontal integration correctly or drawing a picture to represent the words. This gives them a choice between using the linguistic multiple intelligence and the spatial multiple intelligence. This exposes them to the words vertical integration and horizontal integration twice in the first five minutes of class. In order to differentiate instruction for vocabulary teachers can provide students with a lower ability level or those who need accommodations with a partial or complete definition and those who need enrichment can decide the most important information that they need to write down and do it in their own words.

The next part of the differentiated instruction lesson plan would be the PowerPoint mini-lesson, which vertical integration and horizontal integration are a part of. Usually vertical integration and horizontal integration would be part of an Industrial Revolution or a Progressive Era unit. I include two different versions of the PowerPoint mini-lesson in order to differentiate instruction with leveling. This works really well if there is a co-teacher in the room. The enriched level would go into more detail and include more critical thinking. The basic level would use simplified language and more repetition.

After I go into more detail or simplify horizontal integration and vertical integration during the mini-lesson. I also immediately reiterate it using another multiple intelligence. I bring in the Spatial Multiple Intelligence and the Kinestethic Multiple Intelligence for horizontal integration and vertical integration. I use boxes but you could also use blocks, plastic cups or something to stack. Label them the following for vertical integration and then stack them accordingly at the front of the class (you can also have a kinesthetic learner stack them with your direction): trees (natural resource), logging company with machines, transportation, mills, carpentry company, transportation, stores. For horizontal integration use and lay out horizontally: radio channels, television channels, newspapers, books, and magazines (all media). After you add this to the mini-lesson, students have been exposed to vertical integration and horizontal integration four times.

Teachers can then have students use a graphic organizer. In order to differentiate instruction with a graphic organizer, teachers can create a word box for lower ability levels but allow upper ability levels to use a higher level of critical thinking by allowing them to decide for themselves what the title of the chart is and what should be in it. You could even allow them to create their own graphic organizer but have the lower ability level use a template. This brings the amount of times a student is exposed and uses horizontal integration and vertical integration to five.

Teachers can also assign a writing assignment to review horizontal integration and vertical integration by asking them to compare both terms in paragraph form. This can be leveled by using a leveled writing system found at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico.

I included information from this article in a lesson plan about Progressive Trusts. It is located at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico or the PowerPoint mini-lesson can be purchased at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Differentiated-Instruction-PowerPoint-Mini-Lesson-Trusts

To find more ideas about how to teach vocabulary from the Progressive Era: Trust differentiated instruction lesson plan follow the link below!

http://socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com/how-to-teach-about-progressive-era-trusts-using-differentiated-instruction/

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

How to Teach about Progressive Era Trusts using Differentiated Instruction

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How to Teach Progressive Era Trusts with Differentiated Instruction

Trusts are something that multiple companies or industries created and gave power over to a council to reduce competition and increase profits. During the Progressive Era trusts became a big political issue because of the corruption that was associated with the trusts. The federal government had to intervene and created a series of laws meant to help fix the situation. These are listed at a later section of this article with the content that is included in this Progressive Era: Trusts Differentiated Instruction Lesson Plan.

Teachers can differentiate instruction during their Progressive Era Trusts mini-lessons while they reinforce the content. I recommend presenting the content “traditionally” first. In other words, use the Logical and Linguistic Multiple Intelligences through the means of lecture. Then reintroduce it by using the other Multiple Intelligences like the Musical Multiple Intelligence, Spatial Multiple Intelligence, Interpersonal Multiple Intelligence, Intrapersonal Multiple Intelligence, and Kinesthetic Multiple Intelligence. For some examples of differentiated instruction using Multiple Intelligence in this manner click on the links of the content.

Not only can teachers use the Multiple Intelligence Theory to differentiate instruction but they can also use leveling or tiering. They can create two levels of their Progressive Era: Trusts mini-lesson. This is especially helpful for a co-teaching situation. The basic level should use simplified language and the enriched version should increase the level of vocabulary used as well as an increase in critical thinking exercises. Create two different note sheets for this type of mini-lesson that will help challenge both ability levels of students.

The following is a list of content that can be useful during a Progressive Era: Trusts differentiated instruction lesson plan:

  • Entrepreneur
  • Free Enterprise
  • Laissez-faire
  • Vertical Integration
  • Horizontal Integration
  • Trusts
  • Monopoly
  • United States Steel Corporation
  • Standard Oil
  • Northern Security Company
  • Grover Cleveland
  • Interstate Commerce Act
  • Sherman Antitrust Act
  • Teddy Roosevelt
  • trustbuster
  • Department of Commerce and Labor
  • Elkins Act
  • Hepburn Act
  • Taft
  • Federal Trade Commission Act
  • Clayton Antitrust Act
  • Wilson

There are other parts of a lesson plan besides the mini-lesson that delivers the content on the Progressive Era trusts. They are listed below. Follow the links to see how you can differentiate instruction for each part of this lesson plan. If they are not there now they will be soon!

  • 3 differentiated instruction levels of a Progressive Era: Trusts vocabulary work sheet.
  • 3 choices of differentiated instruction activities with rubrics and student choice sheet
  • 2 differentiated instruction flow chart graphic organizers
  • 1 paragraph writing assignment

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico offers many social studies differentiated instruction lesson plans like the Progressive Era: Trusts lesson plan above. If you are only interested in the Progressive Era: Trusts PowerPoint Mini-lesson you can click this link: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Differentiated-Instruction-PowerPoint-Mini-Lesson-Trusts

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

Where can you find a differentiated instruction lesson plan about trusts?

Differentiated Instruction Progressive Era Trusts Lesson Plan

Trusts during the Progressive Era were a large problem. There was much corruption through the use of trusts during the Progressive Era. The federal government stepped in to try to decrease the amount of corruption that was being done through the use of trusts. If you are looking for a social studies differentiated instruction lesson plan on Progressive Era Trusts then I have a fantastic recommendation for you. It includes:

  • 3 differentiated instruction levels of a Progressive Era: Trusts vocabulary work sheet.
  • 2 differentiated instruction levels of a Progressive Era: Trusts PowerPoint Mini-lesson that includes ideas for connecting to background knowledge, enrichment, and repetition. Differentiated Instruction Leveled PowerPoint mini-lessons are ideal for co-taught classrooms.
  • 2 differentiated instruction leveled note sheets that go along with the Progressive Era: Trusts PowerPoint mini-lesson.
  • An activity choice sheet for students to choose the MI activity they are interested in doing with the Progressive Era: Trusts content. It also allows them to choose how they would like to work (self, partner, or group).
  • 3 choices of differentiated instruction activities with rubrics that include a cartoon strip, talk show or a superhero story that offer the use of all 7 of Dr. Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. These should be used with mixed-ability grouping.
  • 2 differentiated instruction flow chart graphic organizers that chart the different measures made by the federal government against trusts.
  • 1 paragraph writing assignment

The content that is included in the differentiated instruction Progressive Era: Trusts lesson plan is as follows:

  • Entrepreneur
  • Free Enterprise
  • Laissez-faire
  • Vertical Integration
  • Horizontal Integration
  • Trusts
  • Monopoly
  • United States Steel Corporation
  • Standard Oil
  • Northern Security Company
  • Grover Cleveland
  • Interstate Commerce Act
  • Sherman Antitrust Act
  • Teddy Roosevelt
  • trustbuster
  • Department of Commerce and Labor
  • Elkins Act
  • Hepburn Act
  • Taft
  • Federal Trade Commission Act
  • Clayton Antitrust Act
  • Wilson

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico offers many differentiated instruction lesson plans like the Progressive Era: Trusts lesson plan above. If you are only interested in the Progressive Era: Trusts PowerPoint Mini-lesson you can click this link: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Differentiated-Instruction-PowerPoint-Mini-Lesson-Trusts

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

How can you teach about latitude and longitude?

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Ideas to Teach Latitude and Longitude

Teaching what latitude and longitude is must be done before the students start using them on a map to find an absolute location. Below are the definitions:

  • Latitude: —imaginary east-west lines in the grid measuring the distance north and south of the equator
  • Longitude: —imaginary North-South lines that pass through the poles. They measure distance east and west of the prime meridian

After I introduce vocabulary words like latitude and longitude I like to have the students do one to three activities. They consist of and also differentiate instruction with three different versions of vocabulary sheets:

  • writing the definitions of latitude and longitude in their own words
  • draw a picture that represents latitude and longitude
  • write sentences using the vocabulary words latitude and longitude correctly to show understanding

After the students do the above part of the geography lesson plan, I reintroduce latitude and longitude in a totally different way. This time, I use kinesthetic and spatial multiple intelligence learning styles. I have students lay down on the floor to represent the latitude lines. I have students stand up straight to represent a longitude line. I then reintroduce latitude and longitude again and connect it to background knowledge. I bring in a ladder and a Santa Claus. I have the Santa climb up the ladder steps and tell the students that these are the latitude lines and Santa is going to the North Pole. Then I have him slide down the side of the ladder and explain to the students that Santa has a long slide down from the North Pole to the equator on a longitude line.

After students understand what latitude and longitude it, they can then use it correctly in an activity. To get an idea of an activity to help students use latitude and longitude to find an absolute location click here. (If it’s not here yet, it will be soon)

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico offers this as part of their differentiated instruction geography lesson plan.

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico (Connect with me on Linkedin.com)

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

How do you teach the geography vocabulary word grid?

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Teaching Geography Vocabulary Words

Students learn geography vocabulary by being introduced to it, reintroduced to it, by using it correctly several times, and then having it reviewed several times. I believe that repetition is the key to any piece of content. How it is repeated is up to the creativity of the teacher.

When I teach the geography vocabulary word grid, I first introduce it as a vocabulary word that they will learn during that lesson, as part of the anticipatory set. A grid is —the pattern of lines that circle the globe in east-west and north-south directions. Then I use it and have them use the word grid during the mini-lesson by having them fill in their note sheets, differentiated instruction can be done here if needed with three different types of vocabulary sheets for different levels of ability. In the vocabulary note sheet is a section for the students to use the word correctly showing understanding either in a sentence or in a drawing. As I go over the word grid in the mini-lesson, I also have the students create their own grid by connecting arms a certain way. That brings the total amount of exposure to the geography vocabulary word grid to 4.

The next piece of learning a geography vocabulary word is using it again. They use the grid in a kinesthetic activity with a floor map that they walk using the latitude and longitude in the grid. That brings the exposure of the geography vocabulary word grid to 5.

The 6th exposure is when the student uses a grid to answer questions on worksheets focusing on latitude and longitude again.

The 7th exposure of the vocabulary word grid is when the student writes about how grids on maps help people read them. This should be in paragraph form. In order to differentiate instruction for writing, you could use the leveled writing system on http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

The 8th step in the exposure is to have students review their geography vocabulary words by folding over the right hand column on the vocabulary note sheet mentioned at the beginning of this article.

For more ideas about how to teach geography vocabulary click the link below:

http://socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com/how-can-you-teach-about-latitude-and-longitude/

http://socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com/where-can-you-find-a-differentiated-instruction-lesson-plan-for-geography/

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico uses repetition and differentiated instruction like this in all of her social studies lesson plans. Check it out!

In order to purchase the full geography lesson plan, in which grids are a part of, click here. If you are only interested in the geography mini-lesson that obtains geography vocabulary and ideas that use the multiple intelligence learning styles for repetition, click here.

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico (Connect with me on Linkedin.com)

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico