Teaching Strategies
Word Wall
Facing History and Ourselves recommends Word Walls as a relatively simple and low-time investment strategy for students to keep important terms at the ready. You simply post important terms (perhaps also with their definitions, correct sentence usage, and/or pictures) on a dedicated wall space. I hold class with my GT students at most twice a week, so this is a particularly useful way to keep vocabulary organized and present throughout the unit.
K-W-L
It can be difficult for students to identify exactly what they have learned during the course of a unit, so a time-tested strategy like a K-W-L chart is useful to use. Students identify what they Know and what they Want to know at the start of a unit, and then reflect on those elements to identify what they Learned at the end of the unit. This can be done via individual handout, like what is available from Facing History and Ourselves, or as a class on chart paper or a white board. The NEA has useful examples and guiding questions available in their resources, as well.
Reading Statistics
In addition to preparing students for Algebra, the U.S. Census encourages teachers to expose students to real-life statistics about the world around them to help them to understand where we are, as well as to wonder how we got here and where we are headed/should be headed.
Creating Visual Representations of Data
The National Center for Education Statistics encourages students to create their own “illustrations” of data so that others can better understand the point they are trying to make. Further, learning to create their own graphs and charts helps students understand others they encounter in the world. The NCES features an easy-to-use online graph creator designed to be used with students.
Data Analysis Protocol
Asking students to analyze data and statistics is an effective way to encourage inquiry-based learning. Junior high students generally lack experience in analyzing data, so the School Reform Initiative’s (SRI’s) “ATLAS Looking at Data-An Inquiry Approach” protocol will provide structure for students to learn to consume data sets, charts, and graphs.
Chalk Talk
It can be difficult to allow students quiet, thoughtful processing time for a topic during class, but it is imperative that students be allowed to grapple with difficult topics and develop their own line of thinking. Chalk Talks are a useful protocol for students to do just that. It is a timed, silent activity where the teacher poses a prompt(s) on large spaces throughout the room (different chalkboards, butcher paper on tables, chart paper, etc.) and each student is given a writing utensil to add their thoughts to the topic, connecting to others’ responses as needed as they proceed. The National School Reform Faculty provides straightforward guidelines for this simple, yet deep, thinking structure.
Research
In addition to understanding data, students will need to (largely) independently find causes for the current state of affairs, as well as see who is also acting as they will be. In order to do this, students will be expected to research reliable sources of information for answers, and reach out to various organizations to find links between them.
Brainstorming
In order for students to create their best work, they need to generate a list of possible topic ideas and sift through that list in order to arrive at what they determine to be the best approach to take.
Collaborative Group Work
Students will work together as a group, establishing roles, boundaries, and timelines to complete their projects in a timely fashion. Washington University in St. Louis’s Teaching Center suggests assigning group roles to help teachers facilitate an effective collaborative working environment.
Presentation of Proposal
Presenting to a philanthropic organization or elected official is different than presenting a report to peers in a classroom, and students need to be aware of their audience. This unit asks students to take their ideas to the public, so there are distinct real-life implications for their work that need to be honored.
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