Monday Mustang Memo: CSI and Numbered Heads Together

Excellence in Education: Color, Symbol, Image (CSI)
Last week's topic focused on discussions and ensuring inclusion of ALL students. This week's technique focuses students taking deeper dives into learning and offers the advantage of providing an opportunity for students who may lack language skills to display higher order thinking skills.

After learning about a topic, students;

Choose a COLOR that they think best represents the essence of that idea
Create a SYMBOL that they think best represents the essence of that idea
Sketch an IMAGE that they think best captures the essence of that idea

What kind of topics does this work for? Choose a topic that has different viewpoints and is relatively complex. Some good examples would be a speech, a scene from a play, a snippet from a book, etc.

How do you introduce this to students? While you are getting students to think metaphorically, it's not necessary to delve into What is a Metaphor? Before the students read, view, watch, etc explain to them that they pay attention to things that they feel are important, interesting or insightful. Also explain that they are going to be completing a CSI assign. It may be helpful to explain what a symbol is with some examples.

How do you support and assess students? Encourage your student to take notes as they explore the topic. You can ask questions and make comments through this stage, "You wrote interesting there. What'd you find interesting?"

The same can be done as students develop their CSI portions. Require students to share their work with a partner, group or the class. You may ask groups to share their favorite or most creative or most thoughtful color, symbol or image.

Throughout the process, pay particular attention to the students thinking.

How can this be differentiated? This is a great "leveler" to begin with but it can also be differentiated by student readiness levels. For example, the content can be presented through different means. If it is a reading assignment, for example, you can level the reading in advance or you can provide more direct instruction for struggling readers. You can also partner students together as they read and/or partner them together to go through the CSI process.

You can also differentiate the assignment by allowing students to use their computers to complete the CSI portion. Also don't require students to draw their images; instead, a student may wish to use his/her word.

*Attribute for CSI Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church and Karin Morrison.

Excellence in Education: Numbered Heads Together

As we're in SOL season, this oldie but good from Spencer Kagan is a great way to review for exams but it also works great with complex, higher-order questions.

How to:

Students are placed in groups of 4. Assign each of the 4 a number (1-4).
You, as the teacher, pose a question. Of course, it helps for students to be able to see the question as well as hear it.
Students individually think and write down their answers. Answers can be written on a their desks (using white board markers), individual white boards, on paper, or using their computers.
Provide the students with a set amount of time to answer the question individually and provide them with a countdown as time is about to expire.
After time is called, the group discusses the answer and works towards a consensus answer.
Each member of the group should be able to answer the question for the entire group.
Randomly call a number (1-4) and that student reports the answer to the entire class. Again, depending on the type of question, you could use this as a competition between groups by keeping score or by having all of the randomly called numbers write their answer on a small whiteboard. For example, after giving groups time to answer, tell them to erase their answers. Randomly call on a number and have all students who were that number write down the correct answer on their whiteboard. Then have them display their answers to you. It’s also great to ask follow-up questions too.

Why it works?

Each student is accountable, but the team approach eliminates fear
It provides opportunities for students to talk and listen, making learning visible
Appropriate grouping means stronger students can support struggling students without feeling “slowed” by them

Need to Knows
Tech Newsletter from LEAD featuring a couple of our own!!

Faculty Meeting Google Slide Presentation

Field Trips and SOLs
May 30-May 4: SOL re-tests and transfers
April 30: Poetry Slam
May 1: College Signing and College Culture/Pride
May 2, 3: Digital Imagining and Photography Field Trips to IX Park
May 3: Celebration of Dr. Moran
May 4: Spring Musical Preview

Birthdays

April 30-Louise Weaver
May 3-Kelsey Terpay and Michael Schafer
May 4-Mary Morales and Jennifer Timms

Useful Information
Activity Period Calendar : Mentorship for 9th-11th, Senior Class Meeting for 12th

Technology / Website Permission Request Form Please use this form to request use of a website or any resource that requires student log-in if the site is not already on the approved list. DART approved list

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm

Announcement Request: http://tinyurl.com/requestannouncement

Teacher Handbook