Presentation StrategiesDigital PostersDigital Posters is an effective way for students to present their work using 21st-century digital tools. A way for students to engage with the content material they are learning by inserting text, hyperlinks, videos, visuals, and audio on their digital poster. Students can present in class or submit to the class website where their classmates can view and provide feedback. Rubrics keep students accountable in what is expected of them when creating their digital poster. The ReadWrite Think website provides one example using the platform Glogster to bring digital posters into the classroom. Instructions in how to guide students in creating a virtual poster are provided along with a list of specific examples to use digital posters across grades K-12 curriculum. Overall, digital posters promote students to present their comprehension, knowledge, and analysis in an interactive format.
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Students learn to communicate with each other about a complex or controversial topic where various answers are acceptable. First, students are given a scenario or a series of questions that they will discuss and then asked to compile their notes and sources. Students understand that respect and active listening are key components to the Fishbowl activity. The inner circle begins their discussion while the outer circle listens and writes down notes. After 10-15 minutes, the circles switch, and the students in the outer circle begin their dialogue. Afterward, the class debriefs about the process and what was shared, presented, and said. The Facing History website provides the purpose for a Fishbowl activity and the steps in how to conduct a Fishbowl discussion in the classroom.
JigsawThe Jigsaw strategy holds students accountable for their learning by having them become the teachers. Students are divided into small “Expert” groups (3-4), where they are given learning materials such as a picture, document, reading, chart, and become “Experts” on their collection. Once students identify key information, purpose, and significance, they select one person from their group to teach the other Expert groups. Therefore, students are learning from each other while also being responsible for understanding the content material. The Facing History website provides clear guidelines and an example of how to implement the Jigsaw strategy.
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Graphic Organizers provide students a visual and concise way to organize the new information they are learning. There are numerous types of graphic organizers that teachers can use in the classroom, such as Flow Charts, Venn Diagrams, Cycle, Bubble Map, Main Idea Web, T-Chart, and Series of Events Chain, etc. Graphic Organizers are an ideal way to scaffold what students are learning. They also are a tool for review. The Teaching History website provides the purpose, guidelines in how to use graphic organizers efficiently and several resource websites.
ChunkingA critical learning strategy that teaches students how to “chunk” content material into shorter and manageable portions. Students become skilled in unpacking dense text by annotating the text (e.g. underline key facts and insert question marks next to unknown words) Next, students paraphrase the text and then share with the class to assess if each student extracted the meaning of the reading. The website Facing History suggest that a graphic organizer is a good supplementary material for this strategy. They also provide several different ways that “Chunking” can be implemented.
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SimulationA fun way to have students use technology (computers) to virtually “walk in the footsteps” of important historical figures and events. Simulations are computer games that give students the opportunity to apply their historical knowledge while making decisions for their SIM character. The Utah Education Network’s 7-12 Student Interactves provides 47 different simulations covering eight Social Science subjects (Geography, The World, U.S., Ancient Civilizations, Current Events, Wars: Past and Present, Civics, Constitution).
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In small groups, students are given one or several photographs that provide an insight into the historical period they are studying. Each group needs to answer questions that aid students in examining the context of the photograph and what and how the image reveals information. Students then act out silently their photograph to the class thus, creating “Living Images” and their classmates can also ask them questions regarding their Living Images. Students learn to collaborate, conduct primary source analysis, and physically embody the content they are learning. The Facing History website provides a guideline in how to implement the activity and three additional ways that it can be used in the classroom.
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An opportunity for students to learn a lesson or a unit by addressing a real-world problem. This type of authentic learning is demonstrated as students apply their knowledge and skills to topics selected by them. This strategy fosters collaboration, independent learning and research skills that go beyond the teacher and classroom. The teacher’s role is to facilitate student learning as students collect evidence and information. As a strategy, Project-Based Learning promotes student ownership over their learning as they are ones driving the project topic, strategies, sources, and presentation. The website is an in-depth PDF manual defining, explaining, and exemplifying how Project-Based Learning can be implemented in the classroom.
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