I was in attendance at a social studies department meeting reviewing how current curricula addresses Proficiency Based Graduation Requirements (PBGR). A disagreement occurred over the requirement of mental mapping as a performance indicator.  Teachers accustomed to multiple choice and essay writing for common assessment could not discern what constituted a mental map. The recall of Venn diagrams, illustrated maps with inset boxes and character […]
formative
Differentiating your Formative Assessments
The point of teaching is to learn.  Each student comes to us with different experiences and this impacts how and when they master the various concepts and skills presented in the classroom.  Part of teaching is understanding where students are in a lesson, skill, and unit.  Exit tickets have become the buzz, but there are many […]
Can you Nagaram an Anagram?
I’m in love with anagrams. Scramble letters that turn into memorable phrases or names of countries or words with a “q” sound like cupid, or cubical have caffeinated my brain during car rides and washing dinner dishes.  My daughter likes them too, maybe too much.  Every Sunday, we three, mom, dad and daughter, listening to the […]