Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1509126
be more helpful. When it feels as though students have mastered a skill, make a big deal over their graduation from one chart to another. Of course, if you have a few students who would still benefit, you can give them an individual chart to use as needed. Student ownership Charts are for students, and the ultimate goal is that the students will use them independently. They serve as reminders of lessons taught, a list of skills to practice, and a guide for next steps. However, we all know that getting stu- dents to use charts independently is no small feat. Consider teaching a replicable protocol that gives students specific steps they can use to get the most out of the silent teachers around the room. You might find that some students benefit from having copies of charts on their desk. It could be that they 're more likely to use the resource when it's right next to the assign- ment they 're working on. If this is the case, teach students a "prep minute" routine where they get out any charts they might want to reference before the lesson begins. This will remind them to use this resource as they work, instead of waiting until they struggle and then having to search for something that would help. It can be tempting to keep charts on a slide deck, pulling them up when you move to a particular subject or start a certain lesson. That said, refrain from letting the slides replace the need for charts around the room. Digital access is helpful but some- times falls under the category of "out of sight, out of mind." All educators strive for transference, independence, and productive practice. Thinking about the ways our classroom walls can be tools to achieve these goals is essential. Being deliberate about every choice we make, including how we decorate our walls, pays off. When we are intentional and thoughtful about the way we use visual material, students will respond accordingly. This story originally appeared in Edutopia. "Hold back from putting every chart up at once; instead, share it when a lesson is taught. It's OK to start a unit with empty walls and unfinished resources." Continued from Page 50 correct answer). This creates authentic opportunities for students to rank, sort and choose from possible answers, engaging critical thinking skills while preparing for assessments that require similar reasoning. Stem sorts for questions If you look across various assessment types (e.g., diagnostic tests, state tests, entrance exams), certain types of ques- tions come up over and over. Students will be asked something about finding the main idea of a text, naming a theme, or defining vocabulary, for example. Naming these broader categories with students can help them identify the many ways they might be asked to apply these core skills. To do so, give students a handful of questions on cards, and have them sort the cards into categories. You might name the categories ahead of time or leave it up to students to identify how they would like to group the patterns that emerge. What similarities do they notice between questions? How do they know? After students have done a sort like this, ask them to create more questions for each category or design a new sorting activity for a group of peers. Doing so familiarizes them with different types of questions bound to arise in assessment tasks and invites concept attainment through the use of examples and nonexamples that will boost their ability to strategize during testing. From testing to transference Using the activities above to create authentic opportunities to engage students allows them to practice critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and engage in argument from evidence. This readies them for tests threaded throughout many school systems, but more important, invites them to show what they know through a variety of mediums, across the curriculum. This story originally appeared in Edutopia. Students collaborating on a graffiti wall project. Courtesy Meghan Hargrave Continued from Page 49 51 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 T