Strategies

1. Summary Writing (Marzano/AVID) - Marzano, Pickering, & Polluck in Classroom Instruction That Works have identified "summary writing" as one of the most effective teaching and learning strategies. The learner must interact with the information in a new way, produce something new from what has been read or learned, and be active learners. Five Criteria of a Good Summary:
• A good summary condenses (shortens) the original text.
• A good summary includes only the most important information.
• A good summary includes only what is in the passage.
• A good summary is written in the summary writer’s own words.
• A good summary is well-written.


2. 6+1 Traits Writing Model - Six Traits Writing is a systematic approach for looking at writing one part at a time. This approach helps many people break down the task and understand it better. By focusing on and scoring only one trait at a time, a writer/reader can break down a complex activity like writing and make it more manageable. With practice, writers can then learn to be more critical of their own work and can make improvements in the quality of their writing. Perhaps, more than anything else, the six traits give teachers and students a common vocabulary for talking and thinking about writing. Writing is made up of 6+1 key qualities:
   • Ideas, the main message;
   • Organization, the internal structure of the piece;
   • Voice, the personal tone and flavor of the author's message;
   • Word Choice, the vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning;
   • Sentence Fluency, the rhythm and flow of the language;
   • Conventions, the mechanical correctness; and
   • Presentation, how the writing actually looks on the page.
     

Assessments

1. AP Scores: All students enrolled in AP Classes - By June 2010, and annually thereafter, the percentage of students scoring a 3, 4, or 5 will increase.
2. Common Curriculum - Embedded Assessments
3. DVHS Local Assessment
4. Survey Data

Strategies

1. Providing Feedback - Providing the right kind of feedback to students can make a significant difference in their achievement. There are two key considerations. First, feedback that improves learning is responsive to specific aspects of student work, such as test or homework answers, and provides specific and related suggestions. There needs to be a strong link between the teacher comment and the student's answer, and it must be instructive. This kind of feedback extends the opportunity to teach by alleviating misunderstanding and reinforcing learning. Second, the feedback must be timely. If students receive feedback no more than a day after a test or homework assignment has been turned in, it will increase the window of opportunity for learning. Feedback is a research-based strategy that teachers, and students, can practice to improve their success.


2. Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) was developed in 1980 by Dr. Stanley Pogrow, Professor of Education at the University of Arizona, and one of the leading national experts on school reform. HOTS research and success have been validated by the following: U.S. Department of Education (National Diffusion Network), Northwest Regional Education Lab, and Mid-Atlantic Regional Education Lab.

The focus for the invention for Goal Two is questioning to understand essential understanding by using one of the following models below:

• Pogrow (Described above)
• 3 Story Intellect (AVID)
  • Click the link, The Three Story Intellect to read about enhancing cognitive levels of classroom interaction. (Arthur L. Costa, Search Models Unlimited)
  • Three Story House: Level 1- Gathering; Level 2- Processing; Level 3- Applying
    
• Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom)

  Overview: Clark (2002) provided an adaptation of Bloom's work to facilitate active learning. Although originally the tool was developed by teachers for use in curriculum building at the high school level, the suggestions also work well for college level classes. The inner ring contains the original levels of Bloom's taxonomy. The middle ring offers synonyms for the various academic processes that comprise that taxonomic level. The outer ring links process to product. For example, if you wanted to increase application skills, you might ask students to construct diagrams of the key concepts involved in the content of the class. If you wish to improve evaluation skills, you might ask students to produce an editorial for the student newspaper in which they discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a particular side of a controversial issue. We have modernized the language of the original circle to reflect the latest version of Bloom's Taxonomy

• Read: Blooms Taxonomy Blooms Digitally
• Read: Using the New Bloom's Taxonomy & the Cognitive Taxonomy Circle
• Further reading: Center for Teaching, Vanderbuilt University

Assessments

1. AP Scores: All students enrolled in AP Classes - By June 2010, and annually thereafter, the percentage of students scoring a 3, 4, or 5 will increase.
2. Common Curriculum - Embedded Assessments
3. DVHS Local Assessment
4. Survey Data