Below are our tips for this week. Remember, we are not the end-all, be-all! We are just teachers sharing our
ideas with you. Feel free to modify strategies you receive from us to fit you and your classroom!
====================================== Classrooms that Spark!
======================================
Light the Fire of Learning!
Looking for some inspiration? Feeling a little worn-out and tired of doing the same thing over and over? What you need is a SPARK to
recharge the fire in your heart. Classrooms that Spark is full of practical strategies, ready-to-implement ideas, reproducible forms, and
real-life classroom vignettes all written in an easy-to-read conversational style that will get you recharged and re-energized. Winner of
2006 Teacher's Choice Awards! Click on one of the links below for more information.
Clicking on the above links will take you to an information page about this award-winning title available from Inspiring Teachers. View
sample pages and read what others have to say about Classrooms that Spark
================================= Education World New Teachers Column
===============================
Education World
New Teacher Column
This is my column on Education World. The current featured topic is "Managing the Quagmire of Disillusion". I hope you enjoy it!
===================== Idea Share
=====================
Below are a few wonderful ideas shared by another teacher on our list. She offers some great thoughts and ideas for incorporating
Bloom's Taxonomy. I hope you will find them helpful!
-------------------------
As a resource teacher for gifted elementary students, I incorporate Bloom's daily. I put up permanent bulletin boards on life skills. the
categories of brain-based learning, and on Bloom's which I refer to as I teach. As an elementary school, the teachers in my building have
chosen to emphasize the first two, but I have found using the third in conjunction with the third to be equally important for true learning to
occur. Having the categories listed makes it easy to ask students, " Which category of question is...."
I also teach my students to look for questions and not just answers. For their math or language journals, I often give them the answer and
require them to write the question. For example, if the answer is whale, what is the question? One third grade student wrote: what mammal
suns on the beach when ill or in distress? They soon discover that writing a good question can be both fun and challenging.
In addition to the bulletin board, I also have a set of laminated verbs on a large ring for students to use in planning projects, and laminated
sheets with the categories and corresponding verbs. I plan to design a simple board game using the categories of Bloom's in the near
future.
I believe that if we as educators want to help our students learn to think beyond mere facts, we must become purposeful in the way in which
we teach them. It is up to us to ask the higher levels of questions, aid students in discovering the connections and patterns which surround
them, and assist them in seeking solutions, not merely answers.
Marianne Welker, JB Eads Elementary, IN
============= Weekly Tip
=============
Reading and Bloom's
Whether engaging in a textbook, basal, short story, novel, magazine, or other type of non-fiction reading, we always want to utilize effective
reading strategies. (This is one of my "soap-box" topics, so I'll try to keep this part brief, especially since our real topic is Bloom's
Taxonomy.) These strategies, at the very least, include a pre-reading activity, questioning during a reading, and a post-reading activity.
What are some ways that we can incorporate Bloom's into these three "parts" of our classroom reading?
If you'll recall, in the last two newsletters we discussed the six categories (or levels) of Bloom's Taxonomy and the key verbs found under
each level. To view these newsletters, go to Blooming
Classrooms Use Blooms and Using Bloom's to ask
Questions These key verbs can be used to develop pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading activities. Again, I want to stress
that these activities should be used with all reading done in the classroom, whether you are reading the textbook or a novel. If you are not a
Reading or English teacher, please do not disregard this information. These types of reading strategies help our students make
connections between their current knowledge, the reading, and any future learning that may occur. Using Bloom's will then help them take
their understanding and thinking of the reading to a higher level.
Below are some ideas you can use to incorporate Bloom's into your reading. Please remember that this is by no means a complete list of
activities. There are so many wonderful ideas out there for pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading activities. I encourage you to
search the internet and find some books with activities ideas in them. Our comprehensive books, Classrooms that Spark, Survival Kit for New Teachers, and Survival Kit for New Secondary Teachers each have ideas
for reading, writing, Blooms, and other activities that can be used with reading.
Pre-Reading Activities
Look at the pictures. "What do you see?"(knowledge), "What do you think the story/reading is about?"(comprehension), "What do you
think might happen?"(analysis), "Have you ever...?", "What does this picture remind you of?",(application/analysis) "Imagine this picture is
of you. What were you thinking? feeling? What do you think is happening?"(synthesis), "Do you think...? Why or why not?"(evaluation)
Vocabulary. Knowledge (list, match, circle), Comprehension (define), Application (use in a sentence), Analysis (prefixes, suffixes,
syllables, parts of the word/letter combinations, categorize), Synthesis (illustrate),
You can have students:
-locate the vocabulary in the text
-make up their own definitions (synthesis - either using illustrations from the text, context clues, or a simple guess) and then see how close
they are to the correct definition (evaluation)
-create flash cards that show the word on one side and the definition, 1 sentence using the word correctly, and an illustration on the other
side of an index card.
Outline or Web the chapter topic and subheadings. Have students then predict the contents of each subheading. What kind of information
might be found in this section? Have students illustrate their interpretation of the subheading to show what they think it might be about. Use
word associations - If I say "Imperialist" you say...? When students read the section, have them look at their illustrations and word
associations. How "on target" were they? Have students analyze the differences between their predictions/responses and the
reading.
During Reading Activities
Stop periodically and ask questions (see the questioning article from last week) using a variety of levels from Bloom's.
After reading a section depicted in one of the illustrations, stop and have students discuss their predictions. Were the predictions correct?
What really happened instead? Have students discuss how they might have responded if they were the character or historical figure.
Vocabulary - Identify vocabulary as it is read aloud. Check context clues to remind students of meaning of word. How does it affect the
meaning of the passage?
Evaluate student predictions about content of chapter sections. Were their predictions correct? Have students mind map (or web) the
contents of the section.
Post-reading Activities
Comprehension - What was this section about? Students can summarize and/or tell the main idea.
Have students do a quick write of a couple of sentences or a paragraph imagining that they are ...(something depicted in the picture).
Colored Index Cards, post-it notes, and small colored sheets of paper are great for quick writes.
Vocabulary - Is the word used correctly in the text? How is the word used in the text? Is it the most effective word? Can you think of another
word that might work better in this situation? Another quick write - Use this same word in a different sentence. Or, using another sentence
from the reading, insert this word in place of another. Does it change the meaning of the sentence? Does the sentence make sense?
Do students see any connections to a previous section? What are the connections? Do students see any cause/effect relationships
between events/topics from two different sections?
A Variety of Reading Activities under each level
KNOWLEDGE
Define words from the reading that were unfamiliar to you.
Identify three major events, concepts, or characters presented in the reading.
Locate three facts/details from the passage read. Locate a place from the reading on a map.
COMPREHENSION
Retell the event/story/concept from the reading
Give examples of how...
APPLICATION
Predict what will now happen...
Construct a model of...
Demonstrate how to...
ANALYSIS
Compare and Contrast two...
What can we infer from this reading? about this character?...
SYNTHESIS
Design your own...
Compose a letter to...
EVALUATION
Debate two sides of the issue/event/topic in your reading
Appraise the usefulness of a concept/issue/event from your reading
Sample Novel Questions/Activities
Charlotte's Web
-Identify the main character(s).
-Describe the setting of the story.
-Explain why Charlotte is helping Wilbur.
-Give examples of how the other animals felt about Wilbur.
-Compare Charlotte with Templeton.
-Predict what you think will happen to Wilbur in the future.
-Compose your own message that Charlotte could use to help Wilbur.
-Write a short "sequel" to go after the last chapter.
-Design a web with a message for the farmer.
-Is Templeton a helpful character? In a paragraph, criticize/confirm his actions.
-Should Wilbur have taken Charlotte's egg sack back to the farm? Why or why not? Support your reasons.
Count of Monte Cristo
-Describe the mood of the story.
-Explain why the Count is helping Morrel.
-Give examples of how Danglars betrayed Edmond Dantes.
-Predict what you think will happen to the Count now that his revenge has ended.
-Suppose Dantes escaped prison without knowing the events which led to his arrest. Create an outline of events that might have
happened were this true.
-In a paragraph, criticize or confirm the actions of Faria in regards to Edmond Dantes.
These are just a few activities and samples that may help you as you begin utilizing Bloom's Taxonomy with the reading that happens in
your classroom. Again, take these as examples and use the key words found under each taxonomy level to create your pre-reading, during
reading, and post-reading activities. Again, as I said in the last article. Be sure that you keep in mind the abilities of your students while
you plan out these activities. Plan a couple of activities in each level for each reading so that all of your students' needs are being met.
Want to respond and share questions/activities you've developed to use with reading a textbook, novel, story, or other non-fiction reading?
Respond to this email and we'll combine them all together in our Idea Share!
====================== Inspirational Thought
======================
The wisest mind has something yet to learn.
~George Santayana (1863 - 1952)
====================== Thoughts for Reflection
======================
Do you regularly utilize pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading strategies with your students? Why or why not? What types of
activities do you utilize when reading a textbook? a novel or story? a newspaper? a magazine? a non-fiction book? Do you often plan out
activities for students to complete after reading? Why or why not? Would you say that most of the activities you have students complete
consist of answering the questions at the end of the chapter or completing a worksheet developed by the textbook publisher? How
adequately do you feel either of these activities address all the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy? What types of activities might you add to
increase student levels of thinking in response to a reading, be it fiction or non-fiction? Do you generally leave the reading activities to the
Reading and English teachers? Why or why not? Take some time to think about this action on your part? Are you giving your students what
they need to make connections between all of their learning? What are some ways you could incorporate Bloom's key words in an activity
before students read, with questions during the reading, and in an activity after students read? How much time do you spend in planning
for the reading that occurs in your classroom? How might you improve that, if it is not much? What do you feel you would need to better
plan for reading opportunities in your classroom?
=========== Feedback
===========
Want to respond and share questions/activities you've developed to use with reading a textbook, novel, story, or other non-fiction reading?
Respond to this email and we'll combine them all together in our Idea Share!
------------------------------------
These thoughts and ideas are brought to you by Emma McDonald co-author of Survival Kit for New
teachers AND the AWARD WINNING Classrooms that SPARK. Find us at
The entire contents of this e-zine are Copyrighted by Inspiring Teachers and Emma McDonald. If you would like
to reprint all or parts of this e-zine, please contact Inspiring Teachers at 972-496-7633 or toll-free at 1-877-496-7633 or via email to
info@inspiringteachers.com