Teaching Students to Evaluate

What students think matters. Students engaging with the text is essential. Teaching students to evaluate is an excellent format for getting students involved with the text.

How to start if you are teaching ELLs...

1. Define evaluating
2. Make connections...food critics, movie critics, book critics
3. Build on Background...have students evaluate familiar foods, films, and books.
4. Explain Reasoning...have students explain WHY they do or do not like something
5. Use icons to help students recall the concept...thumbs up and thumbs down works well.
6. Apply the skill to a new text you are introducing.
   

Give Ownership to Noticings

Horton Hears a Who was part of our Principal's Book of the Month activity. Students shared their noticings during the initial reading. By placing student initials after noticings, teachers give students ownership over ideas. They celebrate student thinking. They increase student participation.

My Understanding of the Writing Bulletin Board

The left side is Working Toward the Standard. It has student work from your current genre study. There is a rubric related to the genre study. Work has +,-, and x post it notes attached to it.
The right side is Meeting the Standard. It has student work from your most recently completed genre study. There is a rubric related to the genre study. Work has commentary on it.

Math Standards Board

What can you find on a Math Standards Board?

• 1. A problem solving activity
• 2. The standard it was created to meet.
• 3. Student samples that are Working Toward the Standard and samples that Meet the Standard.
• 4. An original, activity specific rubric
• 5. Commentary that celebrates and guides students towards next steps.

What Good Readers Notice

Good readers use reading strategies that have been explicitly taught and modeled.

Making Thinking Visible

Artifacts demonstrate that you value thinking. Students need ownership of ideas. By posting artifacts you create reference points and show that you value student ideas.