Skip to main content

Supporting Classroom Instruction: Annotation Guides in Science Class


As part of their work with Core Action One, Washoe County teachers in the Options Area have been focusing on supporting students to engage with complex text. One strategy many teachers are trying in their classrooms is text annotations. Annotations, making notes in the margins of the text, support using complex text at the center of instruction as they: provide students with a scaffold into complex text, support students to use and analyze textual evidence in discussions and writing, and ultimately help build students’ independence with complex text. Science teachers at Innovations High School modified a strategy originally intended for history-social studies to create a strategy that matches the disciplinary demands of science texts (for example, this EPA report on climate change indicators). The annotation guide they created can be found here (and the original for history texts is here). This is the first week the guide has been used in Innovations High School science classes, and so far teachers have been pleased with their students’ persistence in reading and the content knowledge students have shown after such a sustained focus on text.  Pictures of the annotation guide table tents and samples of student work are pictured below.
 annotation guide table tents
student work samples of science annotations
student work sample of science annotations

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Focusing on the Core for All' - Session 1 for Science

Options Area science educators gathered this morning for their first session of   'Focusing on the Core for All' , the Options NVACS professional learning cycle for the 2015-2016 school year. This group includes teachers from Options Area schools, Implementation Specialists from MTSS and Student Support Services departments, Student Support Services area administrators, and Options Area school site principals, each of whom has chosen a content focus for the year (English Language Arts, History-Social Studies, Science, or Mathematics). The professional learning cycle for this year builds on that of past years (namely, the   High School Core Task Project   and   Shifting Instruction to the Core ) and is focused on  supporting teachers, implementation specialists, and administrators in the Options Area to expand and deepen alignment of instruction, materials, and programs  Common Core Standards  and  Instructional Shifts  so that all students are prepared for college and career.
Post a Comment
Read more

Shifting Instruction to the Core, ELA Session II: Writing to Sources

English Language Arts teachers and their administrators gathered this morning for the second session of Shifting Instruction to the Core. Participants continued their focus   Instructional Shift 2  and  Core Action 2  from their  previous session , this time with an emphasis on writing to sources. The session included a reflection on teacher's classroom use of Keep It or Junk It , a review of Core Action Two and Argumentative Writing, a careful annotation of "The Writing Revolution" , engagement in a lesson model for ranking evidence, and time to apply the lesson to their future lessons. Materials for the session are linked below. Presentation deck in  PDF Reflection Note Taker College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing ELA Writing Standards Grades 9-10 Instructional Practice Guides for ELA/Literacy   ELA/Literacy  Instructional Shifts Excerpted copy of "The Writing Revolution"  Annotation Guide : Annotating for Claim-Reasoning-Evidence
2 comments
Read more

The Importance of Curriculum, Part One

I have curriculum on the brain this summer. Most of my current work is focused on curriculum; reviewing it, curating it, or exploring it in some way. Simultaneously, there is an increasing amount of scholarship in the field on the importance of curriculum. Much of this work answers the questions; does curriculum really matter? And if it does, what can we do about it? Educators in the field, academics, publishers and supportive organizations are recognizing that quality curricular materials can support equity in our schools, be a significant force for reform, and act as a key ingredient in high performing classrooms. Of recent note is the Aspen Institute's report, "Practice What You Teach" , which provides relevant research, profiles of curricular implementation, and key recommendations. EducationNext has a great post by Chester Finn titled " Education Becomes a Reform Strategy ". The latest research report by StandardWork, " Curriculum Research: What We K
Post a Comment
Read more