Station Rotation Model in Action (Video) In a previous blog post titled “Create Small Learning Communities with the Station Rotation Model,” I described many of the reasons I use the Station Rotation Model in my secondary classroom.
I highlighted the benefits of working directly with small groups of students, using technology and station design to differentiate instruction, and maximizing the limited technology available in our low-tech classroom. I’ve had several teachers request concrete examples of the types of stations I design for my high school English class. The two videos below provide a window into my classroom and give teachers some insight into my thought process and how I design of the various stations.
In the videos above, I talk about how I am using StudySync, which is a cross-curricular, core literacy program with hundreds of digital texts, dynamic videos and multimedia lessons. Before using StudySync, I was limited to the texts available on my campus in our school library. Strategies To Meet The Needs Of Diverse Learners. Workshop Model To Make Learning Personalized And Customized. Simple Reading Strategy To Help Students: Bookmarks. Scholastic. Usually I use a picture book or chapter book as mentor texts.
For our study of fantasy, I decided to go another route. This was the first time that I thought to use poetry. Not only would my students totally not expect it, but since April is National Poetry Month, it is a timely way to celebrate the genre. One of the suggested texts for this fantasy unit was the poem, "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. I will admit that in the beginning, the poem was difficult to understand, but my students stayed the course and did some great close reading with it. Annotating "Jabberwocky" Retell Anchor Chart My students are accustomed to annotating text for meaning and themes that they notice in the text, but this unit required that the students also close read the text by identifying and analyzing literary devices.
Allusion Archetype Authorial intrusion Flashback Foreshadowing Metaphor Portmanteau Annotating "Jabberwocky" for Literary Devices Foreshadowing Allusion Dear Poet Project. Understanding Proficiency – Grade 7. The Hidden Importance of Teaching With Stories – A.J. JULIANI. Literary Passages to Practice Theme. The Solution to Reading Comprehension. Improving Writing with Google Docs.
When High School Students Struggle with Textbook Reading. Many reports and research studies have documented the adolescent reading challenge -- too many students are unable to learn and build new knowledge from the texts used in their subject matter classrooms.
In addition to the challenges of general comprehension, reading in a subject area presents additional challenges that many students are unable to tackle on their own. For example, textbooks are dense with information -- some important, some not so much. The chapters are long and packed with specialized vocabulary; assume background knowledge that students often don't have; include various types charts, tables and graphics; and are poorly organized, covering too many topics piecemeal.
They are not structured like any other authentic reading. Students who read these textbooks are already learning many other new concepts and data, as well as thinking and reasoning in ways that are important to the subject matter. Textbook Reading Dilemmas 1. 2. 3. Strategies for Tackling Textbook Reading.