Tech Tip: Guided Access

We have had a few questions about Guided Access.  Basically, for an educator, Guided Access allows you to hand a student your IPad and not have to worry about the student going through your email or visiting a website that is off limits! The student is locked into the app that you have put them in.

Guided Access - iPad/iPhone Accessibility Settings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.14

  Our Algebra I students celebrated Pi day with a yummy treat!

 

 

Happy 3.14!

Conquering Common Core in the CoTaught Classroom

Presentation for the 2013 Tennessee Special Education Conference

The Bridge Project

Day 1

Remembering & Understanding

Vocabulary:        Describe, Recognize, Find, Locate

                                Interpret, Explain, Summarize

Objective:           Students will locate, describe, interpret, and summarize the basic structure of a bridge based on informational texts provided.

 

Day 2

Applying & Analyzing

                Vocabulary:        Illustrate, examine, classify

                                                Compare, Contrast

Objective:           Students will illustrate their plans to create their own bridge structure. Students will be given the opportunity to examine other groups’ plans to compare and contrast structures and make recommendations based on their research.

Day 3

Evaluate & Create

                Vocabulary:        Recommend, Justify, Assess

                                                Create, Invent, Design, Construct

Objective:           Students will continue to justify their plans for a bridge. Students will create/construct a bridge from toothpicks and marshmallows that will hold a matchbox car.

 

 

Notes:

·         Set parameters for bridge (must be 12” in length with the highest point at least 2” from the ground)

·         Vocabulary is thoroughly explained prior to meeting each daily objective.

Digital Bloom's Taxonomy

Project Based Learning

Students created Powerpoints this week to use as instructional tools for teaching their peers about a region in Africa. They IDENTIFIED what areas were important to include about their country, CREATED their powerpoint, PRIORITIZED information, and EXPLAINED the information to their peers! Tricking them into thinking is easier when technology is involved!!

Vocabulary Strategies for Language Arts

Collection of Vocabulary Strategies for Language Arts that we are using in our co-taught classrooms. Many of the Graphic Organizers are ideal for students with disabilities to organize their thoughts prior to response to a Task.

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1. About the Standards
2. Strategies
1. Remember & Understand
1. Annotate: Sticky Notes, Highlighting, User Guide
2. Analyze
1. Graphic Organizers
3. Evaluate
1. Think Aloud Presentation
2. Socratic Seminar
4. Apply & Create
1. Small Group Writing
2. Read Aloud
3. Writing Task: Argumentative, Informative, and Narrative
1. The New York Times Learning Blog
2. Common Core Practice: Environmental Issues in the Humanitites Classroom
4. Printable & Interactive Resources
1. Cause & Effect Graphic Organizer
2. Multiple Points of View
3. Compare & Contrast
4. Inquiry Chart
5. Teaching Annotation

Common Core Vocabulary

When we started thinking about Common Core and what piece would best prepare our students for this new adventure, we decided to focus on VOCABULARY!! It made sense that our students would be more successful with Tasks if they understood what they demanded. Words like EXPLAIN, HYPOSTHESISE, ORGANIZE, and ASSESS needed to be clearly defined so that our students knew the expectations and how to meet those expectations. With that in mind, we have taken Bloom's Taxonomy wheel and incorporated it in to our daily lesson planning.

 Prior to taking on a new Task, we look at what key vocabulary needs to be demonstrated for a particular task.

Example (below is a portion of a Task covered in Algebra I):

            a. Predict how many flowers you can buy with $52.00 (including the one time service fee).
                Explain your reasoning in words. Try to find more than one way to solve the problem.

Predict and Explain seem harmless, however, our students were struggling to understand what the question was asking and even more challenging was how to respond in a written format. To meet our goals for ONE Task, we completely break it apart to help our students understand the question(s).

Below is a simplified version of Bloom's Wheel, the Blooming Orange.

 Tomorrow's post will include resources, templates, tech ideas, etc., that we have used to begin teaching the vocabulary that is essential for our students to Conquer the Common Core!

 

 

Welcome

Welcome to our BLOG!!

Who are we?
Four high school SPED teachers and one Tech guy who are passionate about our students and want to ensure that they find success. Our goal is to post strategies, templates, ideas, lesson plans, tech ideas, and all things COMMON CORE that will prepare ALL students in our classrooms for Common Core Standards.