Initial assessments of students’ knowledge about a topic or concept. A basic standard for the goal of each course is gathered within the first few weeks of the course.
Examples of student performances at various levels, each evaluated using a uniform rubric. They present evaluation possibilities and a standard to assist teachers in the fair assessment of student work.
A teaching idea in which students combine knowledge and creativity to represent their thoughts and content area research through non-traditional formats such as Electronic Alphabet Books and Student-Authored Electronic Informational Books.
A teaching idea in which students write books to represent their thoughts as opposed to through a traditional report format. For example, the students explore a substantive aspect of their current studies and report their learning in an alternative form—through authoring a book.
A teaching idea in which students create a tableau—a representation of a scene with groups of people who are stationary and silent—using an image of a historical event and then write a narrative in the first-person from the perspective of a specific individual in their tableau.
A type of poem written by students, usually in small groups, from three short passages they found particularly meaningful in a book chapter or a content-related novel. The students create a repeated phrase and insert it after each of the passages they have selected.
A small-group drama activity in which participants, who are usually knowledgeable in history, science, mathematics, or literature, are interviewed by a “host.” It can be used in all content areas.