5 Project based learning strategies

1. Create PBL content lessons that meet the different learning modalities of students. Provide a variety of experiences that address learning styles such as; sensory, visual, auditory, tactile, and indoor/outdoor experiences.

2.Individual (PBL)- Allow students to individually explore, investigate, record and communicate results. Allowing individual experiences helps students to use their problem solving and critical thinking skills.

3. Peer Pair (PBL)-  Allowing two students to work on a learning experience together, helps students improve their communication, interaction and problem solving skills. Peer pair also encourages constructive feedback within peers.

4. Small groups (PBL)- Create small groups to complete project learning. Groups of 4 students, allows students to collaborate and interact. Small groups give students the opportunity to communicate and delegate portions of the group work.

5.  Create PBL  content lessons to the interest of the students. Proving lessons that pertain to the interest of the students helps students to retain the information and relate to it. Students will use their knowledge of their interest to complete the learning experience.

 Reading Comprehension strategies.

1.      Read Aloud - reading a book to a group of students and discussing characters, events, or new words in book. Giving students the opportunity to listen and discuss the book will help students comprehend the reading material. Having a discussion and asking open ended questions helps students use their critical thinking skills.

2.      Computer/headphones- Allowing students to listen and follow along on a computer read aloud, allows students to get a visual of events happening in book and the opportunity to hear the pronunciation of new words. Computer read-aloud allows students to read independently.

3.      Small group- Allow students to communicate about the book just read. Give students a large post it poster paper to write down about characters, events, new vocabulary, the plot of story, and their thoughts or opinions of book. Small groups allow students to participate in cooperative learning, peer communication and interaction.

4.      Dictations- Allow students to write down, draw or talk about what they have read.  Allowing students, the opportunity to independently recall, retell and describe events in a book will help them to comprehend the reading material.

5 sources for Academic vocabulary development

1. Introducing new books into the classroom and discussing novel words within the books is a good way to introduce new vocabulary.
2. Ready Rosie is an app that models learning activities for parents to engage and interact with their child to support their learning.  Language and interaction is modeled through videos. This app shows parents how to support their child's learning, expand their language and offers video modeling for  different ages such as; baby, pre-k, and elementary.  https://www.readyrosie.com/
3.   Teach first website offers many resources to review and implement into the classroom that will help students develop and expand their vocabulary. http://www.teachersfirst.com/vocabulary.cfm
4. The website Reading Rockets is a good source to use that offers teaching strategies in many areas of reading. There is suggestions of reading material, videos and also offers resources for parents.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/top-10-resources-vocabulary
5. Vocabulary.com is a website which intended audience is students, educators and everyone. This websites helps teachers who teach 5th grade and up by offering a teaching tool to enhance their students vocabulary development.

Introduction/academic vocabulary development

This webpage was created to offer helpful resources and information about educational topics. One area of development is vocabulary development. Vocabulary development as defined by Wikipedia, as " a process by which people acquire words". Vocabulary development is needed for student to understand the meaning of words, language, conversation and other written or verbal materials that students  may be exposed to. " A limited vocabulary can create a major barrier to success in the classroom." (Gregory, p.2637, 2016). Finding and using the best strategies to help students build a strong vocabulary should be a goal for all educators.

References

 

Gregory, G. Kaufeldt, M. Mattos, M.  (2016) Best Practices at Tier 1 Daily Differentiation for   Effective   Instruction. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.