Learning Strategy

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Assignment: Learning Strategy Portfolio (5 Strategies)

The purpose of this assignment is for students to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the semester about how to how to select appropriate texts for their classrooms and how to select, develop, and implement appropriate instructional strategies for content area learning. Students will develop five“mini” strategy activities (20pts x5=100) with (1) a direction page, (2) a copy of the student handout, (3) an answer key, (4) and a copy of the reading or sample of the reading on which the strategy is based.

Directions
Components of Each Learning Strategy

  1. Direction Page Introduction
  2. Name of the strategy
    b. Citation for strategy and reading
    c. Content area and standards addressed
    d. Age/grade targeted
    Description
    e. Description of the strategy (including how it is relevant and why it supports learning in the content area)

Directions for constructing, implementing, and extending the strategy Constructing

  1. What the teacher does to prepare (i.e. selecting a text, reading to determine stopping points, selecting vocabulary)

Implementing

  1. Naming the strategy
    iii. Explaining how or why the strategy should help students
    iv. Steps for teaching the strategy (break the skill into steps like a task analysis and present it in a direct instruction format)
    v. An opportunity for students to reflect on how effective/ineffective the strategy was for them (metacognition)

Extending

  1. Describe three logical ways the strategy could be used beyond what was described or realistic variations for different learners.
  2. Student Handout
  3. This would include directions the students would need to complete the assignment b. It should be visually appealing with clear directions and expectations.
    c. Ideally, the first answer is completed so the students have a model to work from (A graphic organizer or some other way of holding students accountable for the material).
  4. Answer Key
  5. A copy of the handout with the answers (or possible answers) filled in. In some cases, a rubric may be more appropriate, especially if students are completing a writing assignment). In other cases, the teacher might ask students to do something like brainstorm, so the answer key might be a list of possible brainstormed ideas.
  6. Text or sample of the text
  7. I can’t evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy or appropriateness of the text for the standards addressed unless I see a couple of pages of the text.

Each strategy is worth 20 points. They will be assessed based on their adherence to the format, the quality of the materials, the clarity of the steps, the thoroughness of the directions, the visual appeal of the handouts, and the appropriateness of the strategy to the text, standards, and content area.

Strategies should focus on reading and writing in the content areas. Students’ portfolios need to include:

  • One math strategy
  • One english/writing content strategy
  • One social studies/history consolidating learning strategy
  • One science strategy
  • One art strategies