Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
Section II: During the Learning
5.5
Preparation—Time and Materials Complete this module in fifty minutes. The ideal group size is four teachers per group seated at tables. The group should choose a facilitator, timekeeper, recorder, and reporter. Each member will also need notebook paper, access to chart paper and markers, and the following reproducible. • “Crafting I Can Statements: A Practice Worth Pursuing” (page 111)
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Step 1: Getting Ready to Learn—Promissory Note Activity (Ten Minutes) Explain that participants will use notebook paper to write themselves a promissory note (a written promise or commitment to oneself ) outlining what they intend to do as a result of what they learn about using I can statements to impact student learning. Encourage participants to be specific about what they will do and by when. Once finished, have teachers fold their promissory note and write their name on the outside. At this point, the person leading the session will collect the promissory notes and return them as the final part of the protocol in step 2.
Step 2: Interactive Strategy, Protocol, or Activity: “Four A” Text Protocol (Forty Minutes) 1. Read the article: Ask participants to read the article “Crafting I Can Statements: A Practice Worth Pursuing” (page 111). As the group reads the article silently, participants should annotate the text using the “Four A” text protocol (eight minutes). They should make notes in the margins using the following. •
A plus (+) sign for topics they Agree with
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A minus (–) sign for statements they would Argue with
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A question mark (?) for matters they want to Ask about
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A star (*) for ideas they Aspire to achieve with their team
2. Share thinking: Once the group is finished reading and annotating the selection, the facilitator should use a round-robin approach to have each participant in the small group share his or her thinking. In a series of four rounds, each member of the small group (without comment or discussion at this point) quickly shares one thing they: •
Agree with (round one)
•
Argue with (round two)
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Ask about (round three)
•
Aspire to (round four)
Record key words or phrases from each round. (five minutes) 3. Summarize: In a fifth and final round, while still working in the small groups, participants should summarize their thinking (six minutes) before sharing any agreements or consensus with the larger group. (four minutes)
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