Strategies and Tips Maxine McCormick MH/Contemporary

1. Create a System for Prescribing Individual Needs. 2. Build Vocabulary 3. Analyze Class Prior Knowledge/Needs 4. Use Materials Appropriate to Assessment 5. Practice – Practice - Practice

 Use the pre or post tests in CC Basics to help prescribe individual needs  Pre-test is 25 questions long / post-test is 50 questions. Use the one that works best for your program  Correlation becomes the student individual guide  Compare the results across the entire class and determine which areas need group lessons and which areas need small group instruction

 Use your time and energy wisely.  Ask yourself: What skills should I teach that will give me huge results?  Put 20% effort that will return 80 % results.  Example: Prefix, Latin and Greek, Suffixes  Example: Multiplication Tables  Example: Cap and Punctuation Rules  Example: How to Use Graphic Organizers  Example: Writing clear and concise sentences

 Vocabulary has 3 Tiers  Tier 2 – Formal language is on most standardized assessments and used in the workplace.  App – for 99cents McGraw-Hill Words to Learn By – 300 words – 3 levels – starts 4-5 grade  Tier 3 – Academic Words – Ex. Gravitational – Important for building knowledge especially in Science and Social Studies

 The brain can only absorb bits of information at a time.  Only give 5-7 chunks of information  Forget the page of Mult. Tables or vocabulary words  Use index cards for review and memorization  The more cards – the more confidence  Practice and perfect before adding new skills  Retention is the goal – building blocks for the future

 Math Ex. – Problem Solving  Discuss meaning of 3 words:  Irrelevant – Reasonable – Solution  Then complete the following sentences:  I had a problem, but found a solution by…  My solution was reasonable because …..  One factor related to the problem that turned out irrelevant was …..

 1. Understand the Question – Read and reread the question carefully – Decide what the problem asks you to find.  2. Decide what information is needed to solve the problem. Determine what information is irrelevant to the question.  3. Choose the most appropriate operation/operations to solve the problem.  4. Solve the problem. Make sure the solution answers the questions asked.  5. Check your answer by rereading the question to see if the answer is reasonable, that it makes sense.   UDCSC – Have a contest for the best Sentence for the Acronym.

 Sally is taking inventory of the glassware. She has 15 cases of green glasses. They come 12 to a case and stand 8 inches tall. She also has 9 cases of blue glasses. They come 20 to a case. They are good for water and juice. If these are the only glasses Sally has in her store, how many glasses does she have in all?  Solve using the 5 step approach or UDCSC  Irrelevant, Solution, Reasonable

Tier 2 Words: Function - input – output  Tier 3 words:  Linear function  Nonlinear function  Vertical line test  Remember we are not asking students to solve anything at this point we are only wanting them to have an understanding of the vocabulary.

 Understanding the housing chart  1.Clue: Only one output for each input  Notice the diagram below and the Rule Find the cost for a 500 sq ft house on the chart. Talk about the new trend of the tiny house. What else might be 500 square feet? Solve the equation y=40x+2,000 Ask for 1,500 or 2,000

 2. Clue – Function can only have one point in a vertical line.  Example: pg. 200 Is the diagram on 201 an ex. of a function? Why or why not?  On graph paper – find as many capital letters that are functions using the Vertical line test. Linear function vs Nonlinear function Pg Perimeter vs Area of a Square.

 Science Basics page 110.  Notice how many words have Prefix, Rt words, and suffixes  Take one word - Invasive Species – (Invade comes from Latin word Invadere meaning to attack, enter or assault). List at least three examples.  What are the Laws of Ecology? Who is Barry Commoner? Biotic or Abiotic factors? Explore…  Give examples of Disruption happening this week.  Use your lessons for thought provoking, critical thinking, investigative processes. Use discussion for better memory of the lessons. 50% more retention.  Use charts to provide 75% retention Example: 112  Have class members present chapters for 90% retention.  By using vocabulary – this gives the basis for each lesson no matter the subject area.

 Vocabulary – Argument, claim, credible, citation, counterclaims, databases, cohesive.  Persuasive/argumentative essay, review, opinion articles are everyday essays. How can the reader tell fact from opinion? FOG  Assessing accuracy of source (org,gov,edu)  Read pg. 241Was the paragraph persuasive? Why or Why not? Describe the Claim.  Practice Claim – Counter Claim exercises. Yogurt is Healthy. Partner up.

 Take the Correlation sheets of all students and breakdown which skills are missed by most of the students – This becomes your daily group instruction  Determine which small groups of students are missing similar skills and design small group activities  Each student has their own individual plan  Use your Instructor’s Resource Binder for planning each activity. ELL activities and Extension Activities are included

 Before anyone can practice – there needs to be instruction and the building of student knowledge  Begins with Teacher Resources – Large Group – Small Group – Individual  Lesson Review  Chapter Review  Post Test  Blend your Learning – Print and Digital  LearnSmart Test Prep – Mini Lesson – Adaptive Format  Count 5 Resources for Practice before taking the TASC Readiness Assessment – Basics – Achieve Print – TASC Ex Books- Achieve Online – Achieve LearnSmart

 Website - maxinemccormick.com  –  Phone –