CERs implemented in my classroom:
-Unit Organizer Routine
-FRAME Routine
-Concept Anchoring Routine
As I gradually began to implement Content Enhancement Routines in my classroom, I saw a shift in how my students understood and retained information. This first happened with the Unit Organizer Routine. I started to connect my daily learning targets to the current unit organizer, and as I did that, students began making more and more connections between the content in a unit and across units. If there was a day when I forgot to make an explicit connection, students often brought up the fact that we were learning something from our unit organizer. I also noticed that students were able to remember and use the general vocabulary we were learning during class. Before they would always say something like, "You know that thing we learned the other day," but now they could articulate their thoughts with the correct vocabulary.
While the Unit Organizer Routine helped my students learn the big picture and make connections, FRAME and Concept Anchoring helped them learn and retain much more content than they were able to before. In the past I have tried multiple creative methods for teaching concepts like figurative language and theme, but I'll never forget the first time I taught them using FRAME and Concept Anchoring because my students did not forget either. They remembered terms and definitions after one lesson that they had not remembered after an entire unit in previous years. The devices also served as clear and organized notes that students frequently referred to if they did not remember something. Going through the routines combined with having the devices has definitely created a more meaningful and memorable learning experience for my students.
As my PLC began to implement the Unit Organizer Routine, I realized that it is not only good for students, but it's good for teachers as well. As my PLC began each new unit, we first had to construct the Unit Organizer. This allowed us to have a conversation that we were not having before. In order to create the Unit Organizer, we had to decide on the big ideas and how they connected to each other and to other units. Once we made these connections as a team, we were able to explicitly make the connections for our students. It also gave us the chance to clarify our content for ourselves and make sure we were all interpreting the standards and curriculum the same before teaching it to students. I had so much peace of mind knowing that our students with disabilities and our advanced students were having the same learning experiences.
SIM has helped me grow as a teacher and has helped my PLC refine the curriculum work we have been doing for several years. I feel more confident about how I present information to my students and have seen improvements in their learning. As SIM is used in more classrooms across content areas in my school, students are seeing the value of the routines and are growing their ability to see big ideas, make connections, and retain information,
-Unit Organizer Routine
-FRAME Routine
-Concept Anchoring Routine
As I gradually began to implement Content Enhancement Routines in my classroom, I saw a shift in how my students understood and retained information. This first happened with the Unit Organizer Routine. I started to connect my daily learning targets to the current unit organizer, and as I did that, students began making more and more connections between the content in a unit and across units. If there was a day when I forgot to make an explicit connection, students often brought up the fact that we were learning something from our unit organizer. I also noticed that students were able to remember and use the general vocabulary we were learning during class. Before they would always say something like, "You know that thing we learned the other day," but now they could articulate their thoughts with the correct vocabulary.
While the Unit Organizer Routine helped my students learn the big picture and make connections, FRAME and Concept Anchoring helped them learn and retain much more content than they were able to before. In the past I have tried multiple creative methods for teaching concepts like figurative language and theme, but I'll never forget the first time I taught them using FRAME and Concept Anchoring because my students did not forget either. They remembered terms and definitions after one lesson that they had not remembered after an entire unit in previous years. The devices also served as clear and organized notes that students frequently referred to if they did not remember something. Going through the routines combined with having the devices has definitely created a more meaningful and memorable learning experience for my students.
As my PLC began to implement the Unit Organizer Routine, I realized that it is not only good for students, but it's good for teachers as well. As my PLC began each new unit, we first had to construct the Unit Organizer. This allowed us to have a conversation that we were not having before. In order to create the Unit Organizer, we had to decide on the big ideas and how they connected to each other and to other units. Once we made these connections as a team, we were able to explicitly make the connections for our students. It also gave us the chance to clarify our content for ourselves and make sure we were all interpreting the standards and curriculum the same before teaching it to students. I had so much peace of mind knowing that our students with disabilities and our advanced students were having the same learning experiences.
SIM has helped me grow as a teacher and has helped my PLC refine the curriculum work we have been doing for several years. I feel more confident about how I present information to my students and have seen improvements in their learning. As SIM is used in more classrooms across content areas in my school, students are seeing the value of the routines and are growing their ability to see big ideas, make connections, and retain information,