Inquiry Based Learning: A Practical Introduction for Teachers and Education Workers

Teachers are often interested in inquiry based learning as they have heard that it is a great way to engage their students, and create intrinsic learning opportunities.However, while many teachers know it's an important strategy, they have had little exposure to it. Because of this, I am often asked what Inquiry Based Learning, and Differentiated … Continue reading Inquiry Based Learning: A Practical Introduction for Teachers and Education Workers

Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Synthesizing]

Having read your TEXT, you will create a MIND MAP exploring different connections between the story and the world around you.  Next, they will research THREE of the connections before choosing one PROJECT-BASED FORMAT.  Finally, you will use that format to create a SYNTHESIS of both the STORY and your RESEARCH in order to fully … Continue reading Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Synthesizing]

Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Comparing]

Having made INTERTEXTUAL CONNECTION between this story and other texts, you are fully prepared to make INTRATEXTUAL connections by COMPARING things within the text itself. Charles: A Focus on Literacy Skills Charles is a short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948.  A full copy of the text can be READ HERE.  This SERIES will focus on all TEN KEY LITERACY SKILLS.  … Continue reading Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Comparing]

Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Connecting]

Making CONNECTIONS to a text allows the reader to develop a stronger understanding of the events, characters, and actions by considering how they relate to familiar, personal, or societal experiences. Charles: A Focus on Literacy Skills Charles is a short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948.  A full copy of the text can be READ HERE.  This SERIES will focus … Continue reading Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Connecting]

Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Questioning]

Questions lead us to consider the DEEPER MEANING of a text.  Both ANSWERING and ASKING questions we enhance our understanding while developing new perspectives from which to interact with a selected text.   Charles: A Focus on Literacy Skills Charles is a short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948.  A full copy of the text can be READ HERE.  … Continue reading Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Questioning]

Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Inferring]

When you are not LITERALLY told something you are required to make an EDUCATED GUESS about what is happening.  This literacy skill is called INFERRING.  By using your own PRIOR KNOWLEDGE as well as information from the TEXT you can support your conclusion.   Charles: A Focus on Literacy Skills Charles is a short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948.  A full copy of the text … Continue reading Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Inferring]

Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Visualizing]

Placing yourself in the text, IMAGINING the world brought to life, grants a stronger understanding of the environment, the characters' choices, and the ability to predict things to come.  VISUALIZING demands that you focus on all FIVE SENSES to explore the text's environment as if you were there.   Charles: A Focus on Literacy Skills Charles is a short story … Continue reading Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Visualizing]

Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Summarizing]

Now that you have selected the IMPORTANT DETAILS from the short story, you are ready to connect them together to form your own SUMMARY of the text.  By rewriting the text keeping only the key details while omitting the unnecessary you will have a strong grasp of the ACTION in the text..   Charles: A Focus on Literacy Skills Charles is … Continue reading Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Summarizing]

Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Determining Importance]

Having READ and ANNOTATED the story Charles, you will now DETERMINE IMPORTANCE by selecting specific QUOTATIONS from the story that support why you self-selected the most important parts of the text for each page. Charles: A Focus on Literacy Skills Charles is a short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948.  A full copy of the text can be READ … Continue reading Charles: Focusing on Literacy Skills [Determining Importance]