Upgrading “Put The Events In Order”
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
4d ago
Here’s a question I saw on several worksheets, from reading and social studies. Place the following events in the correct order. And then there’s a list of events from a plot or from a period in history. Students put the events in order. The end. So, obviously, this is as low-level as you can get. You can tell because your most brilliant students will all give you the exact same answers. But it’s also a one-off, which is the true crime. It’s fine to ask a Remember-level question if you’re using it to set up thinking. But there were no follow up questions on this worksheet. The next task was ..read more
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Updating Old Questions: Addition With Missing Pieces
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
2M ago
My math questions were perpetually stuck at calculating. Everything looked like this: 622 + 77 = ___ The Problem? My most brilliant mathematicians would get the right answer and then… they’d get another calculation problem. In fact, they’d get 10 or 15 or 20 versions of the same problem. All at the same low level of thinking. No follow up questions to push them higher on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Sure, the worksheet might end with a word problem. But that was really just another calculation problem in disguise, right? The Update So here’s one way I’d transform 622 + 77 = ___ into something that invo ..read more
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Updating Old Questions: Ceasar vs Alexander
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
2M ago
I uncovered this worksheet from when I taught ancient civilizations. We were comparing Alexander The Great and Julius Caesar. I know what you’re thinking! Oh, he’s already at Analyze? Great job. But, look at the table I gave students and you’ll see… a problem. The table is actually at the “remember” level. It’s not actually Analyze at all!! Now it might set up an Analyze question, but I made the mistake of jumping all the way to “Who was better?” with no scaffolding between the “remember” and “evaluate” levels of Bloom’s. So, how could I build out this sequence to have a smoother transition f ..read more
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Updating Old Questions: A math question that’s TOO high level?!
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
2M ago
So we had this question, which will probably be overwhelming for a lot of students. I’d want to start with something simpler and work my way back up. So, I’ll just show the first three tables. And all students have to do is count. Then they’d predict the fourth step. class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-8941″ /> See how easy that first question is to get started? Then asking for a prediction is less intimidating, too. Once a student answers that successfully, I finally give them the picture of the fourth table. They’ll cheer because they got the right answer. Now I can ask: Then, only onc ..read more
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Updating Old Questions: Multiple Perspectives on Veterans’ Day
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
2M ago
Here are two questions that are begging for a re-write: What are the different perspectives about Veteran’s Day? Why is it important to recognize Veteran’s Day? The first question just asks for a list. And the second questions doesn’t build on the first question. It goes in a whole new direction. So, first, I’d just give students two perspectives which I purposefully picked. It could be veterans and non-veterans. Or it could be veterans from different wars (World War II and World War I?). Regardless, I’m going to give students the perspectives so that I can build a sequence. Part 1: How is ..read more
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Updating Old Questions: A Pay Raise
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
2M ago
Here’s a math question I asked back in 2008 (Dr. H. was our principal). This year, Dr. H gave Mr. Byrd a raise. He’s now making $2.99 an hour! If he works 85 hours a week, how much will he earn in two weeks? So first, let’s scrap the silly fake numbers. I was foolishly aiming for engagement rather than high-level thinking. I’ll replace them with something useful: Cafe Byrd offers baristas $14.99 per hour for up to 40 hours a week. What is the maximum weekly pay? Now, to Analyze we need a second option. I’ll introduce a new coffee shop: Byrdbucks Coffee offers baristas $17.99 per hour. If ..read more
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Updating Old Questions: A Mere Model of a Cell
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
2M ago
Let’s upgrade this task which a teacher sent in to me. Create a 3d model of a cell and show the organelles and structures that make up a plant or animal cell. This task is a perfect example of focusing on the hands instead of the brain. It’s all about the product, not the thinking. As the task’s directions continue, this becomes even more apparent: Cells must be 3-dimensional with a front, back, and sides.It cannot be a piece of paper with things glued on it.Plant cells must be rectangular and animal cells must be circular. Use toothpicks and pieces of paper to label the pieces. Cell parts ..read more
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Updating Old Questions: Name That Genre!
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
2M ago
Here’s a question I dug up from my teaching days (The Challenge was a story in our reading program, you can replace it with something you read.) Is The Challenge an example of non-fiction, historical fiction, or realistic fiction? Support your answer with three explicit details. The problems? It’s another low-level, one-off question. So, here’s a sequence I’d use instead. Note how it moves around on Bloom’s Taxonomy! Part 1: A New genre. Imagine The Challenge as either a science-fiction story, a fantasy story, or a piece of historical fiction. What key details would you need to change? What ..read more
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Differentiation is Built-In, Not Bolted On
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
2M ago
You know you’re in trouble when you’re reading a lesson plan and it has a section called: “Differentiation”. This means we’re thinking about differentiation as an accessory. Something we add on after the fact. Like fries to the burger. “Would you like to add differentiation to your lesson, ma’am?” Differentiation comes built-in to a great lesson because a great lesson naturally moves students from the low-levels of thinking towards the high-levels. The lesson ends with an open-ended task that can expand to fit students’ abilities. Look at these two lesson objectives and tell me which one has d ..read more
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How I Think About Bloom’s Taxonomy
Byrdseed Gifted Lessons
by Ian
3M ago
Bloom’s Taxonomy is my desert island education tool. It’s all I need to craft a great lesson or develop an interesting sequence of questions. (Second place would definitely be the Depth and Complexity framework, but that’s a clear silver medalist compared to Bloom’s Taxonomy. Depth and Complexity depends on Bloom’s, after all.). I’ve written about the various levels here and there, but I wanted to gather all of that in one place. Let’s start at the bottom! Remember / Understand / Apply I put these together because nothing is more boring than explaining the difference . When we ask a question a ..read more
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