Running Head: BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK

Best Practices Handbook

Amanda Elrod

Regent University
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Cake Walk…………………………………………………………………………………3
2. Corners…………………………………………………………………………………….4
3. Cornell Notes……………………………………………………………………………...5
4. Create a Rap……………………………………………………………………………….6
5. Exit Ticket…………………………………………………………………………………7
6. Frayer Model………………………………………………………………………………8
7. Graffiti……………………………………………………………………………………..9
8. K-W-L (Three Column Chart)…………………………………………………………...10
9. Line-Ups…………………………………………………………………………………11
10. Literature Circles………………………………………………………………………...12
11. Mind Maps……………………………………………………………………………….13
12. Question/Answer Cards………………………………………………………………….14
13. Reading & Writing Workshops………………………………………………………….15
14. Sort Cards………………………………………………………………………………..16
15. Take a Stand……………………………………………………………………………...17
16. Think-Pair-Share…………………………………………………………………………18
17. Tic-Tac-Toe……………………………………………………………………………...19
18. Venn Diagrams…………………………………………………………………………..20
19. Web Quest………………………………………………………………………………..21
20. Word Wall………………………………………………………………………………..22

Book List…………………………………………………………………………………………23
BEST PRACTICES HANDBOOK 3

Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 93 – Cake Walk

o Cake Walk is an activity that we have demonstrated in class. There is a question

about a topic, reading, etc. on the board or projector. Students form concentric

circles, meaning an outside and inside circle; the teacher then plays music and the

circles move in opposite directions until it stops, and the students face one another

and discuss the question. The teacher may repeat this until as many questions as

they want asked are asked. This Activity can be used across the curriculum for

reading comprehension, science review, history, or even math if discussing word

problems. This activity could easily be implemented across all of the subjects.

o Cake Walk concept graphic –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 90 – Corners:

o Corners is an activity that can be used to access student’s prior knowledge,

engage them using movement, as well as promote the use of critical thinking. This

activity requires students to formulate an opinion on a topic or answer a question

that may have multiple answers. The teacher will present a question or debate and

each corner is designated to a specific answer or opinion and the students in that

corner must discuss their answer and why they chose that corner. This strategy

can be used across the curriculum for a discussion on a book or reading that has

been done with the class, as well as for topics in history. This strategy can be used

for reading comprehension as well as turned into a debate if you are teaching

history or posing views for a topic.

o Corners concept graphic for a debate setting –

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The Learning Strategies Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://lsc.cornell.edu/notes.html

• Cornell Notes:

o Cornell notes are an effective note-taking strategy used by students of all ages.

This method can be used for any subject and does best when using lined paper.

This method allows students to jot down questions they have during a lesson next

to the notes themselves. This allows students to make connections to things while

taking their notes and allows them to make their notes more personal.

o Cornell notes overview and explanation –

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Write A Rap Song. (2014, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.k12academics.com/lesson-

plans/write-rap-song

• Create a Rap:

o Students will work in groups in order to create a rap on a given topic. This can be

used in English as a way to review poetry, or as a science lesson to rap about a

topic that was learned to assess what the students have learned. Students will

create their rap and then share with the class as a fun way to review or close a

lesson.

o Create a Rap example -

Group Name: ______________________________

Create your own rap

Create a rap about either a planet or the solar System! !

Rap Title: ____________________

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 115 – Exit Ticket:

o Exit Tickets are an effective strategy that can be used across the curriculum for

any subject or set of material. This is a simple way to allow students to summarize

instruction and for teachers to gather formative assessment data. Exit tickets can

be provided or done on a normal piece of paper. Students will answer specific

questions at the end of an instructional period. The questions can either be STEM

based or based directly to the material.

o Exit Ticket example –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 18 – Frayer Model:

o The Frayer Model is a visual organizer that is used to separate interesting

information about a concept or vocabulary words. This organizer can be used

across the curriculum and is used to help students relate vocabulary or a concept

to their lives as well as further their understanding of the word or concept. The

organizer is divided into four parts labeled “My Definition,”

“Characteristics/Facts,” “Examples,” and “Non-examples.” In the middle the

word or concept is written, and the student fills out the four parts based on what

they know. This strategy helps build vocabulary as well as makes students use

prior knowledge and make real-world connections to the topic.

o Frayer model example for the word “Turtle” –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 92 – Graffiti:

o Graffiti is a tool that can be used across the curriculum. This activity involves

students brainstorming together on large posters or on the board. Students write

short phrases or terms that relate to the given topic, problem, or formula working

as a group. This allows teachers to assess prior knowledge, summarize learning,

and promote critical thinking.

o Graffiti Example for patterns –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 113 – KWL (Three Column Charts):

o K-W-L chart is an organizer that can be used across the curriculum. K-W-L

stands for “Know”, “Want to Know”, and “Learned.” The name K-W-L

represents what each column is labeled as. This organizer can be used to

brainstorm and access prior knowledge, as well as help the teacher identify need

for instruction and track student learning throughout the unit. A K-W-L chart can

be used at the beginning of a unit to check for understanding as well as help the

teacher plan the lesson by seeing what students know and need and want to learn

about the material.

o K-W-L Chart example –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 101 – Line-Ups:

o Line-Ups is an activity that allows students to take a stand, make a prediction, or

make an estimation on a given topic. They will then line up with their prediction

on a piece of paper and line up in order based on their predictions. Once they

share their estimations, they can determine if they are in the correct spot or not

and order themselves correctly. This can be used in determining steps to a

process, the order of a story, or even an estimated number to a question.

o Below is an example of students doing a line-up activity involving numbers –

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Tompkins, G. E. (2016). Language Arts: Patterns of Practice (9th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

• Pg. 32 – Literature Circles:

o Literature circles are a great way to have students discuss a book that they have

selected to read in class. Students choose a role in which they have to respond to

the reading or a specific question from the book and they must answer using their

role. This includes the discussion director, passage master, word wizard,

connector, summarizer, illustrator, and investigator. As a class, the literature

circles share about their book based on what role they chose to respond in. This is

a great activity to engage readers and formulate class discussion.

o Literature Circle Role Example –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 17 – Mind Maps:

o Mind maps are a graphic organizer that can be used across the curriculum to

organize thoughts and integrate terms within a context. Students can create a mind

map for any topic individually, as well as create a class mind map to work

together to understand the material. This allows students to study vocabulary in a

new way or try to understand a new concept and apply it to a topic.

o Mind mapping example for mind mapping –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 95 – Question/Answer Cards:

o Question/Answer cards is an activity where a set of answer cards are passed out to

every student. In the middle a stack of question cards is placed face-down, and the

students will flip over the questions and ask who has the answer. All students then

check to see if they have the answer and read it out loud. This can be used as

review, as an assessment of a piece of literature, or for any subject or topic.

o Below is an example of a variation of this assignment where students had to

match questions to one specific answer -

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Tompkins, G. E. (2016). Language Arts: Patterns of Practice (9th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

• Pg. 368-370 – Reading/Writing Workshop:

o Reading and Writing workshops can be used in language arts curriculum for a

specific book or to go over the writing process with students. Students have

freedom to show creativity through these workshops and a workshop environment

is seen throughout the start of a class as it is developed through the respect shown

to your students. Students keep folders to distinguish which workshop is which, as

well as notes from minilessons, drafts from writing, and other materials. Reading

and Writing workshops are a great way to get students involved.

o Reading and Writing Workshop timeline examples –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 94 – Sort Cards:

o Sort cards can be used across the curriculum. Sort cards are used to gather pre-

assessment data, to check for understanding, to review, and to access prior

knowledge. This activity requires students to generate specific words or phrases

that come to their mind when they think of a designated topic and record it on an

index card. They then meet in small groups to sort the ideas in the group into

categories either created by them or the teacher. After all the groups sort, they go

around the class and visit each group to ask questions and see how they sorted while

someone from the group stays behind to answer questions from other groups.

o An example of sort cards –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 107 – Take a Stand:

o Take a Stand is a debate activity that makes students pick a stance on a certain

position and discuss it with the class. This can be a topic involving reading,

history, or science, and the student will be able to connect their experience to the

debate in order to formulate an opinion. The students will use cards that are

labeled “Agree” or “Disagree” and will hold one up when asked a question on a

topic. The student may be asked to give rationale on why they chose an answer in

order to formulate class discussion.

o Take a Stand Activity card example –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 112 – Think-Pair-Share:

o Think-Pair-Share is an activity that can be used across the curriculum for any

subject or topic. This activity requires students to work together to answer a

question to themselves, then discuss with a partner, and share with the class. This

provides opportunity to check for understanding as well as allow students to

process information and talk through and questions they may have with a partner.

o Think-Pair-Share Anchor Chart example –

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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 98 – Tic-Tac-Toe:

o Tic-Tac-Toe is an activity for students to look for patterns and connections in

vocabulary and concepts that are being studied in class. Terms or concepts will be

placed on index cards and students will shuffle the cards and create a tic-tac-toe

board out of nine of them. Students must create sentences using three of the words

either in a straight or diagonal line and share with the group. The group will then

discuss any misconnections in the sentence, so the student can learn if they used it

correctly or not.

o Example of Tic-Tac-Toe –
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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 17 – Venn Diagram:

o Venn Diagrams are a form of graphic organizer that is used to compare and

contrast two terms or concepts. This can be used across the curriculum in any

subject as it is a simple method to compare and contrast any two things. The

student draws two circles that overlap in the middle. Each circle is labeled with

the word or concept that is being compared and the middle is where the two

overlaps. The overlapping portion is where the student labels the similarities

between the words or concepts. This is a great way to review or expand

vocabulary.

o Venn Diagram example comparing Birds and Bats –

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Tompkins, G. E. (2016). Language Arts: Patterns of Practice (9th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

• Pg. 375 – Web Quest:

o Web quests are inquiry-oriented online projects that allow students to enhance

their knowledge on a topic. This can be used across the curriculum because any

topic can be researched in order complete the project. Students will learn to do

online research and organize it in a way that includes the topic and write about

that topic. This can be used at the end of the lesson or unit as a way to assess

students understanding and ability to research.

o Below is where a teacher can create or adapt their own web quest –
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Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK.

• Pg. 16 – Word Walls

o Word walls can be used across the curriculum as a way for students to expand

their vocabulary. The words are placed in a designated place in the classroom

labeled as the “word wall.” This wall can include struggle words that the students

have trouble spelling or remembering. It can also include synonyms for words

that are overused so that they can learn to expand their vocabulary. This can be

used across the curriculum by using words from other subjects that the students

need to learn as well, so they are learning vocabulary for other subjects instead of

just English language words.

o Word Wall example for music –

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Book List

1. Beaty, A., & Roberts, D. (2018). Ada Twist, scientist. Boston, MA: National Braille

Press.

This book is about a little girl who asks all the “why?” questions. She is very interested in

science; therefore, her book can be used to introduce STEM activities. This book is a great way

to introduce inquiry-based learning in the classroom. This book addresses Science SOL 2.1 and

English SOL 2.1.

2. Daywalt, D., & Jeffers, O. (2016). The day the crayons quit. London: HarperCollins

Childrens Books.

This book is about a box of crayons that has written a letter of grievance to their owner stating

that they quit. They felt used and abused and not loved for who they were. This book can teach

students to respect on another and each other’s property and to take care of the things that we

own. This book can be applied to Social Science SOL 2.11 and English SOL 2.13.

3. McCloud, C., & Messing, D. (2016). Have you filled a bucket today?: A guide to daily

happiness for kids. Northville, MI: Bucket Fillers.

This book is about how to be kind to one another and how your words can either fill or take away

from someone’s “bucket.” This story addresses History and Social Science SOL 1.10 and 2.11 as

well as English SOL 1.9 and 2.13.

4. Mcelligott, M. (2017). Mad scientist academy - the space disaster. Random House Usa.

This book is about all of the planets and the students will explore planets as their planetarium

shifts from one to another. This is a very informational book that gives facts about each

individual planet, helping the student distinguish the differences between them. This book

addresses Science SOL 4.7 and English SOL 4.4 and 4.6.
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5. Pfundstein, V. (2014). Veterans Heroes in Our Neighborhood. Pfun-Omenal Stories Llc.

This book is about a neighborhood full of veterans and we learn what they did when they served

our country. This is a great book for students to see and understand that veterans are everyday

people that have served our country. This book addresses History SOL 2.5 and English SOL 2.10

as in class they would have a writing assignment with this book.