In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this lesson, 6th grade teacher Lawrence Perretto blends STEM and Project Based Learning by having his students construct model homes to explore how thermal energy moves. Students use iPads and thermometers to gather data about their model homes and determine how to make their homes more energy efficient. Lawrence gives his students a variety of materials to construct insulation with. After insulating their model homes, students conduct more thermal testing. Lawrence concludes the lesson by asking students reflection questions about what they learned through this project.

Hillary Mills uses a series of hands-on activities to engage and excite her students to learn new scientific concepts. Using fossils, buckets of sand, rocks, pennies and timeline cards, she covers in short order everything from geologic terminology to how isotopes break down over time. This fast-paced small group activity is deceptively simple yet packed with learning

Teacher David Pretos classroom is visited by teacher evaluator Renee OLeary. She suggests he work on engaging students by making lessons more active and communicating class goals more specifically. Watch him take her advice and put it into action.

Building a culture of respect while still challenging students to share their voices requires thoughtful and careful facilitation by the teacher. Urban Academy teachers discuss the roles they play across subject areas to develop this respect in their school and how consistency across disciplines helps to establish respect among students. Three guiding principles come out of the teachers' reflection that foster a culture of respect. Teachers do not allow personal attacks, asking students to instead 'attack' ideas instead of people. In facilitating discussions, teachers avoid questions with 'right/wrong' answers, recognizing the value of all students' responses, and arbitrate fairly so that students trust teachers to manage sometimes controversial subjects fairly.

In an effort to promote deeper analysis and understanding of multiple viewpoints, Urban Academy teachers discuss the conscious decisions they make to promote this type of discussion. The group reflects on how they structure discussions to highlight different perspectives and also rephrase and restate student comments to heighten differences in opinions and to draw out additional responses. In reacting and responding to these differences, students participate in a deeper analysis.

Using an inquiry based approach has a profound effect on the depth and complexity of classroom discussions. In this video, students share how this is different than what they've previously experienced and we see teacher, Avram Barlowe, use primary source documents to drive discussions about freedom as it existed during Reconstruction following the Civil War. Recognizing that these documents describe both daily life and larger political and social ideas, Avram expects that the discussion will focus on both elements but will be largely driven by student comments and reactions to each text. In preparation for this inquiry based approach, Avram shares how he develops many questions that may never be used and must be ready to use students' comments and questions to facilitate the resulting discussion. Even though he knows ahead of time that there are specific issues that should be explored, he does not come into the discussion with specific answers or outcome for these issues. Avram sees the text as a vehicle in which the students can explore ideas that interest them and requires that students use multiple documents to challenge their thinking and extend their understanding of differing perspectives. In this way, students are prepared to not only discuss these ideas in this informal setting but are also prepared to read analytically and write about these ideas, considering multiple perspectives.

Supporting participation from all students is a challenging part of every teacher's practice. Discussing the different ways in which they support and encourage quieter students, Urban Academy teachers share ideas and reflect on the different ways in which students participate in learning. They recognize that different students participate in different ways and at different times but also make conscious decisions to support those who are not actively sharing ideas with the class. We see this happen with one student, Ebony, who was reluctant to share ideas but gains confidence through one-on-one coaching with her teacher, Sheila Kosoff. To support building this confidence, teachers discuss planning discussions outside of class and organizing smaller group discussions before bringing the whole class together.

Four teachers at Urban Academy Laboratory High School talk about how they use the inquiry approach in their teaching. History teacher Adam Grumbach talks about how using the inquiry model is a helpful strategy for teaching students of mixed abilities while History teacher Avram Barlowe discusses how the inquiry model is enriched by diverse participants. As students are shown having an inquiry-based discussion, we see evidence of different points of view and the importance of having these discussions in the context of the classroom. Adam shares the significance of having discussions with students from diverse backgrounds and diverse viewpoints and points out that this has as much educational value as more traditional learning opportunities. At the close of the video, four components of the inquiry approach are identified: it promotes a diversity of voices, it creates opportunities for students to share opinions, it teaches students how to use evidence and builds students' confidence.

8th Grade Science teacher Peter Hill from King Middle School in Maine shares a quick strategy tool and strategy he refers to as "word cloud". The "word cloud" is generated by a computer program that takes words from an article and generates a "cloud" with different sizes of words with the size emphasizing the frequency of the word. Mr. Hill uses this as a quick pre-reading activity to increase curiosity and engagement and to have students anticipate what the article or essay is about and what the main idea is. Teachers might also consider a twist to this idea and have student groups create their own word cloud after reading a selected text.11

Team teachers, Jason David and Emma Katznelson, bring the Declaration of Independence to life in an engaging lesson that examines the historical document and helps students to construct meaning based on its historical context and underlying themes.To open the lesson, Emma reads a fictitious break up letter that she later reveals is signed by the thirteen original colonies. The letter both engages students and reveals the underlying theme in the Declaration of Independence. Students' prior knowledge is assessed through a journal writing activity and discussion before Jason leads students in an overview of the historical context in which the document was written. To delve deeper into the actual document, students then read and annotate a portion of the Declaration focusing on four themes: social contract, the right to revolution, popular sovereignty and natural rights. This work provides the basis for the subsequent classroom discussion facilitated by teacher questions but almost entirely directed by students. These supports and structures allow students to understand a complex document thematically and linguistically, forming their own understanding and teaching one another. In closing, students are asked to form thoughts about what it means to be an American and how their understanding of the Declaration of Independence influences these thoughts.

Motivated by the need to integrate curricular needs in K-5 classrooms and as a result of technology budget cuts, Pleasanton Elementary School students use a variety of free software applications to produce digital media projects that address reading, writing, collaboration and technology skills. In this way, learning becomes more meaningful and relevant for students.Using free programs and Apple software included on their computers, students choose to produce a life story, poem, tutorial or personal narrative in iMovie. In this video, students collaborate with one another and explain how they have created their movies. Final projects are then uploaded into students' digital portfolios.

Lesson Objective: Maximize instruction by adding content into your transitions
Length: 5 min
Questions to Consider: What is the class's daily routine for learning the word of the day? Why does Ms. Noonan have students "sit like a scholar" and wait before she says the word of the day? How does the "Grab Bag Quiz" help with classroom management as students move back to their desks?

Madeline Noonan starts every class day with a morning meeting. Students use vocabulary to describe how they're feeling, practice speaking in front of peers, and gain trust by sharing a little about themselves. A daily "greeting" adds a bit of fun.

Take a quick visit to Madeline Noonan's classroom. See how class culture is built throughout her day and is integrated with content instruction. You can watch more about Ms. Noonan's class in the other four videos.

As new teachers Saray Felix and Alex Torres embark on their first year of teaching, they get help from instructional coaches. Through feedback from their coaches, Saray and Alex are able to reflect on their teaching practice. Both Saray and Alex are enthusiastic about starting teaching, but confront challenges around classroom management, isolation, and exhaustion. Saray and Alex incorporate feedback from their coaches to focus on challenging and supporting students. As the year progresses, Saray and Alex learn to focus on both what needs to be improved and what is working.

Ms. Vreeland is a new teacher working to improve the management of her classroom. She shares a video of her class with management expert Jackie Ancess. Mrs. V takes what shes learned and tries it out in her class. Watch the before and after.

7th Grade Math Teacher Chris McCloud from the School of the Future in New York gives us a new idea on how to call on students and ensure participation. McCloud tapes 1 playing card on each student desk and has the same set of playing cards in his hand. Throughout a lesson, Chris flips a card to determine which students is going to answer a question. If students cannot answer the question, he does'nt allow them to say "I don't know." Instead, he requires the student to share where they are stuck and flips the next card to see if someone can help the student who is stuck.