E-Hints are short, easy-to-read posts that educators may find relevant to their school improvement processes. You might find an E-Hint on the latest research about a topic, a new approach to an instructional technique, or a “what works” tip from another school district. You are welcome to download E-Hints and share them with others within or outside your district.
Check out our recent E-Hints below!
eTip of the Week: Use Semantic Mapping to Teach Vocabulary
Developing vocabulary proficiency not only helps students’ comprehension, but also supports their learning in other content areas. Semantic mapping is a vocabulary instructional strategy where students think of familiar words related to the target word and create a word web. Pictures can also be added to the web as another way to support their understanding. This can be done as a collaborative activity where students support and extend one another’s thinking.
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eTip of the Week: Vertically Align the Curriculum with Locally Important Content
When developing curriculum, be cognizant of any prerequisites required to support new content that is introduced in a grade level. Look at the previous grade level to determine if any gaps exist within the standards and then decide if it is locally important to the district to have that content explicitly included in the curriculum.
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eTip of the Week: Develop a Question-Based Agenda
When we facilitate, our focus is on creating a space for our learners to reach the intended goals or learning outcomes. Developing a question-based agenda not only promotes engagement as learners are able to cater discussions to their needs, levels, and interests, but also elicits the opportunity for authentic learning and collaboration.
eTip of the Week: Choose the Assessment Type Based on Verb Level
When planning which type of assessment to use, it is important to consider the cognitive level of the verb in the learning target being assessed. Selected response, constructed response, and product and performance assessment items are all valuable, but deciding which type is best suited for the level of the verb will lead to valid assessments that accurately measure mastery of the learning outcome.
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eTip of the Week: Try Something New!
The new year is upon us and a perfect opportunity to try something new. What is something new you will be trying in 2023?
eTip of the Week: Extend Learning with Anchor Activities
“I’m through, what can I do?” is a question we have all heard in the classroom. Using anchor activities provides students with an opportunity to revisit or extend their learning in a meaningful way that is connected to the learning target. After classwork or independent practice is complete, students can engage with anchor activities such as independent reading, journaling, vocabulary activities, or art projects related to the content to deepen their understanding.
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