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English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)

Explore tips, tools, and resources for teaching English Language Arts and Reading. Enhance literacy and inspire students with creative strategies.

Author generated overview of game design process

Interactive Fiction Game Design with Claude Artifacts

by Miguel Guhlin December 18, 2024

written by Miguel Guhlin

Ever wish you could design interactive fiction games, like text-based Zork from back in the day combined with something like space opera? I sure do. And the good news is that making the game of my dreams is now possible (and simple!) through the use of AI. I bet your students would even love the opportunity to experience game design with Claude Artifacts, too!

“My query to ChatGPT was this: Create a choose-your-own-ending game that uses Haiku as the central text.
Within seconds, I had the framework of a narrative, embedded with haiku….” Be sure to check out Kevin’s (Dogtrax) exploration of ChatGPT for a similar type experience with interactive text!
Read An Interactive Text Game of Poetry Haiku Quest

Adventuring Through the Stars

A few years ago, one of my favorite space stories, Battle Beyond the Stars, found its way into my heart again. Surfing my Roku box for sci-fi thrillers, I stumbled down a wormhole of old space operas and movies. The story immediately captivated me again. The synopsis is stunning and simple:

“A farm boy recruits a band of outlaws to save the planet Akir from forces that threaten to wipe them out from the face of the universe. A battle stretching beyond the stars begins here.”
Battle Beyond the Stars, IMDB

This is the kind of storytelling I could see my third through sixth grade students doing. The only thing beyond them? The coding. But what if they could interact with an AI and guide it to do the coding?

As I watched this exciting show, I found myself wondering, “How hard would it be to create a Zork style game based on a space adventure?” In this blog entry, you will see one simple example that involves using Claude’s Artifact feature. You will also see a way you can raise up some game-makers of your own.

Screenshot by author of IMDB's website movie poster for movie — Screenshot by author of IMDB’s website movie poster for movie

Game Design with Claude

After all, designing games can be fun. The problem is, the tools available to elementary and middle school students can be… anemic, or difficult to master in a short time. For imaginative story weavers, the focus is more on the story, less the code. The whole idea of changing life into a game you play to survive has its appeal. How many of us, as thirteen year olds, wanted to design a Zork style game? These interactive fiction games, a.k.a. text adventures, can be quite engaging.

Image of Zork I game box cover via Wikipedia — Image of **Zork I game box cover via Wikipedia**

“How hard could it be to design an interactive fiction space adventure?” I found myself thinking. But, I may be getting ahead of myself. Let’s back up a bit.

Becoming a Game Designer

To be a game-maker, you have to know how to code, to strategize, and to plan big. More importantly, you have to know how to create a meaningful story. Let’s take a quick look at what game design is all about:

Game design is a subset of the field of video game development. Relying on several fields of study, the skills of a game designer are specific to computer science and programming, creative writing, and graphic design.

Designers take the creative lead in imagining and bringing to life game elements. Those elements include video game stories, characters, gameplay, rules, interfaces, dialogue and environments. The game designer is a cross between a writer, artist and programmer. It is a person who presents a comprehensive artistic vision.

The designer must have the technical skill to lead or contribute to various efforts. Those efforts include programming, image rendering, level design. Also, digital editing and other construction aspects of game design. (source)

How can teachers scaffold young learners’ design efforts? One approach may be to introduce them to game creation tools that are less about coding yet ensure that game design efforts and activities are possible. Focus on students creating engaging stories about topics of interest to them.

The Game Design Process and Rapid Prototyping

You can find many different design processes online. It would be important to settle on some process to introduce your students to. For example, this game design process presents some interesting stages. Imagine cooperative groups of students working to design a game. Watch video overview of the Game Design Process for an overview of the process.

The infographic below tries to capture this process:

Image Source:

Another key aspect of game design is failing fast to succeed faster. Rapid prototyping is a must in game design.

A good rapid prototyper would realize that failure is ok! That’s what prototyping is for, so go crazy! If you fail, there will be dozens more, and chances are, you’ll learn something anyway. By embracing the possibility of failure, rewarding experimentation becomes possible.(Source)

Ready to get started?

Designing an Interactive Fiction, Space Adventure

With Claude Artifacts, you and your students can easily design a text-based adventure game (use your imagination for applying this to educational settings).

I don’t know about you, but I’m intrigued! This is the kind of game I would have given up recess and lunch for as a child, pictures or not.

How to Get the Game

Save this zip file with the game to your computer. Extract (a.k.a. unzip) the compressed zip file. Then, open it in your web browser.
Claude. “Name this chat “S…” A.I. Archives, 31 July 2024, https://aiarchives.org/id/iApJa45JzHQLTUplnVcL

But how did we get here?

A Step by Step Process to Game Design with Claude

Game design with Claude Artifacts is shockingly easy. You can see a breakdown of the prompts to design this game here:

Prompt #1
Analyze the game design image attached. Design a game that follows this approach focused on a text-based game like Zork I that you could design in Claude Artifacts.

Prompt #2
Add evocative images to each part of the story. use the path "images/filename.png" where filename is the suggested image

Prompt #3
Add a splash page that has a spaceship (images/spaceship.png) with the TCEA logo displayed in bottom right corner. The splash should be identical to the previous Word Wizard except that it reflects this game unique features

Prompt #4
Generate a readme.txt file explaining the whole process, etc. similar to the one you did for the Word Wizard game. (included at the end of this blog post)

Here’s the step by step process that Claude came up with to design a game:

Let's go through each step of the process to create a Zork-like game using Claude Artifacts.

1. Capture:
The core concept is a text-based adventure game set in a mysterious abandoned space station. The player must navigate through different sections, solve puzzles, and uncover the story of what happened to the crew.

2. Brainstorm:

Setting: Abandoned space station orbiting a distant planet
Main objective: Discover what happened to the crew and escape
Puzzles: Based on repairing systems, decoding messages, and combining items
Atmosphere: Eerie, suspenseful, with elements of sci-fi horror
Key locations: Command bridge, living quarters, engineering bay, medical bay, hydroponics lab
Potential items: Key cards, tools, data pads, emergency supplies


3. Prototype:
Let's create a basic prototype of the game's core mechanics and a small section to test.

4. Playtest:
We can now playtest this prototype to see how the basic mechanics work. We'll need to test various commands, try to solve the simple puzzle (using the keycard), and see if the game flow is intuitive.

5. Iterate:
Based on playtesting, we might want to iterate on several aspects:


- Add more locations and items
- Implement a more complex inventory system
- Create more intricate puzzles
- Add a scoring system
- Improve the narrative elements and story progression


6. Implement:
After several iterations, we can implement a full version of the game with a complete story, multiple puzzles, and a satisfying conclusion.

This process allows us to start with a basic concept and gradually build it into a fully-fledged text adventure game. The React component we've created serves as a solid foundation that can be expanded upon in future iterations. We can add more locations, items, and puzzles, as well as enhance the storytelling aspects to create a rich, immersive experience.

Child’s Play

So, you see, game design with Claude is child’s play. It offers us the opportunity as educators to combine various important elements and can engage students while offering the opportunity for direct instruction.

Details of the Readme.txt File

As you read the text below, realize that this was all generated by Claude.ai. An appropriate action would be to have students create it.What I find interesting is the inclusion of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

Space Station Adventure Game

Created: July 31, 2024

Game Creator: Miguel Guhlin at TCEA.org (https://blog.tcea.org)
Code Author: Claude, AI Assistant. “Space Station Adventure Game.” Anthropic, 31 July 2024, chat.openai.com.

Description:

Space Station Adventure is an educational text-based adventure game designed to engage students in problem-solving, reading comprehension, and critical thinking. Players explore an abandoned space station, solving puzzles and uncovering the mystery of what happened to the crew.

Game Design Process:

This game was created following the game design process outlined by Game Design ED:

Capture: The core concept of exploring an abandoned space station was established.
Brainstorm: Ideas for locations, puzzles, and narrative elements were developed.
Prototype: A basic version of the game was created using React components.
Playtest: The prototype was tested to ensure basic functionality and engagement.
Iterate: Based on playtesting, improvements were made to the game mechanics and narrative.
Implement: The final version was created as a standalone HTML file for easy distribution and play.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Referenced:

This game aligns with the following TEKS:

§110.7. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 5
(b) Knowledge and Skills
(6) Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts. The student is expected to:
(C) make, correct, or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures
§126.7. Technology Applications, Grade 5
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Creativity and innovation. The student uses creative thinking and innovative processes to construct knowledge, generate new ideas, and create products. The student is expected to:
(D) create original products using a variety of resources
§111.7. Mathematics, Grade 5
(b) Knowledge and Skills
(1) Mathematical process standards. The student uses mathematical processes to acquire and demonstrate mathematical understanding. The student is expected to:
(A) apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace

Intended Audience:

This game is designed for students in grades 4-6 (ages 9-12). It is particularly useful for:

Developing reading comprehension and problem-solving skills
Encouraging critical thinking and logical reasoning
Engaging students in a narrative-driven educational experience
Introducing basic concepts of computer interaction and text parsing

Game Instructions:

Open the HTML file in a web browser to start the game.
Read the introduction on the splash screen and click “Start Adventure” to begin.
You will see a description of your current location and an image representing it.
Type commands into the text input to interact with the game world. Basic commands include:

go [direction]: Move in a specified direction (e.g., “go north”)
look: Examine your surroundings
take [item]: Pick up an item
use [item]: Use an item in your inventory
inventory: Check what items you’re carrying

Navigate through the space station, collect items, and solve puzzles to progress.
The game ends when you reach the final location or solve the main mystery.

Technical Notes:

The game is built using React and runs in the browser without need for compilation.
It requires an ‘images’ folder with specific PNG files for each location and the splash screen.
The TCEA logo should be placed in the ‘images’ folder as ‘tcealogo.png’.
The game logic is contained within a single HTML file for easy distribution and play.

Future Enhancements:

Add more locations and puzzles to extend gameplay
Implement a scoring system
Include audio elements for increased immersion
Develop a hint system for players who get stuck

Enjoy exploring and learning with Space Station Adventure!

December 18, 2024 0 comments

English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)Writing

Teach Critical Thinking with These Action Writing Strategies: Part Two

by Miguel Guhlin December 16, 2024

written by Miguel Guhlin

Ready for more action writing strategies that encourage critical thinking in an AI world? In the first part of this blog entry, you saw three powerful action strategies. Those strategies included collaborative writing workshop, structured debate blogs, and reflective journaling with metacognitive prompts. In this follow-up to part one, you will see two more action writing strategies. These two strategies, just like the first three, are designed to engage student writers and improve their analytical skills.

4. Multi-Draft Writing with Peer and Teacher Feedback

In my fifth grade writing workshop, modeled after Nanci Atwell’s, I had one on one mini-conferences with students. Meeting with them frequently allowed me to gain insight into their writing progress on self-chosen topics of interest to them. During the class period, I delivered mini-lessons addressing specific areas I had noticed in previous conferences. Then, after mini-lessons, I invited students to review their writing to address a particular area of growth. This allowed both the student(s) and I to focus on one component that needed work, rather than a laundry list of issues.

This often resulted in nosy teacher neighbors, red pens in hand, reading student work on the walls with a critical eye. “Can’t your students write?” I would have to explain that their efforts in a particular piece focused on a particular issue, while ignoring others. Over time, their writing improved dramatically as did our relationship, enabling them to take even more ownership of their writing and correcting issues.

This is my understanding of multi-draft writing that incorporates elements such as strategic feedback. Each draft of a piece of writing is improved with a focus on a specific area, eventually until a piece achieves the level desired by the writer. One way to assist students in thinking through their writing involves the use of success criteria or rubrics.

When offering feedback, it’s important to focus on feedback focused on tasks, process, and/or self-regulation. Avoid praise (effect size is 0.14) as feedback. The chart below clarifies the types of feedback to provide (read more):

Adapted from David Perkins (2003) The Ladder of Feedback and John Hattie (2014) The Power of Feedback. You can also: Get Your Own Copy in Google Slides format

Feedback is information provided by an agent (e.g., teacher, peer, book, parent, self/experience) regarding aspects of one’s performance or understanding that reduces the discrepancy between what is understood, what is aimed to be understood, and where to move next in their learning.(source)

As you might imagine, Feedback (effect size is 0.51) and “Writing programs” (effect size 0.45) are powerful strategies at play here. In fact, effective feedback answers three questions:

Where am I going?
How am I going?
Where to next? (source)

The approach to use that is quite effective with feedback involves cues and reinforcement (effect size 1.01). That’s whopping big effect size. Reinforcement and cues let students know how to take their next steps in learning, or writing to learn in this case. Let’s look at each in turn below.

Cues that guide the writer towards a desired performance, or help direct attention to important aspects of a task. Think of one on one writing conference or writing circle feedback. This type of feedback often focuses on where and how writing is progressing. Cues can be structured as hints, prompts, or guiding questions.

In regards to reinforcements, encouraging repetition of correct behaviors or offering constructive criticism can be helpful. With multiple conversations about their drafts focused on cues and reinforcement, students engage in iterative revision and analysis. This has the effect of improving critical thinking.

Classroom Application

You can focus on multi-draft essays with the WRITE model for multi-draft writing. It’s pretty easy, as you can see below, and helps keep the focus where it needs to be:

W – Workshop mini-lesson
R – Revise with focus
I – Individual conference
T – Target one element
E – Exhibit and evaluate

This model is designed to assist the writing workshop teacher during one on one writing conferences. It’s less useful for students unless they are older and are curious about the process you are following.

5. Cross-Disciplinary Synthesis

A lot of learning takes place at the Surface Learning phase of learning. That is, when new ideas and concepts are being introduced. Most of the writing I most enjoy connects concepts from multiple subjects. It analyzes how those connections are made, and explores the juxtaposition of ideas and information. When the writer makes those connections, the reader in me marvels at the skills and thinking in those hypertext connections.

A component of critical thinking means making visible how authors bridge the distance between diverse concepts. These interdisciplinary connections are the equivalent of poems like Jacob Bronowski’s The Abacus and the Rose. The part of the poem that uncovers for the reader the connection of natural science and emotion for me is this excerpt:

The force that makes the winter grow
Its feathered hexagons of snow,
and drives the bee to match at home
Their calculated honeycomb,
Is abacus and rose combined.

When I first read it in 1984, my mind struggled to see the connections. It was unable to encompass how all the pieces fit together. It’s only now, forty years later, that I see how these connections are made in writing. Making those connections visible is what cross-disciplinary synthesis is about. It is juxtaposing contradictory (on the surface) ideas and seeing what the connection is.

To do this, we have to take what we have learned, have come to understand, and apply it in a way that is new or novel. And that experience shifts our learning from Surface to Deep (where connections are made) to Transfer Learning. It is the last that proves, yes, we see and understand at the deeper level how abacus and rose combine. For this, Transfer Strategies (0.86) and Summarization (0.79) are in effect.

Classroom Applications

One way to approach this is to use the MIX model (view | get a copy). That is, to encourage openness to seeing ideas from different subjects and how they connect to one another. The MIX model includes:

M – Match ideas from different subjects or disciplines
I – Imagine new connections
X – eXplain your thinking

Here’s an example of what that might look like from the perspective of a fifth grader:

Here’s the updated markdown table with a merged row at the end containing a sample narrative in a fifth-grader’s voice:

M	I	X
Match ideas from different subjects	Imagine new connections	eXplain your thinking
In science, we learn about force and motion. At home, we play kickball.	Kickball shows force and motion in action. Kicking uses force. The ball moves. We run and stop. We catch the ball.	Kickball is like a force and motion game!

A MIX Example: Force and Motion

“Hey guys, watch this!” I yelled as I ran up to kick the bright red ball. My foot connected with a satisfying thud, and the ball soared through the air. As it arced across the sky, I couldn’t help but think about our science lesson.

“Whoa, nice kick!” my friend Jess shouted. “How’d you do that?”
I grinned, feeling proud. “It’s all about force and motion,” I explained. “Remember what Ms. Rodriguez taught us? The harder I kick, the more force I use, and the farther the ball goes.”

Jess’s eyes lit up. “Oh yeah! So when I catch it, I’m stopping its motion, right?”

“Exactly!” I nodded enthusiastically. “And when we run bases, we’re changing our own motion. It’s like we’re doing a science experiment while we play!”

As we continued our game, I saw force and motion everywhere. The bounce of the ball, the sprint to first base, the arc of a throw – it was all science in action. Who knew our neighborhood kickball game could teach us so much?

Turning the Page

When I turned twenty something, I switched from handwriting notes to typing. I had been writing with a word processor since age thirteen, and it made sense to type, not write, my notes. Then, when I read the research, newly presented a few years ago, I switched back to handwritten notes. What a difference! This quote founds its way to my inbox:

“When we measure the brain activity of people who write by hand, we see that they form more connections in the brain than when they write using a computer,” says brain researcher .
Audrey van der Meer, a professor of neuropsychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) as cited in Futurity.

More connections is good, right? I can’t imagine writing this blog series by hand, though. Not with all the links and edits I’ve made. Instead, I write my notes by hand, then put them into a word processor as an article. When I see technology, now AI, short-circuiting the brain activity made possible by handwriting, I do worry a little. But we need to do the hard work. We need to model writing by hand, note-taking, concept mapping, and more with students in the classroom. In my classrooms in Texas K-12 public schools, I did that. But the writing workshop remains a contentious time sink for some educators, administrators, and legislators. The arrival of AI on the scene underscores the importance of NOT ignoring the research any more. Even if it means saying, “AI may not be right for our children to use until after they have activated their brains more.”

Get a Copy of These Action Writing Strategies

Want a copy of the action writing strategies featured in this blog entry? Get a copy via Canva, and/or view full-size. All images, including the feature image, were created by the author and are freely shared to spur learning and inspire your creativity, AI-assisted or otherwise. What’s more, you are free to use these. To generate the ideas for these models, I wrote each section, then fed that into Perplexity.ai. I asked it to give me a model appropriate for grades 3-12 that would match my writing. Then, after reviewing it, I fine-tuned the model in Canva for the posters.

The Inspiration Behind These Action Writing Strategies

This blog entry on action writing strategies was inspired by two articles I read about the despair teachers are experiencing surrounding AI. The two articles are ChatGPT Can Make English Teachers Feel Doomed: Here’s How I’m Adapting by David Nurenberg (Education Week, 10/16/2024) and I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT by Victoria Livingstone (Time, 09/30/2024).

How are you coping with AI? Let us know in the comments below!

December 16, 2024 0 comments

Educational Research English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)Writing

Teach Critical Thinking with These Action Writing Strategies: Part One

by Miguel Guhlin December 10, 2024

written by Miguel Guhlin

AI-powered writing threatens the status quo of classrooms. And while AI literacy supersedes digital literacy, teachers and students are scrambling to learn how to use AI the right way, leaving writing teachers in despair. In fact, many educators believe that AI is short-circuiting writing exercises intended to teach critical thinking. In this blog entry, we’ll explore the first three of five research-based action writing strategies that flip the tables on AI-powered, short-circuited critical thinking and writing. Check them out and start incorporating them into your lesson plan today!

1. Collaborative Writing Workshops

“Let’s get into a circle for group share,” I often told my third, fifth, and sixth grade students. Whether you call it a Writing Circle, the Writer’s Conference, or something else, this collaboration and conversation are vital to learning. That’s why strategies like Peer Tutoring (0.66 effect size), Cooperative Learning (effect size 0.53) are effective. What’s more, having Classroom Discussions (effect size of 0.82) about student writing are so powerful when working to teach critical thinking.

In collaborative writing workshops, students work in small groups to plan, draft, and revise their writing. This planning and conversation promote critical thinking through peer feedback and discussion. What’s more, it empowers the teacher to listen in as students make thinking visible, giving teachers the ability to listen to conversations students are having about their ideas, writing, and thinking.

Add a critical thinking model to the process students use when chatting with each other to elevate the level of thinking that goes on. Back in the days when tape recorders were easy to get, I would put one at every table (a group of 4 students) to record these conversations. Now, a digital device with an audio recorder app does the job just as well.

Classroom Application

While organizing groups of three to four students to discuss their writing, consider using the DEAL model. The DEAL model encourages critical reflection and lends itself to use in the writing classroom.

DEAL is an acronym used to teach critical thinking that represents:

Describe. Students describe their initial ideas, observations, or drafts to their peers. The goal is to clarify communication and get students to share their thoughts.
Examine. Students analyze their own and their peers’ work. This allows for identifying strengths and areas for improvement. It also encourages considering alternative perspectives, evaluating writing strategies’ effectiveness. Finally, it allows for making connections to prior knowledge or experiences.
Articulate Learning. Students articulate what they have learned through the process. They might share how their understanding has changed, what new insights they have gotten. What’s more, they are able to propose revisions or new approaches to their writing.

The DEAL model promotes metacognition, supports feedback through peer review and self-assessment. What’s more, it incorporates elements of Classroom Discussion strategy. I like to think of teachers “listening in” on student talk to gauge and heighten critical thinking, suggest writing strategies, and build connections.

Note: Clayton and Ash’s DEAL model can be found online in many spaces, adapted to various situations. You can see my take on it for writing workshop in the diagram below:

2. Structured Debate Blogs

Though conflict averse as I may be, I have observed that students love to argue with each other from an educated perspective. But, bear in mind that arguing about opinions is one thing. Arguing the evidence is something else entirely. In structured debate, students write short, persuasive blog entries (or essays) after researching a particular viewpoint.

Note: Leah Cleary does a great job exploring structured debate in the classroom and how to use it to teach critical thinking. She offers a debate schedule, discusses logical fallacies, and more. Read her blog entry here.

The ensuing Classroom Discussion and Elaborative Interrogation (effect size of 0.59) requires students to commit information to memory. They have to use questions like “Why?” and “How?” to understand what their research means.

The main benefit? It enhances students’ analysis and evaluative thinking skills. This can be an effective boon in an AI age where content is easily generated and made available for uncritical consumption.

Classroom Application

Want to assist students in writing structure debate blogs or essays? Consider using the TREE model.

Some ideas for using the TREE model include:

Grades 3-5. Keep things simple. Short topic sentences, basic reasoning, and restating the ending.
Grades 6-8. Layer in complexity with more detailed explanations, topic sentences. Encourage them to address the implications of the evidence.
Grades 9-12. Get nuanced, using multiple reasons, counter-arguments, and deeper exploration of implications.

3. Reflective Journaling with Metacognitive Prompts

Reflecting on learning (or on anything, really) can be tough. What makes it tough can be the reflection, itself, but it’s more often the physical habit of reflection. Many of us reflect in a flash of insight, but that’s not true reflection. Real reflection involves setting aside time in a consistent manner to ask ourselves questions about what and how we learned something.

Reflection is valuable since it relies on several strategies, including:

Metacognitive Strategies (effect size 0.52) and Self Explanation (0.54)
Self-verbalization and Self-questioning (effect size 0.58)
Self-Judgement and Reflection (effect size of 0.81)

The main benefit of these strategies? Developing metacognitive self-awareness and critical reflection abilities and habits. Be sure to read the TCEA blog entries linked above on Self-Judgement and Reflection for more insights on how to use this in your own work and with students.

Classroom Application

One easy to use model for reflective journaling might be the THINK model:

T – Today I learned…how does this relate to what I already know?
H – How did I learn it? What worked well? What didn’t?
I – Interesting questions I have…what confused me? What am I still curious about?
N – New connections I made…how does this connect to other situations or compare to previous learning?
K – Knowledge I want to gain next…what do I want to learn more about and/or how could I apply it?

You can adapt THINK to use drawing or mind maps along with writing. Depending on grade level, encourage more detailed responses, critical thinking, and analysis. Explore how this works in real life.

Short-Circuit AI Dullness to Teach Critical Thinking

These action strategies leverage evidence-based instructional practices and brain-based learning principles. Use them to promote critical thinking skills through writing, without relying on AI tools. I see them as a way to sharpen student minds in the dulling doldrums of AI-powered writing. Be sure to check back for part two of this blog entry next week.

Get a Copy

Want a copy of the models featured in this blog entry to help you teach critical thinking? Get a copy via Canva, and/or view full-size. All images, including the feature image, were created by the author and are freely shared to spur learning and inspire your creativity, AI-assisted or otherwise.

What’s more, you are free to use these! To generate the ideas for these established models, I wrote each section, then fed that into Perplexity.ai. I asked it to give me a model appropriate for grades 3-12 that would match my writing. Then, after reviewing it, I fine-tuned the model in Canva for the posters.

What prompted this two-blog series?

This blog entry series was inspired by two articles I read about the despair teachers are experiencing. The two articles are ChatGPT Can Make English Teachers Feel Doomed: Here’s How I’m Adapting by David Nurenberg (Education Week, 10/16/2024) and I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT by Victoria Livingstone (Time, 09/30/2024). How are you coping with AI?

December 10, 2024 1 comment

English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)Good Teaching Social-Emotional Learning Writing

Ten Writing Prompts for the Holiday Season

by Macee Hall November 22, 2024

written by Macee Hall

Well, Thanksgiving week is nearly upon us, and the end of the year is trailing close behind. These short holiday weeks can feel tough, with attention spans running short and classrooms feeling chaotic. Why not harness that buzz and funnel it into something productive and celebratory by incorporating writing prompts for the holiday season into your classroom?

Here, we’ve compiled a list of ten top prompts to be used at any point throughout the holiday season to inspire gratitude and help students express their feelings of appreciation.

The best part? Each of these prompts can be tailored to fit your target grade level! Younger students can write a sentence or short paragraph, while older students can put their research skills to use and complete a longer essay. Check out our top writing prompts for the holiday season below!

Writing Prompts for the Holiday Season

Think of a family member who means a lot to you. What do you appreciate most about them?
Describe your favorite holiday tradition. How does it make you feel and why?
Write about a teacher or coach who has made a positive impact on your life this year. How have they helped you grow?
Reflect on a challenge you overcame recently. Who supported you through it, and how can you show your appreciation?
What’s something in your life that you’re thankful for? Describe it and explain why it makes you feel grateful.
Think of a friend who has been kind to you lately. How did their actions make you feel, and why are you grateful for their friendship?
Describe your favorite meal. Who prepares it for you, and why does it make you feel thankful?
Write about a book that has inspired you this year. What lessons did you learn, and why are you grateful for having read it?
Reflect on a small act of kindness you witnessed or experienced recently. How did it brighten someone’s day?
What’s something about your school or community that you’re thankful for? How does it make your life better?

*List created in part with help from Perplexity.AI.

How Writing Can Inspire Gratitude

It’s no secret that writing is intensely personal. Putting your internal thoughts out into the external world can feel vulnerable and often intimidating. But this actually makes writing the perfect outlet for some of those warm (or otherwise) holiday feelings we get each year, because the holiday season is also an incredibly intimate and vulnerable time for many. So, directing some of those feelings into a written project helps students (and adults, alike!) learn to express their complex emotions in a healthy, creative way.

Holiday writing projects don’t even need to be shared with the class, if the topic is sensitive. You’ll have to gauge that for your own classroom. This project may be as simple as a thought-provoking exercise or it might be a full-blown essay. Either way, you’ll be helping the next generation process and share their feelings while sharing some holiday cheer with these writing prompts for the holiday season!

Have an idea to add to our list? Add it in the comments below!

November 22, 2024 0 comments

AI/VR English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)ESL/ELL Science Writing

Get CLEARER with Digital Text Analysis

by Miguel Guhlin November 7, 2024

written by Miguel Guhlin

While cruising Facebook groups earlier this month, I ran across this question. Having never heard of one of the acronyms, PEARL, I was curious to learn more about it. These days, acronyms are a dime a dozen. But this question resulted in some conversations among the Facebook group:

“Most of our middle and high schools (I’m a curriculum specialist) have all their students write PEARL paragraphs regularly. I’m trying to explain how writing in science is different than in ELA. I want them to use the CER format in science but the admins are telling me it will confuse kids. What are your thoughts?”

At the end, you’ll get access to a new, text analysis digital tool that combines PEARL and CER. Before I share that, let’s explore PEARL and CER first.

Author generated image – **Get a copy of all posters (PEARL, CER, CLEARER)**

Engaging Students in Literary Analysis

Getting students (or anyone) to analyze what they read has become all the more important in the age of AI. Having some way to articulate what you think about a piece, construct an argument supported by evidence and reasoning can be tough. One approach is the PEARL acronym, although many rely on CER. Let’s review what each of these mean and then consider how they can be combined.

PEARL vs CER

The acronym represents five words or actions, including:

Point
Evidence
Analysis
Reader Response
Link

As suggested, it may be relied upon in literary analysis. But it has startling similarities to Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER). Before we connect the two acronyms, let’s look at how you can use PEARL for both literary and scientific analysis.

PEARL Table

Here’s what PEARL looks like using fictional story, Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. You will also see a nonfiction example featuring the Water Cycle. As you can see from the table, PEARL is versatile for both fiction and nonfiction, including science-related topics.

Letter	Meaning	Explanation	Fiction Example (Literature)	Nonfiction Example (Science)
P	Point	The main argument or idea being presented	The writer uses the character of Scrooge to highlight the unfairness of society.	The water cycle is a crucial process that sustains life on Earth.
E	Evidence	Supporting information, quotes, or data	By referring to Scrooge as a “tightfisted hand at the grindstone”, the writer emphasizes…	According to NASA, about 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, with 96.5% of that being in the oceans.
A	Analysis	Examination of the evidence and its significance	The metaphor “grindstone” connotes… which suggests… because… The writer uses the adjective “tightfisted” to… as this means that…	The term “hydrosphere” encompasses all of Earth’s water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and even water vapor in the atmosphere. This vast amount of water is constantly moving through the water cycle, driven by solar energy.
R	Reader Response	Consideration of the reader’s reaction and broader implications	Clearly, the writer intends to criticize people in his society who are [specific trait] and selfish. This contributes to the overall impression that…	Readers might reflect on how human activities, such as pollution or deforestation, can impact the water cycle. This contributes to our understanding of environmental conservation and climate change.
L	Link	Summary and connection to broader context	Therefore, the writer uses the character of Scrooge to inform us of the unforgiving cruelty of life in Victorian London.	Therefore, understanding the water cycle is essential for comprehending Earth’s climate systems, weather patterns, and the distribution of water resources, which are vital for all life on our planet.

Examples generated with Perplexity AI’s assistance

You can combine all the results of the PEARL to get a final result that reads well.

Get CLEARER About the PEARL-CER JAM

Teaching students PEARL and CER can be valuable. As you might imagine, it’s easy to draw parallels between PEARL and CER. You can arrange the components of a scientific piece of writing to take advantage of both PEARL and CER. Follow these five steps:

Start with a Claim/Point. State your main scientific argument.
Provide Evidence. Present relevant data or observations.
Offer Reasoning/Analysis. Explain how the evidence supports your claim and analyze its significance.
Include Reader Response. Discuss implications or broader scientific context.
End with a Link. Summarize and connect to larger scientific concepts or next points.

If you wanted to, you could even combine PEARL and CER into a new acronym to teach students. This would eliminate the confusion of two different acronyms. What would that acronym be?

Author generated image – **Get a copy of all posters (PEARL, CER, CLEARER)**

Introducing CLEARER

Well, it couldn’t get any clearer than this one:

C – Claim/Point: The main argument or hypothesis
L – Literature/Look for Proof: Evidence from text or scientific observations
E – Examine: Analysis of the evidence
A – Apply: How the evidence supports the claim
R – Respond: Reader/audience implications
E – Elaborate: Broader context and connections
R – Recap: Summary and link to larger concepts

For fun, you can apply CLEARER to another bit of literature. I also have a simplified version of CLEARER below. Let’s take a look.

CLEARER Examples: Fiction and NonFiction

One of my favorite stories is the Three Little Pigs and you can’t get any simpler than the Water Cycle.

CLEARER Component	Explanation	The Three Little Pigs Example	Water Cycle Example
C – Claim/Point	The main argument or hypothesis	The story of “The Three Little Pigs” shows us why it’s good to work hard and plan ahead.	The water cycle is a crucial process that sustains life on Earth.
L – Literature/ Data (Look for Proof)	Evidence from text or scientific observations	In the story, the pig who built his house with bricks was safe from the big bad wolf, while his brothers who used straw and sticks were not.	According to NASA, about 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, with 96.5% of that being in the oceans.
E – Examine	Analysis of the evidence	In the story, only the pig who built a strong brick house was safe from the wolf. The brick house shows that doing things carefully is better. The wolf couldn’t blow it down because bricks are strong.	The term “hydrosphere” encompasses all of Earth’s water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and even water vapor in the atmosphere.
A – Apply	How the evidence supports the claim	This shows that taking time to do things right pays off.	This vast amount of water is constantly moving through the water cycle, driven by solar energy, demonstrating the dynamic nature of the process.
R – Respond	Reader/audience implications	When we read this story, we might think about how important it is to plan ahead and do our best.	Readers might reflect on how human activities, such as pollution or deforestation, can impact the water cycle.
E – Elaborate	Broader context and connections	It makes us want to be more like the smart pig who used bricks.	This contributes to our understanding of environmental conservation and climate change.
R – Recap or Remember	Summary and link to larger concepts	So, “The Three Little Pigs” isn’t just a fun story – it’s also teaching us a lesson about being responsible and working hard to stay safe and successful.	Therefore, understanding the water cycle is essential for comprehending Earth’s climate systems, weather patterns, and the distribution of water resources, which are vital for all life on our planet.

Examples generated with Perplexity AI’s assistance

That’s pretty straightforward, no? Let’s look at a simpler version.

Simplifying a Little For Younger Students

The versatile, structured approach of CLEARER supports critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning. Working with my third grade students, I would revise CLEARER to show simpler explanations of each step.

C – Claim/Point: The big idea you want to share
L – Look for Proof: Finding facts in the story or experiment
E – Explain: Talking about why the proof is important
A – Apply: Showing how the proof makes your idea true
R – React: Thinking about how the reader might feel
E – Explore More: Connecting your idea to other things
R – Recap: Summing up your main idea and why it matters

Now that you have an answer to your question about PEARL or CER, let’s take a look at digital tools for text analysis.

Performing Digital Text Analysis

Digital text analysis tools can be a game-changer in your classroom.Here are three ways students can tap into text analysis tools:

Analyze literary texts
Conduct research projects
Create data-driven stories

Let’s look at each one of these through the CLEARER lens while using digital tools. A list of Text Analysis Tools K-12 students can use appears at the end of this blog entry.

CLEARER Digital Text Analysis

Since the question at the start of this blog entry struggles with literary and scientific analysis, let’s analyze a story that relies on scientific thinking (and is one of my favorites).

Example #1: Analyzing Literary Texts

C – Claim/Point: State the main argument about the text based on initial observations.
L – Literature/Data: Use Voyant to generate word clouds and frequency data.
E – Examine: Analyze the visualizations and data patterns produced by the tools.
A – Apply: Connect the data to your claim, showing how it supports your argument.
R – Respond: Consider how these insights might change a reader’s understanding of the text.
E – Elaborate: Explore connections between the tool’s findings and broader literary themes.
R – Recap: Summarize how the digital analysis supports or challenges your initial claim.

Classroom Use Scenario: 11th-grade students analyze “Leiningen Versus the Ants” using Voyant. They start with a claim about the story’s themes, use the tool to examine word frequencies and patterns, and then apply these findings to support or refine their initial claim.

As you can see from the image below, Voyant Tools does a great job analyzing the text:

Here’s an explanation using CLEARER and Voyant Tools diagram about the story (Get a copy).

Get the Word Cloud Generator For You

For fun, I asked Claude.ai to create a Word Cloud Generator that works in your web browser. There are two versions, the simple one (get a copy), and the one that gives you a word cloud and a CLEARER analysis (get a copy). I dropped in the text of one of my favorite high school stories, Leiningen Versus the Ants, to get the following result:

Image generated by author with Claude.ai Artifact

Give it a spin! As you might imagine, the word cloud might be more useful than the AI generated analysis. Maybe have your students do that analysis part.

Get CLEARER with Digital Text Analysis

By empowering students with text analysis tools, you can help them develop essential skills in critical thinking, research, and data analysis.

Want some more tools in addition to the TCEA Word Cloud Generator with CLEARER Analysis and Voyant Tools?

Here are some text analysis tools that students can use in the classroom, alphabetized by tool:

Tool	Description	Price
ATLAS.ti	A tool designed to help analyze all types of unstructured data (text, multimedia, geospatial).	Custom pricing for education institutions
Dedoose	A qualitative data analysis software that facilitates rigorous mixed methods research.	$11.95/month (basic plan)
f4analyse	A low/no-code tool for data analysis that allows users to use analytic methods without coding.	Custom pricing for education institutions
HathiTrust	A digital library with text analysis tools.	Free (for partner institutions)
InfraNodus	A visual text analyzer platform with gap insight analysis.	Free trial, then €9/month (basic plan)
Lumos Learning	A free text complexity analysis tool that evaluates reading passages using various metrics.	Free
MAXQDA	A qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research tool that’s particularly well-suited to processing interviews.	$49 (one-time purchase, student license)
MonkeyLearn	A no-code machine learning platform for text analysis.	Free trial, then $299/month (basic plan)
Relative Insight	A customer feedback analysis solution that detects linguistic and attitudinal differences.	Custom pricing for education institutions
SimpleX	An AI-powered smart console for text analysis.	$49 (one-time purchase)
Tableau	A data visualization tool that can be used for text analysis.	Free trial, then $35/month (basic plan)
Thematic	A customer feedback analysis solution that can be used in education settings.	Custom pricing for education institutions
Voyant	A web-based text reading and analysis environment.	Free

Did you get a copy of all the posters in this blog entry? Use this handy template link to get the copy of all posters via Canva (which is free for educators).

November 7, 2024 0 comments

Artificial Intelligence English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)Good Teaching Writing

Spend Less Time Grading Essays with CoGrader

by Lori Gracey November 6, 2024

written by Lori Gracey

When I was a middle school ELA teacher, I used to dread the time every six weeks that we had to assign brief writing projects to the students. I loved teaching them the research process, but I HATED having to grade all their essays, make useful comments that would help them improve their writing, and then meet with each student about their work. It consumed my life for days as I poured over papers every evening until late. But now, with AI, there is a faster and more efficient way to review student writing, provide meaningful feedback, and keep your nights available for resting and recharging. Enter, CoGrader!

What Is CoGrader?

CoGrader is “the AI Essay Grader that helps teachers provide quality feedback on essays in 80% less time.” The process is simple:

Define your grading criteria. You can use CoGrader’s rubrics aligned to your state standards or upload your own. View the different rubrics here, including the Texas STAAR writing rubrics in English and Spanish.
Import assignments. CoGrader works with Google Classroom, Canvas, and Schoology so you can easily upload submitted student work to be graded.
Get grades, feedback, and reports. “CoGrader generates detailed feedback and justification reports for each student, highlighting areas of improvement together with the grade.”
Review and adjust. As the teacher, you have the final say in what grade a student’s work receives, as well as the feedback given.

In addition, it’s important to provide clear assignment instructions when you begin the process with your students. And CoGrader currently works best with a “one prompt, one answer” approach. If you are trying to have your students address several different questions in their writing, CoGrader may not be as successful in evaluating and providing feedback at this time. Detailed instructions can be found here.

Bonus Features of CoGrader

CoGrader, because it was developed by teachers for teachers and is backed by the University of California Berkeley, has some extra features that make it truly useful.

It checks to see if ChatGPT or another chatbot was used for student writing. While this process is not perfect, it can be helpful in determining if you need to look further at possible plagiarism.
It is FERPA compliant and protects student privacy.
It can ensure consistency and accuracy in grading and reduce biases.
CoGrader provides three free certifications for educators using the platform.

Pricing for CoGrader

The platform offers a free version for educators that includes 100 student submissions per month. The Standard plan is $15/month for up to 300 student submissions per month, the acceptance of hand-written assignments, grammar checking, and a customizable overview dashboard. They also offer department and school pricing.

Final Thoughts

When teachers around the country are asked what they need, one of their top answers is always “more time.” This AI tool can provide that so that you can spend more time working with students instead of working with papers.

November 6, 2024 0 comments

30 days of novel writing to engage your students

English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)Writing

30 Days to Novel Writing: Engage Your Students with NaNoWriMo

by Sara Qualls November 1, 2024

written by Sara Qualls

Hey everyone! Can you believe November is almost here? That means it’s time for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)! This exciting challenge invites writers from all over to crank out 50,000 words in just 30 days. As teachers, you have the perfect opportunity to tap into that creative energy and get your students excited about writing. Let’s explore what NaNoWriMo is all about and share some fun ideas and activities you can do with your students in November or any time of the school year. Sound good? Let’s jump in and see how we can turn your students into Wrimos!

The History of NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month, kicked off in July 1999 with just 21 participants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded by Chris Baty, the event aimed to encourage creativity and get people writing. The concept was simple: participants would commit to writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. The first official NaNoWriMo took place in November 2000, and it quickly gained momentum, attracting thousands of writers from all over the world.

NaNoWriMo officially became a nonprofit organization in 2006, and since then, it has expanded to offer a variety of programs. These include community writing challenges, such as National Novel Writing Month in November and Camp NaNoWriMo in April and July. They also provide resource-driven initiatives like NaNo Prep in September and October, along with the “Now What?” Months in January and February.

Fun Fact: NaNoWriMo has become a beloved online phenomenon fueled by its vibrant community calling themselves Wrimos! Notable authors like Elizabeth Acevedo, Rainbow Rowell, and Marissa Meyer have crafted their novels during this challenge. The website tracks your word count like a Fitbit tracks your steps, and dedicated volunteers organize writing events in cities from Seoul to Milwaukee.

How to Get Your Students to Write 50,000 Words

Whether your students are seasoned writers or just starting their storytelling journey, this challenge is a fantastic opportunity to spark their imaginations and enhance their writing skills. Typically, the process is broken down into four key areas done each week: Idea Generation, Characters, Plotting and Outlining, and Worldbuilding. Below you’ll find activities, tools, and templates that can help them stay motivated, overcome writer’s block, and keep the creativity flowing as they work toward that impressive 50,000-word goal!

Lighting the Fire of Creativity in Writing

Some students may struggle to come up with a novel idea that genuinely excites them, feeling stuck or uninspired. Meanwhile, others are overflowing with ideas but have a hard time settling on just one, overwhelmed by the possibilities. Both situations can create challenges as they embark on their writing journey, highlighting the need for guidance to help them find inspiration and focus their creativity.

Check out this document from NaNoWriMo that students can use to help spark inspiration. If students are really struggling, try the Four Ways to Develop an Idea activity.

Idea Generating Tools and Templates To Try

Masterpiece Generator

ToolBaz AI Story Generator

Writing Exercises: Random Plot Generator

TalkNotes Idea Generator

Crafting Memorable Characters

Characters are often the heartbeat of a story, and a big part of crafting a first draft is really getting to know them. This character questionnaire exercise will help you explore their personalities in depth. Remind your students that there’s no pressure to have every detail nailed down before they start writing. Embracing the surprises that come along the way is one of the most exciting aspects of the first draft!

Character Writing Tools and Templates To Try

Writing Exercises: Character Generator

Perchance: AI Character Generator

NaNoWri Mo Character Generator Template

Dabble’s Best Character Template Ever

Building a Plot or Outline

With countless ways to structure a novel, it can feel overwhelming to determine which method will suit your student and their story best. So how do we combat that? Have students take the Are You a Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser? quiz to discover their plotting style.

Encourage your students to explore Campfire Writing’s 16 Ways to Plot a Book: From Circles and Snowflakes to Pyramids and Point Graphs to find the best method that will work for them.

Plotting and Outlining Tools and Templates To Try

Akkio AI Outline Generator

ahrefs Free AI Outline Generator

Novel Factory: Character Driven Plot Outline Template

Novel Factory: Universal Novel Plot Outline Template

Creating an Immersive World for Your Characters

Settings aren’t just a backdrop for a novel; the world your characters live in has a profound effect on the story you create. Use this list of questions (shown above) to help your students craft settings that add real depth and richness to their narratives.

Worldbuilding Tools and Templates To Try

Fantasia Archive: Free, Powerful, Offline Worldbuilding Tool

Campfire Writing: Worldbuilding Tool

Kindlepreneur Worldbuilding Template: 101 Prompts to Build an Immersive World

Novel Factory: The Ultimate World Building Template & Questionnaire

More Student Writing Ideas and Activities

Kickoff a Writing Workshop

Organize a workshop where students can brainstorm ideas, develop characters, and outline their plots. Use writing prompts or “story starters” to help spark creativity. Encourage students to share their ideas in small groups for feedback. Snag TONS of templates for a Writing Workshop from Children’s Literacy Initiative.
Alternate Ending

Ask students to take a well-known story (from books, movies, or fairy tales) and rewrite the ending. Encourage them to think about how different choices could lead to alternate outcomes. This activity allows for creativity while analyzing plot structure and character decisions.

Dialogue-Only Story

Challenge students to write a short story using only dialogue—no narration or description. This exercise encourages them to convey emotion, character dynamics, and plot through conversation alone, honing their skills in crafting authentic dialogue.

Sensory Scene Descriptions

Have writers describe a scene using all five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). This can be a scene from their own story or an imaginary setting. Focusing on sensory details helps enhance descriptive writing and makes their scenes more immersive.

Character Diary Entries

Have students choose a character from their story or create a new one and write a series of diary entries. These entries can explore the character’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences throughout a significant event in their life. This exercise helps writers delve deeper into character development and motivation.

Engage Your Students with NaNoWriMo!

And there you have it! With NaNoWriMo just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to get your students excited about writing and exploring their creativity. I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, or any questions you might have about getting started. What activities are you most excited to try with your students? Let’s share our experiences and help each other turn our classrooms into vibrant writing hubs. Happy writing, everyone!

November 1, 2024 0 comments

English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)ESL/ELL

SIOP Model and Digital Tools

by Miguel Guhlin October 23, 2024

written by Miguel Guhlin

How do you integrate language and content instruction? One established approach is the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) model. Let’s see how SIOP phases align with different learning intentions and instructional strategies and discover digital tools to support your teaching.

A Quick Overview of the SIOP Model

Let’s take a moment to review key areas of the SIOP model. The authors (Echevarria, Vogt, Short) designed it to support English language learners (ELLs). The SIOP model has eight inter-related components. Those components include the following:

Lesson preparation. Teachers create lessons that include content and language objectives.
Building background. This involves connecting new concepts to students’ personal experiences and prior knowledge.
Comprehensible input. Teachers use a variety of techniques to make content easy to understand for learners. These can include speaking in a clear way, using visuals, and hands-on activities.
Strategies. These strategies include teaching and modeling learning strategies to help students process and retain information.
Interaction. This involves giving students opportunities to practice language skills in a safe, supportive environment.

Below is a diagram I made to capture my understanding of the SIOP model (view full-size | get a copy):

Benefits of the SIOP Model

Many benefits have been ascribed to the SIOP model. You can find a round-up of them online at Jana Echevarria’s website. Here are a few:

Gains in academic achievement (source)
Development of personal and academic language skills (source)
Active participation and increased engagement
Differentiation aligned to students’ diverse needs and proficiency levels

What’s more, the SIOP model is often a go-to approach for supporting language learners. Echevarria makes the following point on her website linked above:

…SIOP instruction is making a positive learning difference for multilingual learners and other students who are in the classrooms. Teachers can learn to implement the model to a high degree with ongoing PD and support. No one is disadvantaged by SIOP instruction; rather, the focus on academic literacy and scaffolded instruction helps all students learn academic English and grade-level, content curricula better (source).

Now that you have a clear understanding of the phases of the SIOP model, let’s explore how it aligns to learning intentions. I’m curious to connect it to Hattie’s Visible Learning as well as Mike Bell’s The Fundamentals of Teaching.

Understanding SIOP Phases and Learning Intentions

As you may recall, learning intentions refer to what your intent is for students to learn. Having an awareness of your learning intensions, as well as what phase of learning students are in, can be useful. It’s useful because it enables you and students to choose specific high-effect instructional strategies. These strategies are often grouped according to three phases of learning:

Surface learning
Deep learning
Transfer learning

John Hattie points out the following when choosing what strategy works best to impact learning:

“What and when are equally important when it comes to instruction that has an impact on learning. Approaches that facilitate students’ surface-level learning do not work equally well for deep learning, and vice versa. Matching the right approach with the appropriate phase of learning is the critical lesson to be learned.”

With this in mind, it’s important to match high-effect size instructional strategies to the appropriate phase of learning students are in. To determine what phase of learning students are in, you will want to take advantage of formative assessments. What’s more, being aware of what your learning intention is for students can inform your next steps. Let’s briefly explore these points aligned to the SIOP model.

Lesson Preparation: Building the Foundation

“I use Quizlet to create interactive flashcards for key terms. It’s a game-changer for vocabulary retention!” says Mrs. Johnson, a 5th-grade teacher. In this initial phase, focus on surface learning through direct instruction and vocabulary programs. Both direct instruction and vocabulary programs are appropriate to use in this phase of learning (Surface Learning).

Surface learning is important because it is a critical step towards transfer learning:

…the process of developing sufficient surface knowledge to then move to deeper understanding such that one can appropriately transfer this learning to new tasks and situations. (Source: Hattie, Fisher, Frey in Visible Learning for Literacy)

To assist students in connecting the dots, it’s important to consider students’ prior knowledge. As Mike Bell, The Fundamentals of Teaching, puts it, “No one can learn anything if they cannot link it to something they already know.” On his website, Bell quotes psychologist David Ausubel:

If I had to reduce all of educational psychology to just one principle, I would say this: The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly.

David Ausubel as cited

Our theory of the world, also known as our “schema,” is what makes up our prior knowledge. It is so important that Mike Bell enshrines it as the first step in his five step teaching approach. He encourages teachers to assess prior knowledge, as well as fill in missing knowledge.

Did You Know?
You can watch a TCEA Lunch and Learn on Prior Knowledge via the TCEA Community. Follow this link, then enter your login credentials to access. Not a TCEA member yet? Join.

A part of presenting new material (step two in his five-step process) involves linking new information to prior knowledge, using advance organizers, and connecting the abstract to the concrete. To put it simply, it involves connecting the dots.

Building Background: Connecting the Dots

“I love using Mindmeister for collaborative mind mapping,” says Mr. Rodriguez, a high school history teacher. “It helps students visualize connections between new concepts and what they already know.” In Mike Bell’s book, The Fundamentals of Teaching, memory is explained as a link to component parts of that memory. The component parts include our emotions, colors, shapes, tactile feelings. The network of links is the schema.

If some of the new concepts are held in long-term memory, “it takes less space in working memory.” You can see how someone can liken the responsibilities of a president to that of a parental guardian.

Mnemonics and integrating prior knowledge are crucial here. A key component is connecting the dots through graphical organizers, modelled and worked examples, as well as meta-cognitive tasks. Students can use graphic organizers and modeled examples to better understand and retain new information. They do this when they link new concepts to what they already know. This approach also enhances metacognitive skills. It helps them become more aware of their thinking.

As you can imagine, the SIOP model seeks to encompass this cognitive work. It covers critical steps of learning, such as:

Activating and assessing prior knowledge
Presenting new knowledge
Setting challenging tasks that involve collaboration, thinking, and examples
Providing feedback to learners for improvement, as well as questioning
Spaced repetition and deliberate practice

Connecting the dots takes advantage of several strategies that encouraging making connections. Those connections happen between prior and new knowledge, which lays the groundwork for deep learning phase of learning.

SIOP Phase with Learning Intention

Take a look at this chart and how it matches SIOP model phases with learning intentions, strategies, and digital tools.

SIOP Phase	Learning Intention	Instructional Strategies	Digital Tools	Example
Lesson Preparation	Surface Learning	Direct Instruction (.56), Vocabulary Programs (.62)	Quizlet, Kahoot	Using Quizlet to create flashcards for key vocabulary terms
Building Background	Surface Learning	Mnemonics (.65), Integrate with Prior Knowledge (.93)	Padlet, yED Live, Cmap Tools	Creating a mind map on yEd Live to connect new concepts with prior knowledge
Comprehensible Input	Surface Learning	Repeated Reading Programs (.80), Questioning (.49)	Newsela, Edpuzzle	Using Edpuzzle to embed comprehension questions in a video lesson
Strategies	Deep Learning	Metacognition Strategies (.52), Critical Thinking (.84)	Padlet Video Recording, Socrative	Students using video to explain their problem-solving process
Interaction	Deep Learning	Classroom Discussion (.82), Reciprocal Teaching (.74)	Zoom breakout rooms, Canva Whiteboard, Miro	Facilitating small group discussions in Zoom breakout rooms using a collaborative whiteboard
Practice & Application	Transfer Learning	Problem-Solving Teaching (.68), Transfer Strategies (.86)	Scratch, Minecraft Education, Minetest	Students applying coding concepts learned in class to create a game in Scratch or virtual world in Minetest
Lesson Delivery	Deep Learning	Elaboration and organization (.75), Concept Mapping (.62)	Pear Deck, Nearpod	Using Pear Deck to create interactive presentations with embedded formative assessments
Review & Assessment	Transfer Learning	Self-Reported Grades (1.33), Self-Judgement and Reflection (.81)	Google Forms, Seesaw	Students reflecting on their learning progress using a digital portfolio in Seesaw

Comprehensible Input: Ensuring Understanding

Repeated reading programs and strategic questioning enhance comprehension. Consider using Edpuzzle to embed questions in video lessons, promoting active engagement with content. Comprehensible input is a concept first suggested by Stephen Krashen. It exposes students to linguistic input slightly above their current language level (i+1). The reason for this is that i+1 allows learners to understand the new input. Strategic questioning can scaffold this process.

Use strategic questioning to do the following:

Get responses from students at their current level and slightly beyond. For example, a current level question might be, “What is the main character’s name?” An i+1 example might be “How might the main character’s actions influence the story’s outcome?”
Tailor questions to target specific language structures or vocabulary. For teaching past tense, an example might be “What did the protagonist do after he discovered the secret door?”
Ensure that question complexity is adjusted to ensure input remains at the optimal i+1 level. To adjust a question’s complexity, go from simple to complex. For example, shift from “Can you describe the setting of the story?” to “How does the setting contribute to the overall mood of the narrative?”

Both strategies (repeated reading and strategic questioning) can be useful in ensuring understanding.

Diving Deeper: Strategies and Interaction

Fostering Critical Thinking

Metacognitive strategies and critical thinking activities are key for deep learning. “I use Padlet Video to have students explain their problem-solving process. It’s amazing to see their metacognition in action!” says middle school science teacher, Ms. Lee. To encourage metacognition, consider using check-ins to enhance learning. According to Schraw (1998 as cited), checking in stimulates learners’ self-reflection on their own understanding. This, of course, leads to increased metacognitive awareness (source).

Promoting Meaningful Interaction

Classroom discussions and reciprocal teaching strategies encourage student engagement. You can use Zoom breakout rooms for small group discussions and collaborative whiteboards for idea sharing.

Applying Knowledge: Practice and Transfer

In applying knowledge phase, students are expected to apply what they have learned to new situations. In transfer learning, students apply what has been learned to novel situations. This may involve metacognition, collaboration, and problem-solving. This can be done in a variety of ways, including:

“Building virtual worlds has been fantastic for my students to apply coding concepts in a creative way,” notes Mr. Thompson, a technology integration specialist. One example could involve using virtual world building through Minetest or Minecraft. Other activities like story bins can also work well.

Stages of the Engineering Design Process

Public View Link | Template Link

Delivering Lessons and Assessing Progress

Facilitating lesson delivery often involves a dash of direct instruction, hands-on activities, classroom discussion. Through it all, the teacher is working to assess the level of understanding students have in the midst of a conversation.

Effective Lesson Delivery

Use elaboration, organization, and concept mapping to deepen understanding. Try Pear Deck for interactive presentations with embedded formative assessments. For example, when teaching photosynthesis, you can compare it to a factory taking in raw materials and outputting products:

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis as a process can be a model for making widgets in a factory:

As you can see, concept maps can assist students in connect new information in such a way as to facilitate deeper comprehension. The visual structure can make it easier for students to see relationships. Tools like Pear Deck can integrate concept maps into interactive presentations. When students make their own diagrams, the diagrams reveal gaps in understanding. Teachers can look at what’s missing from the students’ view of a concept. Then, they can work to provide experiences that enable the student to learn.

Review and Self-Assessment

“I use Seesaw for digital portfolios. It’s an excellent tool for students to track and reflect on their progress over time,” suggests one elementary school teacher. When considering review and self-assessment, other strategies are also helpful. Two include self-reported grades and reflection for transfer learning.

Let’s consider some guided activities and see how they connect to the SIOP model phases.

SIOP Model Activity Examples

Here are some activity examples that match a particular SIOP model phase.

Activity	Description	SIOP Phase
Vocabulary Bingo	Create digital bingo cards with key terms	Lesson Preparation
Concept Connection	Use mind mapping tools to link new and prior knowledge	Building Background
Video Quiz Creation	Embed questions in educational videos	Comprehensible Input
Think-Aloud Recordings	Have students record their problem-solving process	Strategies
Virtual Jigsaw	Assign topics to groups for research and presentation	Interaction
Real-World Application Project	Design projects applying learned concepts to real scenarios	Practice & Application
Interactive Lecture	Create engaging presentations with built-in assessments	Lesson Delivery
Learning Journal	Implement digital portfolios for ongoing reflection	Review & Assessment

Additional Resources

SIOP Model Overview: A comprehensive guide to the SIOP model (K-12, Higher Education)
Edutopia’s Technology Integration Guide: Strategies for effective tech integration in classrooms (K-12)
TCEA Courses on Digital Learning: Professional development opportunities for educators (K-12, Higher Education)

October 23, 2024 0 comments

English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)Planning and Preparation Reading Writing

Write to Learn: Creating a Districtwide Culture of Literacy

by Taylor Brock September 11, 2024

written by Taylor Brock

In recent years, writing across content areas has become a highly discussed literacy problem of practice. As assessments across the country—including the redesigned STAAR exam—incorporate cross-curricular passages and varied writing tasks, many districts are asking, “How do we build a culture of literacy that spans content areas?”

While we can all agree that building student literacy is incredibly important, different educators are likely to come up with different definitions of what “literacy” means. For the sake of the discussion below, I want to offer a definition that many of our teams at NoRedInk utilize: Literacy is the ability to read, interpret, write, and discuss ideas across varied contents and contexts.

This expansive understanding of literacy makes space for literacy interventions not just in ELAR classes, but in all classes. By embracing this kind of “disciplinary literacy,” districts can equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in school, higher education, the military, and the workplace.

What Does Disciplinary Literacy Look Like?

Promoting disciplinary literacy involves helping students step into the shoes of experts in a given field, asking them to engage in social and cognitive practices consistent with those content experts. Doing so gives purpose to classroom reading and writing tasks, which in turn gives students greater access to texts and artifacts.

In practice, this might look like preparing students to read a cartoon like an historian, note features of a painting like an artist, read a graph like a scientist, write a song like a musician, or analyze a play like a football coach.

Naturally, non-ELAR teachers are uniquely equipped to help students develop these varied literacies. What they may be less equipped to do is teach spelling or conventions or proper essay structure—and that’s okay! Just because a district incorporates writing across its curriculum doesn’t mean that every teacher must moonlight as an ELAR teacher. Rather, an effective disciplinary literacy initiative draws on the strengths of each teacher to support the development of historically, artistically, scientifically, musically, and athletically literate students.

Building a Culture of Literacy

As the research of Paige Whitlock, EdD, illustrates, coming to a shared understanding of what disciplinary literacy does and doesn’t mean is just the first step in building a culture of disciplinary literacy in a district. Leaders must also invest in clear planning and communication to get teachers on board with their initiatives.

First, leaders should foreground the “why” behind the move toward writing across the curriculum (or whatever disciplinary literacy initiative they’re rolling out). Every district faces a unique set of circumstances, but as a leader, you should be sure to make it clear why it’s important to you, your district, and your community to increase literacy across content areas.

It’s equally important to draw clear connections between new disciplinary literacy initiatives and ongoing initiatives in various content areas. Literacy cannot seem like yet another thing competing for space on non-ELAR teachers’ plates. Better thinkers and better writers make better historians, artists, scientists, and so forth, which means disciplinary literacy is not “for someone else,” but a powerful tool for teachers in every subject. Get non-ELAR teachers involved in planning literacy initiatives so that these initiatives fold into what these teachers are already doing.

Finally, on a similar note, lean into distributed leadership. ELAR leaders may be in the best position to spearhead a literacy initiative, but they shouldn’t hesitate to leverage the expertise of central office specialists, school administrators, and, as mentioned above, strong teachers (both ELAR and non-ELAR). Create a literacy team dedicated to mapping out essential steps in your literacy initiatives and exploring opportunities for the district to embrace a more expansive definition of literacy.

A South Texas Success Story: Creating a Culture of Disciplinary Literacy

After adopting NoRedInk Premium across all their secondary schools in the ‘21–‘22 school year, Weslaco ISD, a suburban district in the Rio Grande Valley serving almost 20,000 students, noticed that writing was happening almost exclusively in ELAR classrooms. They decided to craft a plan for increasing writing across content areas starting in the spring of 2022.

Weslaco assembled an implementation team made up of both Social Studies and ELAR teachers that zeroed in on prioritizing non-fiction, analytical writing skills and providing feedback on students’ writing through their respective content area literacy lenses. The implementation team then introduced the Weslaco curriculum team to their new approach, and the latter worked to incorporate Social Studies-related prompts into their ELAR scope and sequence and align Social Studies writing tasks with the skills students were learning in their ELAR classes.

In the fall of 2022, Weslaco trained all Social Studies and ELAR teachers on the new approach and orchestrated norming conversations so teachers understood which content areas owned which components of writing. Before the start of the ‘23–‘24 school year, Weslaco repeated the same process with Science teachers across the district.

As a result of these efforts, the amount of writing students completed more than doubled from the ‘21–‘22 school year to the ‘22–‘23 school year. Critically, much of this growth was the result of a significant uptick in the amount of writing happening in non-ELAR classrooms.

Prior to ‘22–‘23, the overwhelming majority of writing in the district was occurring in ELAR classrooms. In ‘22–‘23, ~76% of student writing submissions came from ELAR classrooms, whereas ~20% came from Social Studies classrooms and ~4% came from Science classrooms. In the first half of ‘23–‘24, ~60% of student writing submissions came from ELAR classrooms, whereas ~16% came from Social Studies classrooms and ~24% came from Science classrooms.

How to Get Started

As the initiative in Weslaco ISD illustrates, building a strong districtwide culture of disciplinary literacy is a multistep process that can take time to execute effectively. That said, there’s nothing wrong with starting small.

To get the ball rolling, consider organizing a book study, incorporating more reading and writing tasks into PLCs, or putting together a cross-curricular team tasked with defining “literacy” within each discipline. Especially at the start, baby steps are much preferable to no steps at all, because ultimately, regardless of your district’s specific goals, developing student literacy across multiple content areas is a surefire way to set your students up for success.

September 11, 2024 0 comments

AI/VR English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)

Storynest.ai: Reshaping Storytelling in Three Quick Ways

by Miguel Guhlin September 9, 2024

written by Miguel Guhlin

Looking for a fun way to change how you approach storytelling? Storynest.ai may be the tool you need. It can help you put together new narratives. Let’s explore three ways Storynest.ai reshapes storytelling. You will also get some ideas on how you might use it in the classroom.

About Storynest.ai

Storynest.ai offers three AI models designed to assist you in storywriting: Wordweaver for quick creation, Talesmith for balanced speed and quality, and Storymaster for high-level detail. While there’s a free plan available, paid options offer more features and AI credits.

1. AI-Powered Story Creation: Your Digital Writing Partner

“I’ve been staring at this blank page. How do I even start?” said Sarah, a fifth grade aspiring novelist, asked Mrs. Black.

“Why don’t we give Storynest.ai a try for some ideas?” said Mrs. Black.

Storynest.ai’s advanced AI engine acts as a personal writing assistant. It helps you overcome creative blocks and bring your ideas to life. Here’s how it empowers your writing process:

Generates creative prompts to spark your imagination
Suggests plot developments to keep your story moving
Offers character backstories and dialogue options for depth

A standout feature is Character Chat. It allows you to explore your characters’ thoughts and motivations through direct conversation.

Screenshot by author of Storynest AI website

For educators, Storynest.ai can be an invaluable classroom tool. Teachers can use the platform to:

Generate interactive writing prompts for various grade levels
Offer lesson plans integrating AI-assisted storytelling techniques
Enable student collaboration on stories, fostering teamwork

2. AI Narration of Stories

“Wouldn’t it be cool to have a story narrated with AI-powered audio narration?” asks Mike, a first-year writing workshop teacher. “It could take the pressure of kids who aren’t ready to read their story aloud.”

Screenshot by author of Storynest.ai — Listen to The Enchanted Library and the Bookworm’s Odyssey

Storynest.ai transforms the AI-powered read aloud experience. You get a variety of AI character voices you can use to narrate whatever you write. What’s more, Storynest.ai offers assistance with writing fiction, nonfiction, educational content, and/or blogs.

Screenshot by author — Storynest.ai fiction composition assistant

3. Create Comic Storyboards and a Community Share Space

“Storyboarding is one way I model crafting a story piece by piece, but it can be challenging for students to imagine what comes next,” asks Mrs. Black, a fifth grade teacher. As art-challenged, my storyboards are almost always words with stick figures. AI can certainly help with that, as you can see below. Storynest.ai offers several different artistic styles to create comic storyboards with AI:

1. 🎥 Cinematic: Capture the drama and intensity of a blockbuster film.
2. 📚 Comic Book: Embrace the classic look of traditional comic panels.
3. 🍥 Anime: Immerse yourself in the vibrant, expressive world of Japanese animation.
4. 📸 Photographic: Bring a touch of realism to your scenes with a photographic style.
5. 🏰 Disney: Enchant your readers with the whimsical charm of a Disney animated feature. (source)

You can see what that looks like below:

What’s more, Storynest.ai fosters a vibrant community where creativity flourishes:

Facilitates story sharing and feedback exchanges
Hosts writing challenges and competitions
Enables collaborative projects, connecting authors globally

This community motivates writers and creates a rich environment for readers to discover new voices. For students, it offers a safe space to share work and receive constructive feedback, aiding their growth as writers.

The platform’s versatility ensures value for users of all skill levels, from novices to experienced authors.

Enhancing Teaching with Storynest.ai

Storynest.ai serves as a valuable assistant for educators looking to refresh their approach to narrative instruction. As a teacher, you can harness its capabilities to create engaging writing prompts, develop sample stories, and compile diverse reading lists that resonate with your students’ interests. Here are a few more use suggestions:

Guided Activities for Using Storynest.ai in the Classroom

Activity	Description	Teacher’s Role	Student Engagement	Learning Outcome
Story Starter Generator	Use Storynest.ai to generate creative writing prompts	Teacher inputs parameters and shares generated prompts with class	Students brainstorm and write based on the AI-generated prompt	Sparks creativity and helps overcome writer’s block
Character Development Workshop	Utilize the Character Chat feature to explore character depth	Teacher demonstrates character interaction, then guides class discussion	Students suggest questions and analyze character responses	Enhances understanding of character development in storytelling
Plot Twist Brainstorming	Use AI to suggest unexpected plot developments	Teacher inputs current story elements and shares AI suggestions	Students vote on or discuss the most interesting plot twists	Teaches narrative structure and the element of surprise in storytelling
Collaborative Story Building	Use Storynest.ai to expand on student-created story foundations	Teacher inputs student ideas and shares AI-generated expansions	Students discuss and select which AI suggestions to incorporate	Fosters teamwork and teaches story expansion techniques
Dialogue Writing Practice	Generate dialogue samples for different scenarios	Teacher provides context and character info, then shares AI-generated dialogue	Students analyze and improve upon the AI-generated dialogue	Enhances dialogue writing skills and character voice development
Ethical AI Use Discussion	Demonstrate both helpful and potentially problematic AI outputs	Teacher shows various AI responses and leads a discussion on responsible use	Students debate the pros and cons of AI in creative writing	Develops critical thinking about AI and ethical technology use

Storynest.ai: Reshaping Storytelling

Curious about elevating your teaching methods? Explore Storynest.ai today and discover how AI can enhance your instructional toolkit, helping you inspire your students on their next literary adventure!

September 9, 2024 2 comments

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