So, you have the basic idea of why you want to do Levels of Understanding. But, how do you get started on it? How do you use it in your middle school classroom (or any classroom for that matter)? We explain how and why Tim uses them in his middle school social studies room!
For every day, or unit, Tim has an I Can statement. He reads his I Can statement at the beginning of every class, along with going over the class norms (rules) and the agenda for the day.
This day isn't the best example of his daily targets; they were taking a unit test! For his test he places this I Can on the board, but has the students look through all of the previous I Can's from the unit. Usually the I Can statements are the same for about a week or so - or however long the unit is. Tim likes to break long units that last weeks into mini-units and assess about every week or so.
The learning targets are kept on this form for the students to self-assess themselves daily.
This day isn't the best example of his daily targets; they were taking a unit test! For his test he places this I Can on the board, but has the students look through all of the previous I Can's from the unit. Usually the I Can statements are the same for about a week or so - or however long the unit is. Tim likes to break long units that last weeks into mini-units and assess about every week or so.
The learning targets are kept on this form for the students to self-assess themselves daily.
At the end of class the students write down their learning target for the mini-unit (or the week, however you want to look at it). They then self-assess themselves on their understanding of the target and explain why they said what they did. This is their exit slip for class. It really helps Tim see what is going on inside each student's' brain. It also helps shape his lessons plans for the rest of the mini-unit and big unit.
Using these learning logs as a daily exit slip has really helped with classroom management in his middle school class. The students know what to expect the last 5 to 6 minutes of class. If you have every worked with middle schoolers (holly hormones batman) or in a high poverty school you know that routines are essential to classroom management.
How does Tim teach the levels; these can even be complex for adult learners? He has these great posters in his room that he and the students can reference throughout the lesson/unit.
Using these learning logs as a daily exit slip has really helped with classroom management in his middle school class. The students know what to expect the last 5 to 6 minutes of class. If you have every worked with middle schoolers (holly hormones batman) or in a high poverty school you know that routines are essential to classroom management.
How does Tim teach the levels; these can even be complex for adult learners? He has these great posters in his room that he and the students can reference throughout the lesson/unit.
Another twist on using these posters is to use them for any informal check-in with students. Tim loves to use them when explaining directions or a project!
To get these posters and the learning log that goes along with them, click here or on the picture below!
To get these posters and the learning log that goes along with them, click here or on the picture below!