How does rigor apply to PreK or primary students?

This question was also asked in Miami.  Let me assure you, rigor applies to all students at all grade levels and subject areas.  Rigor is creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels, each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels. 

Let's look at a couple of great rigorous activities for the primary grades.  First, when teaching concepts, such as colors, numbers, or shapes, ask them to describe them using riddles.  Students love to use puzzles and riddles to try to stump their classmates, and they are very creative!

I'm the shape of Mrs. Juarez's desk.  What am I?
I'm what you use when your pencil won't write.  What am I?
I'm the animal that was chased in the story.  Who am I?

Second, rather than showing students a picture or the cover of a book and asking them to describe what they see, put the picture/book inside a folder.  Make sure the folder has eyes and a smile cut out.  Ask students to guess what the picture/cover is by only looking at pieces, rather than the whole.  You can also do this by putting together puzzle pieces.

Both of these activities are simple, yet require students to think at higher levels of learning.  Remember, rigor can be fun!!!!

Grand Conversations!

Talking with other students is a great way for students to think at higher levels, and apply what they are learning.  Connie Forrester describes one of her favorite activities:  Grand Conversations. Similar to Socratic Circles, take a look at her particular use of the method.

 “I would usually introduce this strategy in October during our Unit of Study on non-fiction.  To introduce the strategy, I would ask the children if they knew what the word conversation meant.  After some discussion, one child would usually come up with the fact that conversation is talking.  I would go on to tell the children that Grand Conversations are one strategy that the big kids use when they talk about books.  I would explain the ground rules to the children.  You would be amazed how quickly the children catch on and how much they enjoy this strategy.  They would beg to use it after we had read a book.  However, I found Grand Conversations worked best when used after a non-fiction text.”

Ground Rules for Grand Conversations

1-    One person talks at a time

2-    When you respond to a classmate, you make a comment, ask a question, or make a connection.  Your response must match the previous person’s train of thought.  (For instance, if we were having a conversation about a spider’s habitat and the next child began discussing what he had for dinner last night, the first child could pick someone else)

3-    No one raises his or her hands.  I explain to the children that when people have conversations no one raises their hands. (We would either toss a beach ball to the person to talk or the child would sit up very straight to be recognized.)

One of the interesting aspects of this activity--Connie teaches Kindergarten.  It's never too early to teach students to have higher level conversations!

Is Rigor for All Grades?

ACT recently released the report The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that All Students Are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School. It is the latest in a series of reports documenting the need for increased rigor. However, this one focuses on a key point: rigor is NOT just for high school.  In fact, if we wait until high school to increase rigor for our students, we have failed.  The authors of the report are clear: "Our research shows that, under current conditions, the level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness by the time they graduate from high school than anything that happens academically in high school."

Most teachers I work with know this already. At the end of one of my workshops on rigor, a first grade teacher in Baltimore shared how she planned to increase rigor when her students read The Three Little Pigs. She said, "After we read the story, I usually mention something about the three types of houses, but now I'm going to have my students do some basic research about houses built of straw, wood, and brick."  Now that's the perfect formula for success: high expectations for students plus creative activities. 

How are you increasing rigor in your classroom?

Teaching ELL Students and MORE!

I've developed a  new handout to accompany Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word.  I've had several teachers email me asking "How can I be rigorous with students who are English Language Learners?"  Or...students with special needs, or just very young students.  Take a look at the five strategies in the handout and let me know what you think. All are ones I regularly use in my workshops, and teachers find them effective with a variety of students...not just ELL students.  A group of Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers in Texas had a lot of fun with their students using these.  Oh, in case it is gray where you are....have a great day!  You make a difference.  Thanks for being a teacher or school leader and working with students who need you. 

Group Work at a Higher Level

A new and higher standard of rigor is emerging that focuses on increasing skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. But when your students do group work, do they work together or just sit together? I use a cooperative learning rubric to help define and assess effective group work. Here's an excerpt from my book Classroom Instruction from A to Z and two printable pdfs of the rubric.

Group work is one of the most effective ways to help students learn. It can increase student motivation and is an important life skill. When I was teaching, some of my students didn’t like to work in groups. They complained every day until I brought in a newspaper article that said the number one reason people were fired from their jobs was that they couldn’t get along with their coworkers. That was an eye-opener for my students.

Recently, I was talking with a project manager, and I asked him about the importance of teamwork. He pointed out that knowing how to work with other people is critical. “The more successful you are, the more important it is to influence, motivate, and work with others. If you think about successful people, working with people becomes your job; that is what you do.”

That’s pretty insightful. For people who have achieved high levels of success in the workplace, no matter what the setting, teamwork isn’t part of their job, it is their job. As a teacher, this reminds me that if I believe I should prepare my students for life after school, then I need to teach them to work together.

Recently, I was in a classroom in which the teacher bragged to me that her students worked in groups all the time. When I asked her students, they told me that the desks are placed in groups, but they just read the book silently and answer questions individually. After thinking for a minute, one student said, “We can ask each other for help if we need to.” That’s not really group work. Effective group activities provide opportunities for your students to work together, either with a partner, a small group, or the entire class, to accomplish a task. In these instances, everyone has a specific role, and there are clear individual and shared responsibilities. Missy Miles uses a rubric for assessing each GROUP in her classroom.

	You're a Team Player!	You're Working on It…	You're Flying Solo
G Group dedication	The student is totally dedicated to his or her group, offering all of his or her attention by actively listening to peers and responding with ideas.	The student is partially dedicated to his or her group though sometimes becomes distracted by students or issues outside the group.	The student spends most of his or her time focusing on things outside the group; he or she is not available for discussion or group work.
R Responsibility	The student shares responsibility equally with other group members and accepts his or her role in the group.	The student takes on responsibility but does not completely fulfill his or her obligations.	The student either tries to take over the group and does not share responsibilities or takes no part at all in the group work assigned.
O Open communication	The student gives polite and constructive criticism to group members when necessary, welcomes feedback from peers, resolves conflict peacefully, and asks questions when a group goal is unclear.	The student gives criticism, though often in a blunt manner, reluctantly accepts criticism from peers, and may not resolve conflict peacefully all of the time.	The student is quick to point out the faults of other group members yet is unwilling to take any criticism in return; often, the students argues with peers rather than calmly coming to a consensus.
U Utilization of Work Time	The student is always on task, working with group members to achieve goals, objectives, and deadlines.	The student is on task most of the time but occasionally takes time off from working with the group.	The student does not pay attention to the task at hand and frustrates other group members because of his or her inability to complete work in a timely fashion.
P Participation	The student is observed sharing ideas, reporting research findings to the group, taking notes from other members, and offering assistance to his or her peers as needed.	The student sometimes shares ideas or reports findings openly but rarely takes notes from other group members.	This student does not openly share ideas or findings with the group, nor does he or she take notes on peers'

You can find a PDF of the rubric by visiting   http://www.barbarablackburnonline.com/classroominstruction.htm   and using the drop down menu to choose the rubric.  (Excerpted from Classroom Instruction from A to Z, by Barbara R. Blackburn)

Next, choose the book Literacy from A to Z and use the drop down menu for a student cooperative learning rubric for grades K-2. (Excerpted from Literacy from A to Z, by Barbara R. Blackburn)