On a mission to reduce teacher workload and prevent burnout through affordable 'print-and-teach' materials for secondary English.
Our job can be difficult at times, but I believe students all want to be challenged, inspired, and engaged. Having fun is an important feature, because it allows us to reach teens and encourage them to learn.
Wherever possible, I introduce choice for students in my teaching materials.
I hope these resources keep the love of learning alive.
On a mission to reduce teacher workload and prevent burnout through affordable 'print-and-teach' materials for secondary English.
Our job can be difficult at times, but I believe students all want to be challenged, inspired, and engaged. Having fun is an important feature, because it allows us to reach teens and encourage them to learn.
Wherever possible, I introduce choice for students in my teaching materials.
I hope these resources keep the love of learning alive.
Develop reading skills, get your students discussing passionately and improve their capacity for learning - what's not to love? A perfect resource to develop your students' thinking skills any time.
BONUS MATERIAL ADDED August 2016: An 'I Have Who Has?' activity to review key vocabulary in the article. This can be used in subsequent lessons to help students remember definitions. This bundle will grow over time, so grab it now before the price increases with each addition!
OVERVIEW
This lesson starts with an anticipation guide, and students reflect on their own beliefs about intelligence and learning.
Following this, students read an original 2-page article on how the brain develops. It includes:
* Information on intelligence as something to be developed, rather than fixed
* The role of mindset in learning
* The power of ‘yet’
They have a double-sided sheet to complete as they explore the text which practices: citing evidence; finding the main idea; recognising cause & effect; identifying the importance of a section as part of a whole; and synthesis.
Discussion task cards have been provided as a follow up to the reading, so students can develop their ideas.
Finally, students are asked to reflect on how this learning might impact their attitude and actions, setting specific goals to improve their learning.
(A FREE optional resource comparing the brains of zombies and humans (Zombie Brains versus Human Brains) can be downloaded from my store, for those using this resource with my other zombie-themed lessons.)
In the same way you might use a magazine or newspaper article for any grade level, this text is flexible in terms of who can access it. The online Lexile Analyzer gives an estimated reading score of 940L (based on the first 2 paragraphs only) and readable.io gives an average grade level of 9.1. In reality, I have used this with able and engaged 7th years; my 6th form students really enjoyed the article - and ensuing Socratic Seminar - that we held.
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Keywords: learning, brain, metacognition, yet, mindset, Dweck, intelligence, resilience, reading, speaking, listening, CCSS, discussion, start of year
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