Chapter+7


 * Chapter 7: Teaching Difficult Academic Material** From Jake

-What are your thoughts on administering pre-assessments for every unit you teach? -List two ways you can link the material in your classroom that students struggle with to material they already know:
 * __Getting Kids Going:__**

__**Pushing Students’ Thinking:**__ -Why might you lose student interest and/or confidence if you teach only from one textbook? -The book talks about asking questions that really get the students to think and challenging their conceptions. How might this help your students to learn? -In addition to pushing your students’ thinking, it is important to give them time with the material and to help them with resources in the classroom.

-What is your working definition of Active Learning? -The book highlights that you should choose group work with care, monitor and assess groups as they work, and to not leave students to learn entirely on their own. ** -List two quick ways that you can easily assess student understanding: **
 * __Encourage Active Learning__
 * __Knowing When Students Understand:__

Math/Science -To help, walk students all the way through problems, use lots of examples, and alternate ways to look at material. -How can you help your students when they become discouraged in your class? ** -To help, clearly tell the students why they’re reading a piece, relate it to their lives, and take student voice seriously. -Do you think it valuable to show movies of the book the students have read? ** -To help, focus on important questions, help students visualize history, use multiple resources. -What are some positive ways to use films in class? Negative ways? **
 * __Making Sense of Difficult Content Specific Material:__
 * Literature
 * History

-Students value your content area more when they see that you are passionate about learning the material yourself. **
 * __Teachers as Learners, Too:__