ESubjects Scaffolded Basics for the Clasroom

Scaffolded Basics for the Classroom and Teaching
Special and General Ed

For special and general ed high school teachers: Before you read this, if you do not agree with these three things, you may not be interested in continuing to read. So, just to save you some time, we believe that

Although some may lack basic skills, all high school students are intelligent, thinking young adults with plenty of other skills and talents.
If we would be embarrassed to be seen carrying or reading a book because it's for elementary school children, so will our teenage students, possibly more so.
If we set high standards and let students struggle, they will rise to—or more frequently beyond—our expectations.

Breakdown by Grade

9th Grade

Have an agenda on the board at the beginning of each class.
Have a classroom version of this in a notebook that students who miss classes know to check for missed material and assignments.
Have a routine activity for students to do as they come into class each day.
Have the classroom organized so students can find journals, folders, and other materials they need.
Review last class and previous material before moving into new material.
Create unit and yearly plans that are cumulative.

Start with these six above from the first day of class. Then, add each of the following as your schedule and experience allow. If this is your first year teaching, focus on one or two a week.

Introduce and practice new material and skills and have students take new information in and express themselves in a variety of ways, addressing all learning styles.
Have individual and group folders for all student work. These stay in the classroom freshman year as students learn to organize and take responsibility for their work. (Picture a freshman backpack….Ack! Organization is a collection of learned skills.)
As you introduce new skills and strategies, do so explicitly and explain their transferability to other applications and subjects (transparent teaching).
Work with other freshman year teachers to ensure that basic reading, writing, analytic, math, and tech skills are introduced and practiced across the curriculum.
Make transitions from activity to activity, lesson to lesson, and unit to unit visible and explicit.
Break large projects down into small parts and provide students with checklists.
Have a variety of demonstration products of large projects to show students before they embark upon them so they have a clear idea of what you are asking them to do. (If this is your first year, try to make at least one sample product. Doing this will also help you make sure you've included clear instructions for each step.)
Assign group roles for each group activity and spell out the responsibilities of each role.
Use grade level materials and adjust the time allotted if students need that instead of using lower level materials.

10th Grade

Have an agenda on the board at the beginning of each class.
Have a routine activity for students to do as they come into class each day.
Have the classroom organized so students can find materials they need.
Review last class and previous material before moving into new material.
Create units and yearly plans that are cumulative.
Introduce and practice new material and skills and have students take new information in and express themselves in a variety of ways, addressing all learning styles.
Make transitions from activity to activity, lesson to lesson, and unit to unit visible and explicit.
Have students keep all of their work in binders that they take home each day.
Break large projects down into small parts, ideally with checklists.
Have a variety of demonstration products of large projects to show students before them embark upon them so they have a clear sense of what you are asking them to do.
Assign group roles for each group activity and spell out the responsibilities of each role.
Use grade level materials and adjust the time allotted if students need that instead of using lower level materials.

11th Grade

Have an agenda on the board at the beginning of each class.
Have a routine activity for students to do as they come into class each day.
Have the classroom organized so students can find materials they need.
Have a student or group review last class and previous material before moving into new material.
Create units and yearly plans that are cumulative. These should involve more student input and more out of class work.
Introduce and practice new material and skills and have students take new information in and express themselves in a variety of ways, addressing all learning styles.
Make identifying the transitions from activity to activity, lesson to lesson, and unit to unit part of the activities students are responsible for.
As you begin projects, work as a class to break them down into roles and components and then work with groups to help them create individual and group assignment schedules.

12th Grade

Have an agenda on the board at the beginning of each class. For group project days, posting each group‹s agenda should be the responsibility of the each group's manager.
Have a routine first–thing activity, such as revisiting the individual calendars they have designed to assess the time they have allotted to projects, assignments, and activities.
Have students organize and reorganize the classroom as projects and units change.
Have a student or group review last class and previous material before moving into new material.
Create units and yearly plans that are cumulative. These should involve more student input and more out of class work.
In all group projects, students must take into account that their presentations must introduce new material and skills in a variety of ways, addressing all learning styles and considering specific audience.
Make identifying the transitions from activity to activity, lesson to lesson, and unit to unit part of the activities students are responsible for.
As you begin projects, have students break them down into roles and components and create individual and group assignment schedules.