Identifying+Similarities+and+Differences

= Identifying Similarities and Differences =


 * ===Smartboard===
 * ===iMovie===
 * ===CPS Clickers===

**Smartboard**
Rationale: The Smart board is a great tool to use with students while dealing with similarities and differences in a multitude of subjects. The Smart board is an interactive whiteboard that can be used in various ways to engage students and to enhance learning. The Smart board comes with Smart board tools that allows you to create a presentation (similar to Microsoft PowerPoint) with many teaching resources available. Students can be shown similarities/differences of different topics and participate in multiple ways: looking at pictures, online activities, or using built in templates. One of these templates is a venn diagram. This can be drug onto the screen and students can take opportunities to write in similarities and differences between a topic currently being studied. It's interactive, so students can build on one another's ideas. The cool thing about this is it can be saved. Therefore, the teacher could begin a lesson or unit having students list things they already know. Then, as the lesson or unit progresses, it can continuously be brought up and things can be added. At the end, it can be printed so students have a copy of the screen. This saves time from having students do handwritten charts and then losing them. This way, everyone is on the same page and has the correct answers.

Resources Needed:
 * A computer with Smart board technology installed
 * Smartboard (Usually obtainable through grants, or by sharing board among a team of teachers. The average cost, depending on features and size, range from $1,000 to $5,000.)
 * LCD Projector (Usually purchased along with Smartboard. Projectors begin at around $500 and grow more expensive based on features.)

**iMovie**
Rationale: iMovie is a program that allows students to create a movie of their own where they can explain or describe something that is viewable to others. Using the program, students can find pictures and insert them into scenes. Then, they can record themselves speaking discussing the pictures to effectively describe a particular topic. Under the category of similarities and differences, students can be assigned two topics and be expected to know the difference between the two, as well as how the two are alike. This can be done in iMovie by allowing students find pictures of each topic that describes the similarities and differences, or it can be a drawing that students create and save. Then, they can record an explanation of the two topics and point out the things in the pictures that proves that they are correct. This allows students to first grasp the understanding of how two things are similar and different, and then explain it in their own words. Students are forced to critically think and to interrupt what they have learned by putting it in their own words. This then becomes an excellent teaching tool as the students can present the movie, or the movie can be used to reinforce the topic by the teacher presenting the students work as a review.

Resources Needed:
 * Computer for each student or group of students
 * iMovie Software installed on student computers. (iMovie is in the iLife bundle available through store.apple.com. The cost is $49.00 and each license is good for 5 computers.)
 * Internet Access
 * Microphone to record into the computer (if not built in)

**CPS Clickers**
Rationale: One of the greatest struggles that a teacher faces is knowing whether or not the students actually got what the teacher was trying to teach. Students are good at fooling the teacher into believing the student understands, when many times, the student is confused. A product that can help battle this is Clickers, interactive handheld devices that allow students to insert their answers that instantly allow the teacher to see the response. Teachers are able to pose a question, and can then instruct students to select their answer. A list of the students shows when all students have answered, and then displays the answers received. If used on a screen, the class can see the average score and how many students chose each answer. If the teacher sees that many students are not getting a topic, he or she then knows to go slower and go back. Students usually are assigned a clicker number that keeps their identity on the screen unknown to the students, but the teacher can see who it is. Questions can be preprogrammed or the teacher can verbally ask a question and then name four choices and allow students to select their answer. When trying to identify similarities and differences, it's important that a student can distinguish between two topics. This allows the teacher, and the students, to see the classes progress. Each answer can be recorded and saved on the computer for progress monitoring.

Resources Needed:
 * CPS Clickers (Available through the schools library or through grants. The average cost of a classroom set of clickers is $2000.)
 * Computer to record answers (Computer needs to be hooked up to receiver through USB port or through Bluetooth.)
 * Projector and screen to show answers (optional)

**Education Challenge:**
English Language Learners

The activities described above helps overcome the challenge of English Language Learners. As discussed on the website, English language learners are faced with learning a new language plus having to learn the content area subjects. The activities described in this section help to overcome the challenge by using visual learning to enhance what the student knows. Though English is used, it's not overpowering the subject. Students can see items described on the Smartboard and can participate through the discussion and drawings, as well as the pictures and images shown. The Clickers also serve as a tool to monitor how students are doing. The teacher can instantly see that the English language learners are not understanding and can look for more ways to approach the topic. Students are able to connect the language to pictorial representations to enhance learning of the language and the topic.

Home Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers Homework and Practice Identifying Similarities and Differences Providing Feedback Reinforcing Effort Simulations and Games Summarizing and Note Taking