Writing Skills

Works4Me presents weekly practical classroom tips from real experts -- your colleagues!

1. RAT Short Answers

From Coleen Walker, a teacher at Miami Middle School in Fort Wayne, Indiana:

"Recently, one of my colleagues remembered a neat way to help students understand how to write a short answer. She used it at a previous school and couldn't quite remember the exact words, but we call it RAT. Our version stands for Restate the Question, Answer the Question and Tie it to the Text. We have not taken the standardized test since we have taught this concept, but we are very hopeful. We have been practicing answering questions using the RAT method. I give them a short reading and then give them an open ended question to RAT. They write their answers, and I ask for volunteers to read them. As a class, we talk about what grade we give would and why. We need more practice, but I think (and hope) it will make a big difference on the ISTEP test."
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2. Read, Write and Think

From J. Hamblin, a third grade teacher:

"My students absolutely loved a lesson on Shape poems using the Shape Poem tool that is on the readwritethink.org Web site. The Shape Poem tool was very easy for the students to use and encouraged creativity. Readwritethink.org also has online student tools for other poem types, though I haven't had the chance to use them yet. I plan to use the Acrostic Poems online tool as part of a center during Guided Reading. Readwritethink has lots of lesson planning ideas."
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3. Question of the Week: GPS Receivers Bring the World to Your Classroom

From the Works4Me Worker Bees:

"The Global Positioning System (GPS), a worldwide radio-navigation system of 24 satellites and their ground stations, is captured through low-cost GPS receivers that display basic geographic information like latitude, longitude, elevation, direction, and bearing. Higher quality receivers include altimeters, magnetic compasses, detailed topographic and city maps, and other points of interest. Are you using this technology in your classroom? Share some lesson ideas and tips and tricks with your colleagues."
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4. Heard on the Message Board: Clickers in the Classroom

"Are you using clickers -- handheld electronic devices that allow students to answer a teacher's questions by clicking -- in your classroom? What are the benefits? How do they work? How should we prepare students before introducing clickers?"
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