When we learn, we gain new information and look at the world around us in a new way. Deep learning is learning that involves more higher level thinking skills, including the ability to analyze and synthesize information, solve problems, and think outside the box. In the process of Deep Learning, students are able to link information they already know with new principles so that their understandings can be used to problem solve when presented with new tasks. Once learners master Deep Learning, their learning process can be more autonomous as they understand how to reflect on their own learning and to make new connections on their own.

When encouraging Deep Learning, it’s important to keep the goal of content mastery in mind. Students who think deeply need to be able to solve real world problems and to connect ideas and apply knowledge across content areas. As students approach problems, they must be able to analyze those problems and develop a plan to solve them. Students who have the opportunity to work collaboratively are able to practice their communication and leadership skills while learning to think more critically about content than they would on their own. Deep Learning does not happen automatically for most. Learning to think deeply and learn deeply is a skill that can be sharpened more and more with practice.

Strategies for Deep Learning

There are many strategies to engage students in Deep Learning. These strategies are similar in that they ask students to engage in genuine learning experiences, make discoveries, problem solve, and think systematically. The following are strategies for Deep Learning that can be applied in the classroom in a wide variety of grade levels and across disciplines.

Create Units of Study that have BIG IDEAS

By creating larger units of study that revolve around “Big Ideas”, educators are giving students a reference point to refer back to so that they can keep the big picture in mind as they explore. For example, a teacher in 3rd grade may design a unit on Black History Month where students are to research notable African Americans. Students can have the choice in how they create a product that represents their learning, but will need to be able to reference the big ideas of the unit/research project.

Make Learning Personal and Relevant

By making learning relevant and personal, educators are peaking the interest of their students. Educators should stress that the content they are learning is important to them, important to the world they live in, and will be important for them to know in the future. This helps students realize the content is not just interesting but also worth learning.

Engage Students in Active Reading

Many students who struggle with reading are disengaged from learning. Active Reading allows students to be engaged in instructional practices and form connections with the content they are reading, in turn, creating more confident and successful readers and learners. Students often switch from a “Learning to Read” mindset to a “Reading to Learn” mindset around third grade. Applying Active Reading allows students to really think deeply about what they are reading and apply the knowledge they obtain from text to real world situations and use new information to problem solve. When students learn to stop and think about what they are reading, they are actively engaged in the reading process.

Utilize Essential Questions

Essential questions help educators give students a focus and purpose for learning. Many students ask themselves why they need to learn content. Essential questions help students make meaning out of subject matter and guide their learning. Essential questions to encourage deep thinking should be open ended, thought provoking, promote critical thinking, raise additional questions and spark curiosity.

Encourage Collaboration

Perhaps one of the most important strategies in encouraging students to think deeply is to allow them to collaborate with their peers. Many times when students are able to bounce ideas off of one another, they begin to form new understandings and perspectives regarding content. When helping students develop their deep thinking skills, collaboration is key! When working with others, students have the opportunity to strengthen their communication skills and listening skills. They also gain an understanding of the different perspectives and experiences of others.

Ask Questions

Critical thinking occurs when educators know the right questions to ask. Students need questions that get their minds thinking about things they have never pondered before. As Ken Bain said, “One of the great secrets of fostering deep learning is the ability to help students raise new kinds of questions that they will find fascinating” (Right Question Institute, 2021).

When educators are planning and implementing lessons that encourage and promote Deep Learning, they are essentially teaching students how to learn. As students learn how to learn, they are developing the ability to self-direct and to drive their own exploration. With support form teachers, students can set their own goals, track their progress, reflect on their learning and grow! By learning to think deeply, students are becoming life-long learners who make learning and priority. Eventually, thinking deeply will become a natural part of the learning process for these students. Through deeper learning and thinking, educators are able to build strong foundations for students. This foundation will prove to be beneficial to students as they move into secondary learning, college, and even career opportunities. It is vital that teachers have the resources they need to increase student capacity for thinking deeply.

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What is the Legislative Process?

The United States Government is composed of three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Each branch is provided a separation of powers from the United States Constitution, and each is responsible for various aspects of government.

The Legislative branch is considered the lawmaking arm of the government, and includes the U.S. Congress, made up of the House of Representatives and Senate. The Executive branch is responsible for carrying out the laws of government, and includes the President, Vice President, and Cabinet members. The final branch, the judicial branch, interprets the laws through the U.S. Supreme Court and various other federal courts.

Although each branch is significant within its own right, the legislative branch is one that is traditionally more familiar to the general population, due to its connection with voting, electing representatives and senators, and recent events in the news. The legislative branch consists of the House of Representatives and Senate and is the lawmaking body of the United States Government. In the House of Representatives, the member body consists of 435 individuals, with representation based on proportion to the total population of individual states. Conversely, in the U.S. Senate, 100 members represent their states, with each individual state electing two senators.

What are the Legislative Process Steps?

Although Schoolhouse Rock’s “Bill” explained the legislative process in three minutes, the intricate details of the legislative process are very unique and intriguing. As noted, the legislative branch is responsible for introducing and ratifying laws. At its heart, the legislative process centers on introducing bills to Congress. When a new bill is introduced, the bill is first reviewed by various subcommittees and committees, and then moves to the floor of the House of Representatives or Senate.

A bill must pass both houses of Congress before it goes to the President for consideration. Although the bill can be approved through Congress, the President has the power to sign a bill into law or, if in disagreement with the bill, veto it and send it back to Congress. Due to the system of checks and balances, a Presidential veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote of each chamber.

Ways to Bring the Legislative Process to the Virtual Classroom

For many years, visitors to the U.S. Capital building and other buildings such as the U.S. Supreme Court have been able to physically see where bills and laws are introduced, ratified, and signed, and view the American democratic system in action.

However, due to Covid-19 restrictions and policies and procedures set forth, many of our national government buildings have been closed to the general public in recent months. Many school-aged children will not get the opportunity to visit so many important buildings in our nation’s history, like they study about in their classes. However, thanks to multiple advancements in technology, the American government system and legislative process can be introduced virtually anywhere to students across the country.

First, students can participate in the tried and true democratic method of a good old fashioned debate. Middle school and high school students often enjoy a spirited debate, where a particular issue is examined and students choose roles to prove or disprove certain points. This method allows for students to research a topic, present varying viewpoints, and serves as a creative way for issues to be discussed.

Secondly, a major part of the legislative process is the creation and ratification of a bill into a law. Allowing students to choose a real bill that has already been ratified and track its progress from beginning to end is a great way to illustrate the steps in the process. Conversely, allowing students to create their own bill and present it to subcommittee members within their classrooms can build understanding and capacity as students seek to persuade others to approve their bill.

Because the legislative branch consists of the House and Senate, having students exam party platforms and party beliefs is a great way to educate students on why political parties exist, were formed, and their use today. Additionally, having students research their own local and state legislators can help them to understand the voting and election process, campaign process, and know who their representatives are. Great resources like U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives provides students with official resources for the Senate and House of Representatives, where they can find out information about their representatives, search for various bills, and view other pertinent information.

With the help of technology, many local and state legislators are taking the time to conduct teleconferencing sessions with students and classes who may be studying American democratic practices. These personalized sessions are great as legislators educate young people about their responsibilities, and it also helps for students to know more about their representatives and their party platforms and beliefs.

The American democratic system of government is a complex and unique system that is full of rich history. The legislative process is one that is constantly changing and evolving, and one that is intriguing to Americans to watch play out. Although restrictions and policies established due to the Covid-19 pandemic have greatly diminished our abilities to physically see democracy in action, there are still multiple ways to teach and learn about the process in a virtual setting. Continuing to educate our nation’s young people on the ideals, practices, and systems of democracy will only help advance us as a democratic country.

Want to your students to further delve into American social studies and history? Explore our robust lesson plans and writing prompts!

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What is an Exit Ticket?

Exit tickets are a well-known tool that helps educators gauge student comprehension. They also allow students to reflect upon the lesson (what they understood, what confused them, etc.). Traditionally, they are used at the end of a lesson; on a piece of paper, teachers ask students one to two questions to see who grasped the concept. In the age of digital learning, exit tickets are no longer confined to a few questions on a piece of paper; the format can vary from multiple-choice, true-false, matching, short response, etc. And, with a plethora of digital tools at educators’ disposal, there are no limits to this formative form of assessment.

Benefits of Using Digital Exit Tickets for Remote Learning

Exit tickets check for understanding. They allow teachers to see which students understand the concept and which do not. Teachers can then take that information learned and modify their instruction plan.

An excellent example of the benefits of using digital exit tickets comes from a sixth-grade teacher. To ensure students understood the online lesson, she had students submit their exit tickets via Google classroom. She then uploaded them to Google Drive, which created spreadsheet that gave her an overall picture of which students understood the lesson and which did not. She then used this data to identify students’ strengthens and weaknesses in the lesson which helped her plan for the next day’s instruction.

Digital Exit Ticket Ideas

Once you are finished with a lesson, you can use a digital exit ticket as a means of assessment or to gauge how students feel about a lesson. Here are a few digital tools and ideas on how to use them in the virtual classroom.

An Exit Tweet

Students are no strangers to using social media, and if you want to find a way to check for understanding in as few words as possible, have them create a tweet. In 280 characters or less, students can answer a question after a lesson that is posed by you. You can have students actually “tweet” their responses on Twitter or you can simply use the concept of a tweet and have them send you their responses via email, Google Drive, etc. For example, you can pose the question, “In 280 characters or less, create a tweet to answer the question.”

An Exit Emoji

Emojis show emotion, and if you’re looking for a way to gauge how students felt about a lesson, using an emoji exit ticket where students use or circle an emoji is a great way to accomplish this. Have students choose the emoji that best describes how they felt about the lesson, then describe in as few words as possible why they choose that emoji. For example, if students just completed a history lesson on the American Revolution, you can ask them to choose an emoji that best represents how they felt about the lesson as well as why they felt that way.

Record a Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a video-based digital tool that is helping educators stay connected with their students. In short, Flipgrid works by having students record and share short videos with their teachers and classmates. Educators are using Flipgrid as an exit ticket idea for the virtual classroom because it’s not only fun for learners, but teachers get to read their students’ body language as they respond via video, which can help them measure how students are feeling about the topic. Simply create a prompt (such as: in a few sentences, talk about what you learned today), then ask students to create and share a video of their answer. It’s that simple.

Share a Tip

One way to get a glimpse into students’ understanding of a concept is to ask them an open-ended question. You can learn a lot about the overall understanding of a student by asking them to share a tip about what they learned. Ask students to share their tips via Flipgrid or Google Classroom. Once you’ve collected your tips, you can use them to review before your next lesson.

Google Forms

If you are already using Google Classroom to virtually teach, then you probably already know about Google Forms. You can easily build and create an exit ticket in minutes. Plus, recent upgrades allow a variety of question types as well as images and videos for you to easily pull together and send your students a link. You can view student responses in the “response” tab and then export them to a spreadsheet where you can assess students’ learning all on one convenient page. Here are some popular exit ticket questions teachers like to use on Google Forms.

• Explain the most important part of today’s lesson.
• In a few sentences, explain to your friend what today’s lesson was about.
• What was the most difficult part of today’s lesson?
• What part of today’s lesson do you need more practice in?

Digital exit tickets make it easy to check for student understanding. Many digital tools have features like scheduling questions in advance, reviewing student responses in one spot, and saving questions to re-use later. All of these features can be quite helpful as we try to navigate our way through this new digital era.

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Why are Games a Good Tool for Community Building?

There are many benefits to using games in your virtual classroom. Games improve and increase student engagement, boost critical-thinking, strengthen memory, and provide opportunity for cooperation and collaboration.

Also, games are a great way to build community in any classroom. However, this can be especially beneficial in a virtual classroom. First of all, when kids hear the word “game” they immediately think “fun”! This puts them in the right mindset right off the bat. Also, games are often played in teams, which create camaraderie among students.

Most importantly, when you play games that allow students to get to know each other better, a sense of community is built. This is more important than ever before because students attending school virtually do not have the same social interaction that they would have if attending school in person. When students are having fun and laughing together, they begin to bond and enjoy their time together so much more.

Design Around Movement and Fun

Here are some great ideas for movement and fun in your virtual classroom:

1. Daily routines – Even “boring” tasks like attendance can be made fun. You can ask fun questions and their answer shows they’re “present”. You can ask questions like “What’s your favorite movie?”, “What is your favorite song?”, “What is your pet’s name?”, “If you were a Disney character who would you be?”, etc. You can also think of ways, especially with younger students, to incorporate movement. For example, as you are taking attendance, have students demonstrate a new dance move, a favorite exercise, or pantomime a favorite sport or activity. Choose a different question or activity every day for attendance to make each day starts off on a fun and exciting note.
2. Social time – In most online classroom platforms, there is an option for some type of chat or discussion board. Allow students time each day to access this area to talk with each other, share ideas, and ask questions. Another idea is to allow students to have some time before class starts to join the meeting (or to stay on after class is over) and talk amongst themselves without direct teacher involvement.
3. Create a playlist – Let each student contribute an uplifting song to the class playlist. You can play these songs at the beginning, end, or at other times throughout the class.
4. Dance party – This is an easy one! When you play the music from the class playlist, give them a dance break. It’s fun and they can get some exercise in.
5. Exercise breaks – Much like you would in the classroom, give students exercise breaks. They could do 15 jumping jacks, burpees, sit-ups or run in place. Any movement is good!
6. Birthday celebrations – A fun way to create community is to always acknowledge and celebrate student birthdays. You can sing a song or send a group birthday card.
7. Dress-up days – There are many ways to incorporate dress-up days for both younger and older students. For younger students, you can do favorite book character day, Wacky Wednesday, crazy hat day, Dr. Seuss day, etc. For older students you can have spirit days, decade dress-up (50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, etc.) or favorite team days.
8. Virtual show and tell – Give each student a different day to share something that they treasure – maybe a toy, a talent, or a pet.
9. Virtual field trip – There are some great options online for virtual field trips. Take a “trip” together as a class as an extension to learning or just for fun.

Utilize Games in Assessments

For any informal and/or formative assessments, games can be used to help the teacher get an idea of who needs more help and how students are progressing in general. With younger students, you can do a simple ‘thumbs up, thumbs down’ game as a quick way to see who is getting the skill and who isn’t. Another fun assessment game is to have students write their answers on a board or paper and reveal their answers at the same time. There are also several sites that can be used to create online quiz games. These can be a quick and simple way to gage how students are doing.

At-Home Activities and Asynchronous Learning

We all know that kids staring at a screen for several hours a day and staying engaged with their teacher and class is not really possible and certainly not ideal. While the synchronous learning time is very beneficial, it is necessary to have some activities that students will complete outside of this time. Asynchronous learning allows for individualized pacing, saves time, and allows for customized lessons. Ideas for at-home activities include:

1. Watching videos – Assign educational videos for students to watch on their own
2. Creating videos – Have students demonstrate learning by creating their own video or slide show
3. Hands-on activities – Science experiments with household items, math measurement activities with household items, exploratory outdoor activities with observations recorded in a science journal
4. Group projects – Students can work with other students on projects by creating collaborative documents
5. Traditional homework – completed either online or printed out and completed

Another thing you can do outside of regular “class” time is to schedule meetings with students individually. For example, you might have a lesson with the whole class and then meet later with students individually or in small groups to help those that are struggling or to provide enrichment as needed.

While we would all prefer to return to our normal and be with our students face-to-face, it may not be possible during this difficult time. However, with these ideas and activities, you can create an atmosphere of community and cooperation that can make your virtual classroom successful.

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Within the virtual classroom, there will need to be time for synchronous and asynchronous learning. Synchronous learning refers to the time spent together in learning. The teacher and students are engaged through a virtual platform and are able to ask and answer questions in real time. Asynchronous learning refers to the independent learning and activities. This might occur through pre-recorded lessons, instructional videos, or assignments that allow the student to progress through activities at their own pace.

Strategies for Synchronous Learning

In order to feel more like a traditional classroom, teachers and students like to be engaged in synchronous learning. However, to keep students’ attention, this needs to be more than just a virtual lecture. It is also the fear of many educators that virtual learning could lead to cheating as parents try to help students more or students are able to use the internet to find answers. For these reasons, teachers could use any of the following strategies to check for understanding and boost participation during virtual meeting times.

Create Time for Small Group Collaboration

Some virtual meeting platforms, such as Zoom, allow the teachers to divide students into smaller groups for collaboration, sometimes called breakout rooms. The teacher is then able to move in and out of each small group to monitor student discussions. The teacher may post questions in the chat box that need to be answered or provide guidance for the discussions. Because the teacher is able to visit each group, the groups are more likely to stay on-task. If the virtual platform does not allow small groups, partners may work together through the chat section by typing the name of their partner before their statement.

Encourage Think-Write-Share

Teachers in all grades have discovered that they can monitor student progress by posing a question and allowing students time to think about it, write it down on a white board or piece of paper, and then share it to the camera. Some teachers have made screen shots of the share-time so they can go back and see who mastered the skill or what mistakes were made in the process.

Participate in Daily Review

Just like in the traditional classroom, teachers may want to set aside some time for a daily review of the previous day’s work. Teachers may take this virtual meeting time to go over parts of the assignment that were missed by several students, and then provide a chance for students to ask questions and modify their answers with the new understanding. An online poll or survey may be another easy way to incorporate review and check for understanding before students begin independent work.

Engage through Brainstorming Activities

Prior to starting asynchronous activities, classes may want to brainstorm together. Teachers may model on a shared document while students write their own ideas on paper at home, or everyone may want to brainstorm through the chat feature together.

Offer Incentives

Because students are working from home, they may have objects around the house they want to show off. Teachers can use this to their advantage by allowing students a few minutes at the end of the discussion for a virtual “show and tell.” If students know that on Friday they can show their favorite pet, Lego creation, or other object if they participate in the week’s virtual meetings, they may be eager to earn this reward. Just be sure to set some parameters as to what is acceptable to show. This also helps build relationships with others on the virtual meeting screen.

Participate in Online Competition

Just because students are learning online, does not mean they can’t have fun through learning games such as Kahoot, Jeopardy, scavenger hunts, or other interactive games. These can be used to learn vocabulary, remember important historical events, or review skills from previously taught material. For a virtual scavenger hunt, students may find items around the house that connect to a word or idea, then the first three students back with an item may get to share their connection.

Strategies for Asynchronous Learning 

Although it would be ideal to engage in synchronous learning all day, teachers need to plan for engaging asynchronous learning. Just like within the classroom, students need some time to work independently so the teacher can check for understanding and monitor mastery of skills. There are several ways to boost participation in asynchronous learning.

Allow for Group Work

Providing activities that can be performed with a partner or small group on students’ own time encourages students share ideas and collaborate. They may want to meet over the phone or through email to discuss ideas. Just like in the classroom, you may want to assign jobs so each child has a responsibility to the group.

Virtual Field Trips

There are many online sites that students can visit and participate in virtual field trips. Then at the next virtual meeting, spend a little time in discussion about what they learned during the “trip.”

Offer Office Hours

Teachers should provide a time during asynchronous learning when they may be reached to answer questions either through email or some form of interactive chat. This will encourage students to do their work and reach out for clarification prior to the next day’s virtual meeting.

Offer incentives for Work Completion

You can easily boost assignment completion by offering an extra five points for work turned in by a certain time. This will encourage students to stay on-task during school hours and stop procrastinating until the last minute.

Create Virtual Book Reports

To encourage independent reading, students may be encouraged to participate in virtual book reports. They can prepare their own slides to share with classmates by following a set of guidelines and posting in a shared drive location.

Whether it is through synchronous or asynchronous learning times, there are many creative ways to boost participation in the virtual classroom. Teachers can continue to promote collaboration, monitor progress, and encourage students to have fun while learning. Traditional classroom activities just take a little modification to adapt to engaging virtual learning settings.

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