Rigor Is Not A Four-Letter Word

by Blackburn, Barbara R.

• ISBN13: 9781596670921
• ISBN10: 1596670924
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-15
• Publisher: Eye on Education

Summary

Reader-friendly and practical, Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word is filled with tools you can use every day to raise the level of rigor in your classroom. These strategies can be incorporated immediately across content areas, grades, and subjects. Barbara Blackburn clearly defines what rigor is and how individual teachers can provide challenging learning experiences in their classrooms to prepare students for a better future.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
The Case for Rigor	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
The Call for Rigor	p. 2
Reading Between the Lines	p. 3
The Silent Epidemic	p. 4
Does This Really Matter?	p. 5
Students' Perceptions of Rigor	p. 5
Stumbling Blocks to Rigor	p. 6
It's Your Turn!	p. 7
Who Knows What It Means?	p. 8
It's Your Turn!	p. 9
Does Anyone Know How to Get There?	p. 10
Courses/Course Content	p. 10
Assessments	p. 11
Teacher/Student Interaction	p. 12
It's Your Turn!	p. 13
But What About This?	p. 13
It's Your Turn!	p. 14
Where Do I Go From Here?	p. 14
It's Your Turn!	p. 16
Conclusion	p. 18
Digging Into Rigor	p. 19
Expecting Students to Learn at High Levels	p. 20
Levels of Questioning	p. 21
New Bloom's Taxonomy	p. 21
Ciardiello's Four Types of Questions	p. 23
Quality QUESTIONS	p. 23
It's Your Turn!	p. 25
Differentiated Instruction and Multiple Intelligences	p. 25
It's Your Turn!	p. 26
Supporting Each Student to Learn at High Levels	p. 27
Student Motivation	p. 28
Value	p. 28
It's Your Turn!	p. 29
Success	p. 29
It's Your Turn!	p. 32
Student Engagement	p. 33
It's Your Turn!	p. 34
Rigor Does Not Stand Alone	p. 34
Demonstrating Learning at High Levels	p. 35
It's Your Turn!	p. 36
Conclusion	p. 37
Overview of Chapters 3 Through 7	p. 38
Raise the Level of Content	p. 39
Valuing Depth	p. 39
It's Your Turn!	p. 42
Increasing Text Difficulty	p. 42
It's Your Turn!	p. 46
Creating Connections	p. 47
It's Your Turn!	p. 48
Reviewing, Not Repeating	p. 50
It's Your Turn!	p. 52
Evaluating Content	p. 52
It's Your Turn!	p. 56
Conclusion	p. 57
Increase Complexity	p. 59
Complexity Through Projects	p. 59
It's Your Turn!	p. 65
Complexity in Writing	p. 66
It's Your Turn!	p. 68
Complexity as You Assess Prior Knowledge	p. 68
It's Your Turn!	p. 70
Complexity With Vocabulary	p. 71
It's Your Turn!	p. 74
Complexity in Review Games	p. 74
It's Your Turn!	p. 76
Conclusion	p. 77
Give Appropriate Support and Guidance	p. 79
Scaffolding During Reading Activities	p. 79
It's Your Turn!	p. 84
Modeling Expected Instructional Behaviors	p. 84
It's Your Turn!	p. 86
Providing Clear Expectations	p. 86
It's Your Turn!	p. 89
Chunking Big Tasks	p. 90
It's Your Turn!	p. 91
Presenting Multiple Opportunities to Learn	p. 92
It's Your Turn!	p. 93
Conclusion	p. 93
Open Your Focus	p. 95
Open-Ended Questioning	p. 95
It's Your Turn!	p. 99
Open-Ended Vocabulary Instruction	p. 99
It's Your Turn!	p. 101
Open-Ended Projects	p. 102
It's Your Turn!	p. 105
Open-Ended Choices for Students	p. 106
It's Your Turn!	p. 109
Open-Ended From the Beginning	p. 110
It's Your Turn!	p. 112
Conclusion	p. 112
Raise Expectations	p. 113
Expecting the Best	p. 113
Belief	p. 114
Encouragement	p. 115
Support	p. 115
Time	p. 115
It's Your Turn!	p. 116
Expanding the Vision	p. 117
It's Your Turn!	p. 120
Learning Is Not Optional	p. 120
It's Your Turn!	p. 122
Tracking Progress	p. 123
It's Your Turn!	p. 125
Creating a Culture	p. 126
It's Your Turn!	p. 126
Conclusion	p. 127
Assessment and Grading	p. 129
Assessment That Impacts Learning	p. 129
Using Formative Assessment to Fuel Your Instruction	p. 131
It's Your Turn!	p. 133
Grading Practices	p. 133
It's Your Turn!	p. 134
Perspectives on Grading	p. 134
Grading Without Guilt	p. 135
Recognize Value	p. 136
It's Your Turn!	p. 136
Shift the Emphasis	p. 137
Provide Clear Guidelines	p. 137
Require Quality Work	p. 138
Communicate Clearly	p. 143
Be Patient	p. 144
It's Your Turn!	p. 145
Conclusion	p. 146
Opportunities and Challenges	p. 147
Where Should I Begin?	p. 147
It's Your Turn!	p. 148
How Do I Handle Resistance from Students?	p. 148
It's Your Turn!	p. 149
What Do I Say to Parents?	p. 150
It's Your Turn!	p. 151
How Should I Respond When Other Teachers Aren't Supportive?	p. 151
It's Your Turn!	p. 153
How Can I Gauge Progress?	p. 153
It's Your Turn!	p. 159
Conclusion	p. 160
Activities for a Schoolwide or Districtwide Focus on Rigor	p. 163
Curriculum Alignment/Adjustments	p. 164
Grading	p. 167
A Final Note	p. 168
A Selection of Helpful Resources	p. 169
Increased Expectations/Schoolwide Implementation Efforts	p. 169
Instructional Strategies	p. 170
Grading/Assessment	p. 170
Revised Bloom's Taxonomy	p. 171
Sources for Research Reports/Data About Readiness for College and the Workforce	p. 171
Standards	p. 172
Southern Regional Education Board	p. 172
Working With Standards	p. 173
Miscellaneous Online Sources	p. 173
References	p. 175
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