1f. Develops learning experiences that require students to demonstrate a variety of applicable skills and competencies.
Students need to have access to a variety of learning experiences. It is important that these activities are hands-on, interactive, and engaging. In a great deal of my lessons, I implemented a gradual release process with the students. First, I would model the activity to the class. This was the "I do" portion of the demonstration. Next, we, as a whole class, would work through a few problems. This might be whole class or in small groups which was the "we do" portion. Finally, I would release the students to work independently which was the "you do" portion. Each step allowed the students to gain a bit more independence. I used this strategy in several different content areas, but during HD Word, I followed a prescribed doctrine. The strategy worked very well with my students and yielded great improvement in the areas of phonemic awareness and phonics.