There are so many ways to review for a test or exam. With so many tests throughout the year, make sure students are given the opportunity to review in a variety of ways. Consider using these strategies to prepare students to show what they have mastered in their studies.
Teaching Strategies
Top 21 Note-taking Strategies that Will Help Students Score Better on Tests
It is not enough to just teach something and expect students to learn it. Teachers and catechists must assist students as they organize new information within their already pre-existing knowledge about a topic. There are many ways for students to organize new information in through note-taking. Many of the strategies below extend well beyond simple…
7 Pre-reading Strategies that Will Increase Comprehension
Effective reading comprehension is essential to studying the Catholic faith. Being able to read and understand the Scriptures is an obvious reason for this. Since textbooks continue to be a primary teaching tool at all levels of religious education, catechists and religion teachers should have a number of teaching strategies and activities up their sleeves…
Symbol or Sign? A Mystogogical Pedagogy of the Sacraments
Teaching about the sacraments What is a sacrament? The definition drawn from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which most children are asked to memorize, is “an efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which we receive the life of God through the work of the Holy Spirit.” In…
Classroom Procedures and the First Weeks of School
Classroom procedures and routines are the key to effective classroom management. One of the earliest and best lessons I learned as a teacher was the importance of classroom procedures above and beyond classroom rules. All teachers have rules in their classrooms, but many teachers waste time and energy enforcing rules instead of practicing procedures until…
Are WebQuests Dead?
When I first started teaching, I used to hear about WebQuests all the time. People said that they were great because the kids would actually enjoy learning. They love technology so the motivation to learn would automatically be there. To be honest, I never found a WebQuest that I liked. Today I barely hear about…
Keep Your Lesson Plans!
You never know when they are going to come in handy. Now I am not a big fan of needlessly saved stuff. I don’t have boxes of worksheets and handouts lying around our house. I do, however, have a record of all of my planning from year to year on my computer and on CDs….
How to Get Students to Participate in Class Discussions
You’ve just taught one of the most profound theological lessons of the year. You think your lecture was fantastic, amazing, even inspiring. You finish, turn to the class and ask them a question to discuss this amazing lesson. What do you hear? Nothing. Blank stares, no eye contact, and the sound of crickets in the…
Bell Work Activities – They Save Time and Keep Students Engaged
There is nothing like the sound of students working hard on an assignment the minute class has begun. What is that sound? Silence. I loved it. I was able to recover from the class that just ended and prepare for the class that was beginning all while students were learning on their own. In this…
Using the "New Taxonomy" to Design and Assess Educational Objectives
In September I posted a brief overview of Bloom’s Taxonomy, something I have used to develop lesson objectives since I first became a teacher. Since that post, I have spent a lot of time reading about Robert Marzano’s “New Taxonomy.” On a plane trip to New York, I found myself captivated by Marzano and John…
