Learning Circus Enter Title Here

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Learning CircusEnter Title Here

• Enter your name, school, subject area, email
  address and other background information here.

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Developer Page

• Developer Materials
• Background
• Applications
• Implementation
• Overview
• Resources Credits
• Next Generation Tools
• Student Materials
• Introduction
• Discovery Guide

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Learning Circus Background

• A Learning Circus creates a context for
  collaborative student inquiry. Stations are set
  up around the classroom containing student
  activities all illustrating key concepts
  associated with a broad unifying theme. What
  makes a circus approach interesting and effective
  is that it provides motivational learning context
  in which students are actively engaged in
  exploring, discussing, and synthesizing
  information.
• At each station in the Circus, students are
  provided instructions and a set of guided
  reflection questions. Students rotate and work
  at all stations simultaneously. The goal is for
  students to develop a thorough understanding of
  the major unifying and conceptual elements of the
  topic under investigation through the discovery
  process.

Developer Page
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Learning Circus Content Area Applications

• While originally used for teaching science, a
  Learning Circus can be used for any discipline in
  which the goal is to create an active, discovery
  oriented, and student-centered learning
  environment.
• Learning Circus activities can be minds-on as
  well as hands-on. For example, students could go
  to a listening station or a location where
  pictures are to be arranged into a timeline. The
  most important thing is for teachers to design a
  dynamic context for collaborative student
  inquiry.

Developer Page
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Learning CircusImplementation

• 1. Choose a topic and identify the student
  content standards to which the topic is aligned.
• 2. Design an assessment that is closely tied to
  the standard that you are targeting through
  instruction. Build a corresponding rubric if
  appropriate.
• 3. Select several activities that illustrate the
  major concepts associated with the topic.
• 4. Prepare Student Discovery Guides for each
  station.
• 5. Conduct and process the Learning Circus.
• 6. Assess student work.

Developer Page
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Overview

• ASSESSMENT
• Describe the plan for assessing student
  performance on this Learning Circus.

• STANDARDS
• Identify the standards targeted by this Learning
  Circus.

• IMPLEMENTATION
• Provide details as to how this Learning Circus
  should be implemented.

• OTHER

Developer Page
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Resources Credits

• LEARNING CIRCUS REFERENCE SAMPLER
• Exploratorium
• Seton Hall University
• Shell Questacon

• CREDITS
• Enter the names and URLs of the websites and
  curriculum resources that you used to develop
  this Learning Circus.

Developer Page
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Next Generation Tools

• Click on any of the tools listed below to enhance
  the value of this Learning Circus for students
• Content Clarification
• Performance Assessment Builder
• Standardized Test Item Generator
• Curriculum Integrator
• Curriculum Differentiation
• Curriculum WebLinks
• Learning Circus Self-Assessment

Developer Page
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Student Materials

• Introduction
• Discovery Guide

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Learning Circus TitleStudent Page

• Provide instructions that provides a clear
  overview of the Learning Circus.
• Identify the Student Learning Goals.
• Describe how Student Work from the Learning
  Circus will be assessed.
• Attach the Discovery Guides that students will be
  using.

Discovery Guide
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Station ___ Discovery Guide Enter a Title Here

• Insert a carefully worded set of instructions
  here.
• A set of thoughtful and carefully sequenced
  questions are an essential characteristic of an
  effective Discovery Guide.
• Make copies of this slide for each new Discovery
  Guide.
• Place the Discovery Guides in clear plastic
  sleeves so that they do not get damaged and can
  be reused.

Introduction