Educators Hub at PSN

Teaching ATL Explicitly Using the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model Grade 6 is exploring the novel Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. The students are learning to write a literary response. While they engaged in some analysis when reading The Boy at the Back of the Class last semester, we are now deepening this skill. The novel is rich in figurative language and lends itself beautifully to textual analysis. The ATL in focus is:  Communication – Reading for comprehension and meaning The Gradual Release of Responsibility in Action Image credit: https://www.ajjuliani.com/blog/how-to-engage-students-rethinking-the-gradual-release-of-responsibility The following is a description of how I used the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model to explicitly teach this ATL skill. Activating Prior Understanding: See–Think–Wonder Before beginning the reading, I had the students participate in a See–Think–Wonder activity to surface their understanding of analysis . This allowed students...

Objective of the Learning Engagement:  To help students understand how marketing and advertisements influence their food choices and eating habits Students read and analyzed Articles, advertisements and posters on how marketing strategies can mislead young consumers. They compared the nutritional value of junk food with healthier food options and discussed personal experiences of purchasing food products due to attractive packaging, free toys, or celebrity endorsements by favourite sports players and well-known personalities. The engagement encouraged critical thinking and awareness of informed food choices The engagement helped students become more aware of how advertising influences their food choices and encouraged them to think critically before making purchases and also to see the nutritional value on the packet . As a teacher, it was encouraging to see students reflect honestly on their habits, participate actively in discussions, and begin making more informed and healthier ...

Comic Palooza at the Library- T o inspire a love for reading while fostering creativity, critical thinking, teamwork, and cultural awareness. The library came alive with excitement during Comic Palooza, a celebration of the vibrant world of comics and graphic novels. Students across all grades enjoyed an action-packed week filled with displays, games, and creative activities. The collection featured something for everyone — from Manga to DC and Marvel favorites, and much more. Students eagerly browsed and read the books, then tested their knowledge in a lively Comic Quiz, which included fun rounds like Comic Charades and Guess the Character from the Quote. Different activity stations added to the thrill, such as Guess How Many Graphic Novels We Have in the Library and Draw a Comic Strip or Your Favorite Superhero and the library buzzed with creativity and laughter. Adding to the festive atmosphere, a huge comic-themed photo booth was set up where students posed with friends, while gian...

Objective of the Learning Engagement:  To study the motivations behind decision making Details of the Learning Engagement: Today in my Grade 9 English class, we explored the idea of decision-making and what drives people to make the choices they do. Our focus was Joe Keller’s fateful decision to ship faulty airplane parts in Arthur Miller’s timeless play All My Sons. Students reflected on what lay behind Keller’s choice: was it mainly socio-economic pressure, or was it a result of his deeply flawed character? This sparked a lively debate in class, with many different perspectives coming to the surface. To wrap up, the students created posters that tried to justify Keller’s decision-making process from different angles.   Impact of the engagement on students and reflection as a teacher: It was inspiring to see such young learners engaging passionately with themes like war profiteering, morality, and survival under extraordinary circumstances. That’s the real magic of literature...

Objective of the Learning Engagement:  Response to literature Details of the Learning Engagement: This is an ongoing activity - the children take turns reading aloud. They are encouraged to respond through sketching in their notebooks what they visualise. Most of them do. In turns, those who are keen - they all are! - , come up to the board and sketch. Four children - a total of eight in two shifts - take their place at the board and sketch as the others read. I get the children to pause and we discuss important parts, making connections to real life, analysing the characters, etc. The purpose is to develop listening skills, oral skills and visualisation through reading aloud. I do stop them also to correct pronunciation, intonation, etc. I establish right at the beginning that I need to help them enhance oral skills and if it is OK with them will make corrections. I get the buy-in from all of them. Some children prefer to continue to read on their own and are allowed to do that. O...

Objective of the Learning Engagement: Revising the rules of exponents and building collaborative skills Details of the Learning Engagement: The Grade 8 students showcased their understanding of the rules of exponents through an interactive Escape Room challenge. Students were paired randomly using a name generator to promote collaboration beyond their usual comfort zones. Twelve stations were set up around the classroom, each containing two questions linked to the laws of exponents. The questions varied in difficulty—some were direct applications, while others required deeper reasoning. Each correct answer provided part of a lock combination, and their ultimate task was to collect all the clues and crack the final code to “escape.” As the students rotated through the stations, they engaged actively in collaborative problem-solving, discussing strategies, checking each other’s reasoning, and building on each other’s strengths. They demonstrated self-management skills by pacing themselve...

Objective of the Learning Engagement: To know and understand the emotional state of mind of students on the first day of school. FIRST DAY IN MYP YEAR 1 - Quick Check in's with the students enable student well - being and foster a positive classroom environment as through informal interactions students share their thoughts and feelings and that enables the Homeroom teacher to understand the needs of the learners. Details of the Learning Engagement: Students were asked to blow out a balloon and write feeling words on it. They shared the positive and negative feelings that they were going through on the first day of MYP Grade 6 , which is a very crucial Transition year from PYP. Both the feelings were acknowledged and understood. The students were made to realize that it is okay to feel the way they were feeling. Also , they stayed with the positive feelings as they busted the balloon with the negative feeling. Impact of the engagement on students and your reflection as a teacher: Th...

Objective of the Learning Engagement: To answer implicit and explicit information extracted from multimodal stimuli by working together to share knowledge. Details of the Learning Engagement: The students have to listen to audios and select the appropriate information detailed on the audio and do MCQ or crossing. Impact of the engagement on students and my reflection as a teacher: During the activity where students listened to audio clips and answered related questions, the level of student engagement was high. As they worked together, they actively supported one another, helping to ensure that all questions were answered and no gaps were left uncovered. This collaborative environment fostered peer learning and encouraged the development of listening and interpretative skills through shared understanding. However, as a teacher, I observed that while collaboration was beneficial in building confidence and promoting teamwork, it may have limited opportunities to identify individual liste...

Objective of the Learning Engagement To reinforce key Physics concepts and improve conceptual clarity by using the Toddle AI Tutor for targeted revision, personalized questioning, and instant feedback, enabling students to identify misconceptions and strengthen their understanding in preparation for assessments.   Learning Engagement: The AI tutor feature on Toddle was introduced to me by Dr. Meetu Agarwal. As the time for revision approached, I decided to utilize this tool to kickstart the revision process. Upon logging into the Create AI Tutor feature, several options were available. I chose the Mastery Builder, where I input the syllabus for the upcoming Physics assessment. The AI then generated a set of instructions along with an AI rating scale, allowing students to be placed at different levels: Beginning, Emerging, Developing, and Mastery. Once the students were assigned their respective levels, the AI guided them with progressively more challenging questions. Upon submittin...

Objective of the Learning Engagement: The objective was to deepen students’ conceptual understanding of the area of a circle by connecting it to the area of a rectangle through hands-on exploration. It also aimed to promote peer-led learning (through masterclass and group work), communication skills, and differentiation in the classroom. Details of the Learning Engagement: Four MYP 2 students conducted a masterclass where they demonstrated the relationship between the area of a rectangle and a circle using visual and practical methods. They broke down the concept using differentiated tasks suited to different learning levels, ensuring active engagement from all peers. Impact of the engagement on students and reflection as a teacher: The session was well-received, with classmates expressing clarity in understanding the concept and appreciating the peer explanations. The engagement fostered a supportive and collaborative learning environment where students reported a clearer understandin...

Objective of the Learning Engagement: To provide students with an authentic platform to share their expertise and passion through a Masterclass experience, allowing them to deepen their understanding, enhance their communication skills, and inspire peer learning by taking on the role of a facilitator or subject expert. Details of the Learning Engagement: To enhance conceptual understanding and promote student agency, a masterclass pedagogical approach was implemented. This student-led engagement was part of a broader initiative aimed at empowering learners to take ownership of their learning and authentically share their expertise with peers. Two enthusiastic student volunteers, Yashvi Varshney and Bharavi Kapoor, took the lead in designing and delivering a masterclass on the fascinating topic of Astrophysics. With thoughtful planning and collaboration, both of them conducted a well-structured session covering key themes such as: Solar system, the Life Cycle of Stars, the Big Bang Theo...

Objective of the Learning Engagement: To develop an understanding of the mathematical constant π (pi) and its infinite, non-repeating nature. To enhance data representation skills using histograms and bar graphs. To foster creativity and mathematical thinking through a hands-on, visual representation of numbers. Details of the Learning Engagement: Students created a " Pi City" by using the digits of π to construct bar graphs or histograms representing a city skyline. Each digit of π was translated into the height of a building, where: The digits (0-9) corresponded to different bar heights. Students arranged the bars sequentially to create a skyline. They used graphing techniques to ensure accuracy in scale and representation. They added artistic elements to make their "city" visually engaging. This task integrated mathematical reasoning, data visualization, and creativity, making the concept of π more tangible and engaging. Impact of the engagement on students and ...

Objective of the Learning Engagement To encourage students to explore different sections of the library, discover new books and genres, and develop an openness to diverse reading choices in a fun and engaging way. Details of the Learning Engagement: 📚🎶 Musical Bookcases in Action! 🎶📚 Grade 6 had a blast in the Library with Musical Bookcases—a little crazy, super fun, and totally interactive!! As the music played, students moved around, discovering new sections, fresh titles, and exciting genres they might not have explored before. It was a great way for kids to get up and move into different areas and browse through different section of the library, and examine books they may not have explored before and get to know new titles and genres. AND....check out books! Impact of the engagement on students and reflection as a teacher : Many students tend to stick to familiar sections of the library, rarely venturing into other areas. This activity breaks that habit by encouraging them to m...

Objective of the Learning Engagement: Encourage creative application of genetic concepts through a reflection activity Details of the Learning Engagement: Activity: Students imagine they have a special trait inherited from their DNA (e.g., super memory, night vision, disease resistance).They describe their "superpower" and explain how genetics might influence it. Reflection Questions: What real genetic traits exist that are similar to this superpower? How could genetic mutations lead to advantages in real life? If you could pass on a trait to future generations, what would it be and why? They make a comic strip and upload on https://join.pixton.com/rpkqcm . Student work :   Impact of the engagement on students and reflection as a teacher: They were enjoying the activity and were able to articulate complex learning of genetics into simple ideas. -Nidhi Periwal

Objective of the Learning Engagement: To enhance students' understanding of volume of prisms through differentiated, independent, and collaborative learning. Details of the Learning Engagement: In this lesson, students engaged in a differentiated learning experience designed to enhance their understanding of the surface area and volume of rectangular and triangular prisms. Prior to the class, they were assigned an Edpuzzle video on surface area, allowing them to explore the concept at their own pace. Based on their learning and confidence levels, the teacher provided three levels of worksheets: Easy Level – Focused on basic calculations and identifying faces of prisms. Medium Level – Involved multi-step problems requiring measurements and application of formulas. Hard Level – Challenged students to derive general formulas and solve real-world application problems. Students were given 15 minutes to complete the worksheets based on their understanding. Following this, they were given...

Objective of the Learning Engagement: Developing students' understanding of surface area through real-life applications, hands-on measurements, and mathematical reasoning. Details of the Learning Engagement: In this engaging activity, students were divided into three groups and given real-life objects in the shape of rectangular and triangular prisms. To begin, they were presented with riddles that required them to identify different 3D shapes and guess the areas of rectangle and triangle. This warm-up helped them recall prior knowledge before diving into the main task. Each group was then assigned two real-life scenarios: one involving painting a rectangular prism-shaped storage box and the other wrapping a Toblerone-shaped gift box, which is a triangular prism. Connecting to their previous unit on scale models, students were encouraged to select similar-looking objects from the provided collection. Some chose rectangular prisms, while others opted for triangular prisms. As they e...

Objective of the Learning Engagement: The Parallel Path: Discovering Triangle Similarity! Identify and apply the AA, SSS, and SAS similarity postulates to determine triangle similarity using angle and side relationships, enhancing reasoning, observation, and problem-solving skills Details of the Learning Engagement: MYP 3 students explored the postulates of similar triangles through hands-on activities. Each group received three pairs of triangles: one to identify AA similarity, another for SSS similarity, and a third for SAS similarity. Using the given indicators for angles and sides, students analyzed and matched the three pairs of similar triangles from a set of six. Students were able to identify similarity quickly by comparing corresponding angles and proportional sides. Those who finished early were challenged to articulate their observations by forming similarity statements in their own words. This activity enhanced critical thinking as students justified their reasoning based o...