Since I am a history nut, it is named The Square Deal. Do you remember what president used this slogan? Like other flipped content, The Square Deal activity is done outside of class. The Square Deal is also used to differentiate instruction in any class with any content. It gives students many choices (12) to demonstrate what they have learned and prepares them with the valuable background knowledge necessary to conquer the higher level tasks you will coach them through in class. There is a choice that touches upon each of the documented intelligences in multiple intelligence research and brain-based learning. Students enjoy the independence afforded to them and I love to maximize the number of opportunities for student each student to succeed. Take a moment to view the preview. This activity is all inclusive! You will only have to make copies and assign.

A wordsort is an organizational strategy that learners will love (view this http://goo.gl/kHJVMD). This literacy building strategy begins with the reading of an article (included) about Globalization. After reading, students are given a number of terms and phrases that must be organized to demonstrate an understanding of the content. They use what they know and the article to sort the words and phrases from general to specific. An answer template is included. The activity ends with students documenting their learning on a pre-designed template (also included). Also included is a brief graphing exercise and an area to summarize what has been learned as a formative assessment. The wordsort activity has everything you will need. This is a great two day lesson and I have also included a brief video tutorial to guide you through the process. To save you more time, an answer template is also part of this package.

The Alike but Different strategy will help your students organize their thoughts and information concerning different points of comparison. In this literacy activity, students are given a brief article and a table of information that describes: Democracy, Communism, Fascism, and Nazism. For your visual learners, I have also included a 10 minute video clip comparing governing styles. Using the Alike but Different answer template, your students will record similarities and differences concerning governing styles of countries during World War II. The activity ends with a writing prompt that encourages persuasive writing and the use of the information they organized on the template. Use the writing samples for your formative assessment. This activity usually takes me three (50 minute) class periods. You will find yourself using this template when comparing anything in your class.