Using the Study Island "Printable Worksheet" feature

Study Island originally added this feature because of the feedback from teachers that said “all my students don’t have internet at home”. This feature allows everyone to work on standards-based questions with or without internet. However, it is just what it says it is – a worksheet that a teacher would print out—and someone needs to grade it. It has been truly inspiring to experience the ingenuity and creativity of teachers in how they utilize this feature. Nowadays, with all the technology available in some schools, we hear how teachers are using this feature as whole class, small group and, even individualized instruction as they project the page onto a screen or SMART Board or simply display it on a television screen for all to see.

Teachers can then bring up any Study Island topic and start using the questions as a basis for direct instruction. They can provide as much, or as little, help/instruction as they wish as they scroll down to each question. Prime emphasis #1: after the set-up and question and possible answers have been reviewed, teachers should ask the key question, “What is this question really asking?” This is a great test-taking skill to build with students to help assure they answer the question that is actually being asked. The students then bubble in their answers on their worksheets. Prime emphasis #2: teachers should have students write out why they think that is the correct answer; how did they determined that to be the correct answer; what evidence led them to conclude the best answer.

After the last question of the worksheet is answered, teachers can then collect the papers to grade with the supplied answer key or, better yet, have students grade their own. A key feature comes next as teachers continue to scroll down to display the explanations! Now teachers can instigate a class discussion, which becomes a wonderful “teachable moment” in how to write good explanations as the students compare their explanations and reasoning with what they see on the screen and with each other. This strategy really helps students focus on how to think and reason in order to answer similar questions and not so much on just getting the answer.

Next, teachers can simply scroll to the top of the screen, and click on the button to “Hide Answers” and “BAM!”, there you are with a set of prompts for open-ended/written response questions for the students to show what they have just learned during the direct instruction. Teachers, again, are given the all answers – in long-form – and all the explanations to review with the students just like before with the multiple choice option. This strategy is terrific for developing Depth of Knowledge (DOK) skills in students!

Additionally, the “Printable Worksheet” feature is invaluable when the regular classroom teacher has to be out of the classroom and a substitute is needed. Teachers no longer have to leave generic, “keep-the-kids-busy” activities for the sub. Now, the sub can be equipped with great standards-based questions, with and/or without multiple-choice answers shown; all the answers to both forms of questions; and all the explanations to both forms of questions.

The “Printable Worksheet” can also be saved as a MS Word document which is then fully editable. Teachers can add follow-up questions, add graphics, cut-and-paste to group certain types of questions, etc. This feature presents a perfect opportunity for students to explore DOK 2, 3, and 4 level questions further by having them “describe”, “explain”, “analyze”, etc. in their own words. Remember, every time the “Printable Worksheet” is selected, the Study Island program dips into the database of questions and pulls up a random set of questions. Teachers can print several different sets of worksheets to give to the class if they wish –even a different worksheet for each student!

The “Printable Worksheet” is a fantastic tool for teachers to use to help their students master their required KCC standards and, thus, increase their KCCT scores!



Here are some terms and examples of activities to use with Study Island when using the “Printable Worksheet” as direct instruction for developing DOK skills with your students. (These came from the KDE website with an acknowledgement at the end of the list.)

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels
Level One (Recall)
Arrange Calculate
Define
Draw
Identify
Level One Activities
· Recall elements and details of story structure, such as sequence of events, character, plot and setting.
· Conduct basic mathematical calculations.
· Label locations on a map.
· Represent in words or diagrams a scientific concept or relationship.
· Perform routine procedures like measuring length or using punctuation marks correctly.
· Describe the features of a place or people.List
Memorize
Label
Illustrate
Measure
Report
Match
Recall
Recite
Tell
State
Tabulate
Recognize
Use
Name
Who, Where What, When, Why

Level Two (Skill/Concept)
Graph
Describe
Explain
Analyze
Classify
Level Two Activities
· Identify and summarize the major events in a narrative.
· Use context cues to identify the meaning of unfamiliar words.
· Solve routine multiple-step problems.
· Describe the cause/effect of a particular event.
· Identify patterns in events or behavior.
· Formulate a routine problem given data and conditions.
· Organize, represent and interpret data.
Separate
Cause/Effect
Estimate
Compare
Contrast
Estimate
Relate
Infer
Categorize
Collect and Display
Identify Patterns
Organize
Construct
Modify
Predict
Interpret
Distinguish
Use Content Clues
Make Observations
Summarize
Show

Level Three (Strategic Thinking)
Level Three Activities
· Support ideas with details and examples.
· Use voice appropriate to the purpose and audience.
· Identify research questions and design investigations for a scientific problem.
· Develop a scientific model for a complex situation.
· Determine the author’s purpose and describe how it affects the interpretation of a reading selection.
· Apply a concept in other contexts.
Revise
Apprise
Develop a Logical Argument
Assess
Construct
Compare
Use Concepts to Solve
Non-Routine Problems
Critique
Formulate
Draw Conclusions
Investigate
Differentiate
Cite Evidence
Hypothesize

Level Four Activities
· Conduct a project that requires specifying a problem, designing and conducting an experiment, analyzing its data, and reporting results/ solutions.
· Apply mathematical model to illuminate a problem or situation.
· Analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources.
· Describe and illustrate how common themes are found across texts from different cultures.
· Design a mathematical model to inform and solve a practical or abstract situation.
Level Four (Extended Thinking)
Design
Connect
Synthesize
Apply Concepts
Critique
Analyze
Create
Prove





Webb, Norman L. and others. “Web Alignment Tool” 24 July 2005. Wisconsin Center of Educational Research. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2 Feb. 2006. .