What We Do

What is Project CRISS Reference Guide for Teachers? Project CRISS Reference Guide for Teachers is a full color flipbook that includes an overview of the CRISS Principles and Philosophy (the Framework for Learning), explanations and examples of 19 of our most popular strategies and adaptations of strategies (discussion, note-taking, formal and informal writing, and vocabulary), and a description of the CRISS Strategic Learning Plan (the Framework for Teaching). To see sample pages, use the link at the bottom of this page.

 
How does Project CRISS Reference Guide for Teachers work? The flipbook is designed as a quick reference to remind teachers how to construct effective classroom lessons using the CRISS Framework for Teaching and how to help students gain control over their learning using the CRISS Framework for Learning. In the flipbook, teachers will find a variety of strategies to incorporate into their lesson plans. As the examples in the book will show, the strategies are flexible and adaptable. They may be used across content areas and grade levels. We encourage teachers to keep this quick-reference guide on their desks, ready to remind them of strategies that best fit their immediate needs. Whether teachers have attended a CRISS Level I Training or not, they will appreciate the clear and explicit explanations and examples of these strategies and how the learning principles and strategies work together to build effective classroom lessons.

What is the goal of Project CRISS Reference Guide for Teachers? We hope teachers will introduce the learning principles and strategies to their students through demonstration and modeling, remembering to "think out loud" so students understand the planning and thinking involved in being a strategic and successful learner. Then, through a gradual release of responsibility, teachers turn over the learning to students-allowing them to select and modify strategies to meet their learning needs. In other words, we want "Student-owned Strategies," not teacher-owned. For example, a student might find a strategy, such as two-column Main Idea-Detail Notes, works well to record information from his social studies text, while Picture Notes work better for recording what he learned during a field trip. By the end of a school year, we hope students are borrowing their teachers' Reference Guides!

What does the flipbook cost? (2nd edition, in English and Spanish) The cost of the Project CRISS Reference Guide for Teachers is $8.00 each for orders of 50 or less, $6.00 each for orders of 51-200+ plus Shipping & Handling. Click here for an order form.

Selections from Project CRISS Reference Guide for Teachers
Click here to see:
Introduction
Table of Contents
Graphic Organizers & Content Frames