Encourage tinkering with ideas, relationships, connections. Set up situations where students have to find information not readily available in school texts. Provide opportunity for students to design open-ended explorations of the concept. Provide multiple options so students can plan a unique "proof" of learning.

Provide opportunity for students to design explorations of concept.

6. Extend: ex (out of) + tend (to stretch)
This is where innovation begins. Students know enough, have enough skills to begin the tinkering, playing with the content, the skills, the materials, the ideas, the wholes and the parts, the details, the data and the big picture, to make something of this learning for themselves, to be interpretive.

Objective: "Messing Around" (Adding Something of Themselves)

Activity: Encourage tinkering with ideas/relationships/connections. Set up situations where students have to find information not readily available in school texts. Provide opportunity for students to design their own open-ended explorations of the concept. Provide multiple options so students can plan a unique "proof" of learning. Require students to organize and synthesize their learning in some personal, meaningful way. Require students to begin the process of planning how their project will be evaluated, identifying their own criteria for excellence

Assessment: Students on-task behavior and engagement in their chosen options.