Instructional Strategies
Underlined strategies include hyperlinks to detailed instructions.
Think, Pair, Share.
This strategy first gives students the chance to gather their own thoughts about an idea or reading. They then pair up and share their thoughts with a partner. Lastly, they get a chance to share all their individual and combined ideas with the whole class. This allows students to share what they were thinking on their own as well as to gain new ideas they hadn't thought of before. Text Rendering
The students will summarize a text using three sections on a piece of paper. The top section should be a sentence that summarizes the text. The middle section will be a phrase or slogan for the text. The last section is a word that captures the main idea of the text. This strategy allows students to summarize text in a new way, and take away the main idea or the text. Four Corners
The teacher divides the classroom into four corners. Each corner is given a category. Students then go to the corner with the category that fits them best. Students then discuss concepts given by the teacher with the students in their corner. This strategy encourages discussion between students and allows them to interact with students they might not always talk to. QAR
QAR stands for Question-Answer Relationship. This strategy allows students to understand the different types of questions that can be asked about a text. There are four different types of questions: right there questions, think and search questions, author and you questions, and on your own questions. QAR can improve reading comprehension and allow students to think beyond the text. 10 by 10
The teacher will display a historical photograph or art piece on the projector. Then the teacher will ask the students for 10 observations of the picture based on the question "What do you see?". Then the students are encouraged to ask 10 questions about the photograph/art piece that they may have, or the teacher will guide the discussion with 10 questions. This strategy can be used for an event, era, mood, perspective, etc. and helps the students to discuss what they see. 3,2,1 Exit Strategy
Students will fill out an index card at the end of a lesson, before recess, or at the end of the day. The students will fill out 3 things they learned from the lesson, 2 things they found interesting or want to know more about, and 1 question they have. The teacher should then review the cards and discuss questions that need to be addressed. This strategy allows students to communicate their interest to the teacher and what needs to be re-taught. Author Says, I Say
After reading a text, students summarize what the author has said. Then the student will write down connections: either text-to-text, text-to-self, or text-to-world. This strategy allows students to reflect on their reading and make connections to the text. It also allows teachers to see the comprehension level of their students. |
Mix, Freeze, Pair.
Students will begin by finding a partner. They should discuss a prompt given by the teacher. When the discussion is ending the students will be instructed to MIX up among themselves. The teacher will then tell them FREEZE and the students will pair up with a new partner. The process then repeats itself. This activity is useful because students have the ability to get up and move around the room and work with people they usually do not work with. It will also give them a chance to hear their classmates opinions on different topics. Foldables
Foldables are a way for students to creatively organize a subject that they have been learning. They are a 3 dimensional graphic organizer so students can organize, remember, and review all kinds of information. This activity is a meaningful way to stimulate the brain and help students remember what they learn. Literature Circles
Literature circles engage students in rich conversations about shared readings. Students can express their opinions, predictions, and questions about a text in a productive, structured way. The teacher may ask students to take on specific group roles, such as summarizer, narrator, or director, which are designed to develop reading, speaking, and thinking abilities. R.A.F.T.
A RAFT is an authentic, engaging cross-disciplinary writing opportunity for students. It can be created about any content to get students personally interacting with and thinking about the information being learned. The R stands for Role of the Writer, A stands for Audience, F stands for Format, and T stands for Topic, Task, or purpose. The teacher provides each part of the RAFT for the students to write about. KWL Chart
The students fill out a chart with the 3 columns know, want to know, and learned as they read. They will fill out the know and want to know columns when after reading the headings of the text and knowing the topic. Then after the reading they can fill out the learned column. This strategy requires students to build on past knowledge and is useful for forming connections. Topic ABCs
As the teacher goes through a lesson on a topic, students will fill out a vocabulary word related to the topic for each letter of the alphabet. This strategy allows students to identify different parts of the topic. It is also a way to keep students engaged while presenting a lesson. Line Up Reviews
Students find a partner and line up with them forming two lines of students facing each other. Students are given a couple minutes to discuss a prompt and then shift down the line to talk to a new student. This strategy is a good student discussion tool and allows students to talk to a variety of students in your class. First Line
Students are to read the first few lines from a book. Then they are to predict what the book will be about. This can also lead to a group discussion. This strategy encourages creativity and new ideas. If students write down their predictions they can also revisit them after they read the book. |