1.
Assign partners (alternate ranking)
2.
Designate 1s and 2s/As and Bs
3.
Give question or discussion topic + think time
4.
Assign which partner should go first
5.
Clarify “job” for the listener (paraphrase, etc)
6.
State how much time will be allotted
7.
Circulate to monitor discussions as needed
8.
Call on 1-4 individuals who had good answers; make it look random (no hands up)
9.
Ask who else has something different to add
10. Whole group wrap up/synthesis
1.
Give question or discussion topic
2.
Allot a specific amount of time for students to think of their answers, then time to write
3.
Follow the Precision Partnering routine to pair students & assign who goes first/second
4.
Prompt students to use academic language
5.
Teach students to actively listen/build on partner ideas (a “job” e.g. agree, disagree, explain)
6.
Call on 1-4 individuals who had good answers; make it look random (no hands up)
7.
Ask who else has something different to add
1.
Active Cognitive Processing is our goal
2.
Chunk “input” (reading, listening, bringing new information onboard)
3.
Stop after 2-10 min. and pick a strategy to cause students to “actively process” the input
4.
Utilize some form of peer mediation to
5.
Provide some kind of productive feedback
(validate, elaborate, correct, etc.) ensure ALL are explaining their thinking – making it visible.
1.
Have students think and then write about a topic/idea/question for 30-60 seconds
2.
Students stand up and circulate the room for
2-5 minutes, giving one idea/getting one idea; encourage students to get as many ideas as possible
3.
Have students write the idea in short form and the name of the student who gave it
4.
Sit back down and pick one new idea to share with seat/table partner
(Optional) Students pick one idea to record in a complete academic sentence

1.
Pose a debatable Yes/No question/statement
2.
Ask the students to choose a position
3.
Give students an allotted time to think of justifications/evidence to support their positions
4.
Have students write their choice and the rationale for that choice in one or two sentences
5.
If time, students also write an argument for the opposite position
6.
Follow the Precision Partnering routine to debrief and give & receive feedback, elaborate/connect etc.
1.
Teacher poses a question or discussion topic
2.
Teacher provides a verbal and/or written stem to scaffold students to answer in a complete sentence using academic English
 Stem can be created by turning the question into part of the answer
 Example: The IES Secondary Literacy guide provides a strong heuristic for teachers because ______ .
3.
Students use the Sentence Frame to respond verbally and/or in writing

1.
Teacher poses a question or prompts students to answer
2.
Teacher provides wait time for processing
3.
Teacher provides a verbal or non-verbal cue
4.
Students all respond simultaneously
 Verbal: use when answers are short and the same (e.g. pronouncing a term)
 Non-Verbal: touch the word, thumbs up, raise hands, white boards, vote etc.
5.
Set a high “bar”, if less then 100% repeat with a prompt such as “I need all voices” etc
1.
Paraphrasing/state the gist – limit time and/or words to prevent simple repetition
2.
Agree with reasons/justifications
3.
Disagree with reasons/justifications
4.
Provide and example/non-example
5.
Make connections (similarities/differences) to previously studied information
6.
Elaborate with more details/information
7.
Any other appropriate task to demonstrate active or “close” listening/understanding - accountability
* If the “job” is new to students explicitly teach the “how to” of the job with examples & non-examples plus practice
1.
Teacher presents a topic, process or vocabulary word and asks students to selfevaluate their knowledge
2.
Teacher provides wait time for processing
3.
Teacher provides a verbal or non-verbal cue
4.
Students all respond simultaneously by holding up the number of fingers that represents their understanding:
 0 = No knowledge
 3 = I think I know what it means
 5 = I could teach it to the class
1.
At the end of the lesson pose an appropriate question/problem/task to assess a key aspect of the lesson – tied to the “learning target”
/goal
2.
Provide think/write/solve time – students work individually demonstrating their understanding
3.
Options for processing; partner share, quick whip around the classroom, random calling on students etc. as time allows
4.
Students turn in their “tickets” for quick formative assessment by the teacher.
* Often helpful to have students include their own self assessment of the lesson (0-5 etc.)

1.
Pose problem or task
2.
Provide think time (i.e. recall/solve etc)
3.
Designate Who goes first - they share/explain
4.
1’s (or 2’s) Tell 2’s your best answer w/justification
5.
2’s Help by agreeing or disagreeing with evidence
6.
Both partners check their answers against teacher provided correct answer (overhead, text, etc)
7.
Brief summative wrap up discussion to clarify any misconceptions, elaborations, etc.
* Students can be taught to do this on their own – self check by using: Read/Recall, Cover (notes/text), Recite
(tell yourself the answer, Check (notes/text)
1.
Pose a thoughtful question (3-4 possible responses)
2.
Provide think time (don’t worry about being right – ALL give it a “go”)
3.
Each student responds (card/click/plick)
4.
Prompt students to discuss their answers in structured pairs or groups – explaining WHY
5.
Students respond a 2 nd time post discussion
6.
Teacher feedback/clarification, etc.
 if below 20-30% have it right provide more teaching,
 if over 80% know it, call on a few to explain but no long discusson
1.
At the beginning of a lesson, the teacher poses question, problem or discussion topic that requires students to review/elaborate information previously taught
2.
Students write for a set amount of time to construct a response that answers the question/problem/addresses the topic and gives an explanation for their thinking
3.
Follow the Precision Partnering routine to give and receive feedback