Special Education
Paraeducator
Training Series
2009-2010
Working with Secondary
Students in the Academic
Content Areas:
Focus on Reading and Math
~Handouts~
Handout #1: Give 1/ Get 1
Effective Instructional Strategy
Give 1/ Get 1 (Strategies modeled)
Engagement Time
Think-Write-Pair-Discuss
Incorporate High Rates of Success
Formative Assessment
Scaffolded Instruction
Guided Notes
Activating and Organizing
Mnemonics
Teaching Strategically
K-W-L-S Chart
Handout #2: Effective Teaching Principles
Based on work by: 2007. Coyne, Kame’enui and Carnine, Effective Teaching Strategies that Accommodate Diverse
Learners and 2001. Marzano, Piickering and Pollock, Classroom Instruction and Works.
Effective Teaching Principles
These ten principles are empirically supported as effective teaching principles and have been derived from research on
behavioral, cognitive, social-learning, and other theories.
1.
Engagement
Time
Students learn more when
they are actively engaged in
instructional tasks.
Selected strategies:
 Think – write – pair –
discuss (Think-PairShare)
 Response cards (yes,
no, why)
 Choral responding
 Reciprocal teaching
Think-Pair-Share
(Resource: Teaching Matters/PDE)
The think-pair-share strategy is an active learning, cooperative learning technique that
encourages individual participation and is applicable across all grade levels and class
sizes.
 Think: Students think independently about the question that has been posed.
 Pair: Students are grouped in pairs to discuss their thoughts. This step allows
students to articulate their ideas and to consider those of others.
 Share: Student pairs share their ideas with a larger group, such as the whole
class.
Response Cards
Response cards are simply sheets of paper or card stock that students simultaneously
hold up to indicate their response to a question or prompt asked by the teacher.
Response Cards can be blank with the student then writing in the answer or the teacher
can provide pre-printed responses with words or pictures that the students choose from.
Another option is to simply make the Response Cards different colors with each color
representing a different answer.
Choral Responding
(Resource: Teaching Matters/ PDE; www.interventioncentral.org)
Many teacher-led activities are suitable for using choral responding (all students in the
class or group respond orally in unison to a teacher prompt). Choral responding is ideal
for curriculum content that:
 Can be answered in short (1-3 word) responses
 Has only a single correct answer to a question can be presented in a fast-paced
manner. (Intervention Central)
Reciprocal Teaching
(Resource: http://forpd.ucf.edu/strategies/stratreciprocalteaching3.html)
Reciprocal teaching is interactive, supported instruction in which the teacher or peer
leads a group of students as they talk their way through a text to understand it. As they
work together, group members will monitor their understanding by stopping at regular
intervals to ask questions, summarize, predict, and clarify.
 Generating a Question
Students identify key information in the text, frame that information in the form
of a question, and self-test for understanding and recall.
 Clarifying
Students note when they have experienced failure in comprehension, identify
the source of that breakdown, and take appropriate steps to restore meaning.
(Strategies, asking for help). For example: What does a word mean?
 Predicting
Students make a prediction about what they think will happen in the text. This
strategy provides the opportunity for them to activate relevant background
knowledge.
 Summarize
Students will summarize the text that was read.
2. Success
Rates
Students experience high and
moderate success rates,
which are correlated
positively with student
learning outcomes.
Selected strategies:
 Errorless Learning
 Constructive
Feedback
 Skill Sequencing
 Pacing
Errorless Learning
 Errorless learning refers to teaching procedures that are designed in such a
way that the learner does not have to – and does not – make mistakes as he or
she learns new information or new procedures.
Feedback
 Make sure feedback is corrective in nature; tell students how they did in relation
to specific levels of knowledge. Rubrics are a great way to do this.
 Keep feedback timely and specific.
 Encourage students to lead feedback sessions.
Constructive Feedback
 Constructive feedback is key to shaping:
--If the student feels successful about their attempt
--What future steps they take to continue the learning process
Skill Sequencing
 Sequencing is a very systematic skill and does not require creativity. The idea is
to identify the order in which things occurred: to remember specific details about
the reading.
Pacing
 Pacing is the speed or rate at which an educator presents the task in a lesson.
3. Content
Coverage/
Opportunities
to Learn
4. Grouping for
Instruction
5. Scaffolded
Instruction
6. Addressing
Forms of
Knowledge
Increase opportunity to learn content is correlated
positively with increased student achievement.
Selected strategies:
 Identify Essential Content
 Reduce Transition Time
 Begin and End Lessons on Time
Students achieve more in classes where they
spend most of their time being directly taught by a
teacher. The manner in which teachers deliver
instruction (i.e., in large/small groups or
individually) is an important instructional principle
that directly impacts student achievement.
Classroom instruction should include:
 Whole group Instruction
 Small group Instruction
 Individual Instruction
 Flexible Grouping
Students become independent, self-regulated
learners through instruction that is deliberately
and carefully scaffolded. Teachers provide
support and structure, then systematically remove
guidance and increase student competence.
Selected strategies:
 Guided Notes
 Think Alouds
 Verbal Prompting
 Physical Prompting
The critical forms of knowledge must be
addressed in order for students to become
independent, self-regulated learners. They
include:
 Declarative
 Procedural
 Conditional
Center on Instruction
(Resource: centeroninstruction.org)
Florida Center for Reading Research
(Resource: www.fcrr.org)
Appropriate grouping is the strategy of grouping students
according to the intended outcome of the lessons. Groups should
be flexible and changing. Grouping may be done according to
which specific learning skill is being taught. Grouping may be done
to expand learning by grouping students of differing abilities so that
all students are learning from the others. Grouping allows students
to move within groups according to their learning needs.
Guided Notes
Structured format that students use when listening to a lecture,
reading from the text, or watching a demonstration.
Think Alouds
When the teacher/paraeducator explicitly “talks through” the
process, modeling the correct sequence and concepts and
enabling the student to gain that insight firsthand.
Verbal Prompting
Direct – clear statement of what the student should do
Indirect – ask a question, such as “what should you do next?”
Physical Prompting
Full – Hand over/under hand
Partial – Supportive guidance
Declarative
 Factual Information
Procedural
 How to use the knowledge in specific ways
Conditional
 Knowing when and where to apply the knowledge
7. Activating and
Organizing
Knowledge
Learning is increased when
teaching is presented in a
manner that assists students in
organizing, storing, and retrieving
information. Selected Strategies:
 Graphic/Content
Organizers
 Note Taking
 Study Guides
 Mnemonics
8. Making
Instruction
Explicit
Strategic instruction is designed
to teach students how to apply
techniques, principles, or rules in
order to solve problems and
complete tasks successfully and
independently and will help
students to become more
Graphic/ Content Organizers
(Resource: http//edhelper.com/teachers/graphic_organizers.htm)
 “Visual displays teachers use to organize information in a manner that
makes the information easier to understand and learn” (Meyen, Vergason,
&Whelan, 1996).
 Graphic organizers are visual frameworks to help the learner make
connections between concepts. Some forms of graphic organizers are used
before learning and help remind the learner of what they already know
about a subject. Other graphic organizers are designed to be used during
learning to act as cues to what to look for in the structure of the resources
or information. Still other graphic organizers are used during review
activities and help to remind students of the number and variety of
components they should be remembering.
 Content materials often present text which is dense. By teaching your
students how to use content organizers such as webs, Venn diagrams, and
charts you can help students understand and organize information. They
are like mind maps which promote active learning. Organizers can also help
students develop higher level thinking skills and promote creativity.
Note Taking
 Note taking is the process of recording information presented by a teacher
for the purpose of improving recall or understanding by the student. Notes
typically include a combination of direct quotes of what a teacher says,
diagrams, and additions by the student to add emphasis or to indicate
areas where outside study may be required.
Study Guides
 Are graphic organizers that organize learned content to aid in deeper
learning and retention and provide support for students in independent
study.
Mnemonics
 Mnemonic strategies are memory or learning aids which assist students in
retention of important information,
Ten – Two
 Direct instruction variation where the teacher presents for ten minutes,
students share and reflect for two minutes, then the cycle repeats.
Card Sort
 Words and images associated with topic are put on individual cards.
Groups sort cards into categories and label and discuss categories.
9. Making
Instruction
Explicit
10. Teaching
Sameness in
the
Curriculum
independent, self-regulated
learners. Selected Strategies:
 Ten-Two
 Card Sort
 KWLS Chart
Explicit Instruction Includes:
 Controlled Instruction
and Practice
 Demonstrate/Model/I do
 Guided Practice
 Independent Practice
 Instructional level match
 Opportunities for
maintenance and
generalization
KWLS
 “What I Know or think I know”, “What I want to know”, “What I learned”,
“What I still want to know."
Source: http://glossary.plasmalink.com/glossary
Guided Practice:
 Guided practice allows learners to attempt things they would not be capable
of without assistance. In the classroom, guided practice usually looks like a
combination of individual work, close observation by the teacher, and short
segments of individual or whole class instruction.
Independent Practice:
 Practice done without intervention by the teacher. This approach includes
many activities done with a computer
Teaching sameness is linking a
single concept with many ideas
and providing students with
numerous examples to promote
generalization. By teaching
sameness both within and across
subjects, teachers promote the
ability of students to access
knowledge in any problemsolving situation.
Selected Strategies:
Thematic units across subject
areas
Teach to generalization and/or
transfer
Scavenger hunts
Inspirations software – concept
webs, graphic organizers
Ellis, E.S., L.A. Worthington & MJ Larkin (January 13, 1994). Research Synthesis on Effective Teaching Principles and the Design of Quality Tools
for Educator, Technical Report. Effective Teachings Principles.
Handout #3: Constructive Feedback Activity
High Rates of Success Group Activity: Analyzing Feedback:
Directions: Place a “+” in front of statements that are examples of constructive
feedback. Place a “0” in front of statements that are not examples of effective
feedback.
___ You did a great job on that lab activity today, Alex!
___ Last week you correctly identified 5 out of 10 parts of a cell; this week you
correctly identified 8 out of 10 parts of a cell. You are certainly improving!!
___ Excellent work, Jared! Very nice job with reading that passage!
___ Mary you earned all ten points on the scoring rubric for grammar and
punctuation! In all instances, there is noun-verb agreement, proper nouns are
capitalized and punctuation is used correctly. Congratulations!
___ Your homework was completed with 100% accuracy!!
___ Jennifer, keep up the good work!
___ Your presentation met the project expectations. You earned a total of 15 points
which is a perfect rating of 3 in each of the 5 categories: Organization, Topic
Maintenance, Accuracy, Relevance, and Delivery.
___ James, you and your team worked really hard today! You deserve an A+ for
your effort!
Handout #4: Constructive Feedback Activity
Order of Operations
Use a mnemonic to remember the order that all mathematical operations are
performed:
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally
Imagine a story about my dear Aunt Sally. She is always very rude to my friends
and interrupts them all the time. So I always say, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt
Sally.”
Please – Parenthesis
Excuse – Exponents
My – Multiplication
Dear – Division
Aunt – Addition
Sally – Subtraction
( )
23
* /
left to right
+ left to right
Perform math operations the way you read, from LEFT to RIGHT:
Do one step
at a time
7 + 25 / (3 + 2)
7 + 25 / 5
7+ 5
12
Always rewrite each
line of the problem
1. Do the work in Parenthesis first: (3 + 2) = 5
2. Check for exponents. There are none in this problem.
3. Perform multiplication or division problems in LEFT to RIGHT order
(whichever comes first): 25/5 = 5
4. Finally, perform addition or subtraction problems in LEFT to RIGHT order
(whichever comes first): 7 + 5 = 12
Handout #5: P – Q – R – S – T
This mnemonic can be used for reading expository text. It’s simple to remember and
it uses sound practices for reading comprehension.
Basic Sequence:
To start your students with this technique, explain or show what P – Q – R – S – T
stands for:
P – Preview to identify main parts
Q – Develop questions for which you want to find answers
R – Read the material, twice if possible
S – State the central idea or theme
T – Test yourself by answering questions (or teach the material to someone else).
Source: Rick Wormeli, Summarization in Any Subject, (pages 131-132).
P–Q–R–S–T
P – Preview to identify the main parts
Q – Develop questions for which you
want to find answers
R – Read the material twice if possible
S – State the central idea or theme
T – Test yourself by answering questions
or teach it to someone else
Handout #6: Feedback Frayer Graphic
Frayer Diagram 1
Definition
Characteristics
Examples
Non-Examples
Handout #7: Graphic Organizer – Timeline
Timeline
TOPIC: _____________________________________________________
Event 1
Beginning Date
Event 2
Date 2
Event 3
Date 3
Event 4
Date 4
Event 5
Date 5
Event 6
Date 6
Handout #8: Compare/Contrast
__________Compare / Contrast With Summary__________
Concept 1
Concept 2
How Alike?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
How Different?
With Regard To
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Summarize:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Handout #9: KWLS
K–W–L–S
Topic: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
K
(What I know or think I know)
W
(What I want to know)
L
(What I Learned)
S
(What I still want to know)