The Best Instructional Strategies and Resources
Heather Mullins, Professional Development Consultant – Region 7
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Revised April 25, 2012
*- Example or template can be found in the Strategies for Literacy Development Handout
Pre-Assessment and Activating Strategies and Resources
Clear Learning Targets
Clear learning targets are your learning goals presented in student-friendly language. Derived
directly from the curriculum, CLTs begin with “I can…, I know…, or I will…” statements, and
they are generally performance based. CLTs provide students the opportunity to take
ownership of their own learning and provide ongoing formative assessment. The best CLTs
are performance-based tasks that students will complete once they have acquired the requisite
knowledge and skills. (Black and Wiliam, 1998)
Admit Slips*
Admit Slips enable students to focus their attention on the reading and study planned for class
by preparing responses, ideas, and questions that anticipate the reading for that day.
An Admit Slip should serve as a review and provide students an opportunity to provide their
insight on a question or topic. OR …an Admit Slip can serve as a preview of a topic/concept
that will be studied in class on the day an Admit Slip is due. Generally, the contents of the
Admit Slip will serve as an impetus for a bell-ringer activity. Think-Pair-Share or other
interactive strategy where students can share the contents of the Admit Slip pairs wells with
this strategy. The teacher will use this activity as a formative assessment opportunity and
would then clarify any misconceptions. (Vacca, R. T., & Vacca, J. A.,1999)
No Pressure-Pretest
Pretests provide teachers with much needed information about meeting students where they
are. Students need to understand that pretests will not be graded and scored. Disaggregated
data from pretests should be used to modify and plan instruction. Students should ALWAYS
be informed that grades will NOT be taken on pretests as the purpose is to provide the teacher
with a baseline to answer the question: Where are you now?
K-W-L
Teachers activate students' prior knowledge by asking them what they already Know; then
students (collaborating as a classroom unit or within small groups) set goals specifying what
they Want to learn; and after reading students discuss what they have Learned. Students apply
higher-order thinking strategies which help them construct meaning from what they read and
help them monitor their progress toward their goals. A worksheet is given to every student
that includes columns for each of these activities.
Squaring Off
Place a card in each corner of the room with the following phrases: Dirt Road, Paved Road,
Highway, and Yellow Brick Road. Brainstorm with students the characteristics of each type of
road and how each road represents a level of understanding. The dirt road would symbolize
the lowest level of understanding where the yellow brick road would indicate an ability to
teach others about the topic. Instruct students to go to the corner of the room that matches
where they are in the new unit of study. You can use this activity to create cooperative learning
groups, assess knowledge, and meet students where they are.
Four Corners
Like Squaring Off, this kinesthetic method of formative assessment allows students to move to
a corner of the room labeled as “A, B, C, D,” “Yes/No,” “True/False,” “Agree, Disagree,
Neutral,” etc. Students move to the corner that represents their response to a prompt.
Teachers use this real-time information to make adjustments to instruction.
Anticipation Guides
An anticipation guide is a comprehension strategy that is used before reading to activate
students' prior knowledge and build curiosity about a new topic. Before reading, students
listen to or read several statements about key concepts presented in the text; they're often
structured as a series of statements with which the students can choose to agree or disagree.
Anticipation guides stimulate students' interest in a topic and set a purpose for reading.
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/anticipation_guide
Brain Dump
Whether you need a pre-assessment or quick focus and review, Brain Dump will provide you
with information about how much information your students know or have retained about a
specific concept or topic. Ask students to either dump all information they know on a sheet of
paper or orally with a partner or group. Ask students to share information with the group
about what they already know or what they recall from the previous day. This “no pressure”
activity is also a great way to spark interest as well as have students share their individual
knowledge with the class.
Knowledge Rating*
This strategy is wonderful to assess what your students know prior to beginning a study of new
vocabulary words. Present students with a chart of selected words. Then, students rate
themselves on their current knowledge of the word: I know it and can teach someone about it,
I have heard this word but am unsure of exactly what it means, or I do not yet know this word.
This strategy can help inform your instruction as you learn where to focus your instructional
time. Plus, students can measure their own growth when you revisit the rating throughout the
unit of study.
Alphabet Boxes
Much like Personal Dictionaries, Alphabet Boxes is a personalized, differentiated vocabulary
strategy for your students. Students list any words in their alphabet boxes that they do not
understand. As the unit continues, have students revisit their boxes and cross out or erase any
words they have mastered over the course of the unit. Teachers can take up Alphabet boxes to
know how to best prepare for their unit/vocabulary review.
Online Dictionaries
Many online dictionaries provide features not found in print versions. Sites like MerriamWebster Visual Dictionary http://visual.merriam-webster.com/index.php include images, audio
pronunciation, and related words. Wordsmyth http://new.wordsmyth.net/ includes three
dictionaries, making it appropriate for all ages. Confusing Words
http://www.confusingwords.com/ provides simple explanations and example sentences for
words that are often confused or misused. (Note: All of these sites include ads.)
Google Docs
You can use this Google tool to complete a Knowledge Rating, vocabulary quiz, pre-test, final
test, or any number of vocabulary activities for students. You get immediate, real-time results
and data that can be disaggregated quickly and easily. Go to the Ning for a direct link to
Google Docs.
Wordle
Wordle is a tool that creates a word cloud from text. The frequency of the word found in the
text will determine the prominence of that word within the cloud. You can customize the word
cloud with various text and color formats. Use this tool to help students determine the theme
of a body of text or to highlight important words. http://www.wordle.net
Animoto
Creating a music video from images couldn’t be any easier! With Animoto,
http://animoto.com/education, users upload images/video clips and choose music. The
program does the rest by importing transitions, creating a visual slideshow that will remind you
of a music video. Free registration allows you to create 30 second videos, but teachers can
register to create full-length (3 minute) videos at no cost. Animot0 can also be used by
students to allow them an opportunity to express their knowledge/understanding.
Skimming and Scanning
This is a great strategy when students are assigned a large amount of reading. Give the
students several minutes to skim and scan the material either in pairs or alone. Remind them
to review titles, illustrations or pictures, captions, headings, subheadings, and texts. Have
them complete a graphic organizer with labels such as, “First Impressions, Fast Facts,
Troublesome Vocabulary, and Final Thoughts.” You can use students’ input to create
important “look fors” or “questions” to consider during their reading.
WordAhead
http://wordahead.com Watch vocabulary videos for hundreds of words! Each video includes
an illustration along with an audio definition and explanation of the word used in context. With
free registration, teachers can create word lists to share with students. The “study room”
includes a flash card activity.
(Note: Site includes ads.)
Predict-O-Gram
Provide students with a list of terms, vocabulary words, or concepts found in an upcoming
reading. For example, if the students were preparing to read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper
Lee, the teacher might share the following terms: depression, segregation, jury, trial, South,
Alabama, lawyer, racial segregation, kids, jail, poverty, housekeeper, summer, court, rabid
dog, drunk.
Then, the teacher would ask students to anticipate and discuss in pairs or whole group what
they think their reading will be about, how the words might be used in the novel, or what
questions they have. As the reading ensues, the class can revisit the list to check predictions.
Affinity Diagram
An affinity diagram can be used as a pre-assessment strategy, an informal formative
assessment, or as a way to brainstorm for a project, writing assignment, or presentation. The
purpose of an affinity diagram is to help students sift through large volumes of data, to create
opportunities for academic talk, to encourage new patterns of thinking, to problem-solve, and
to work as a collective group to self-navigate through information.
First, students respond to a question or prompt provided by the teacher by placing their ideas
on individual sticky notes or cards. One idea should be captured on each card. Students can
use as many cards as they need. Next, students group items based on patterns or similarities.
Some stickies may belong in two categories. Group consensus is imperative. Discussions
ensure that promote synthesis, analyzing, and evaluation. Students then create an “identity”
or title for each group. Students share their themes, big ideas, and understandings with the
whole class. Finally, students generate hypotheses, generalizations, or predictions based on
their affinity diagram.
Communication Strategies
Feedback Request Tools*
These tools give students the opportunity to solicit your feedback on specific aspects of their
work. A student must be able to self-evaluate his own work in order to ask for a teacher’s
specific feedback regarding a concept, section, or item. These tools allow the teacher to focus
specifically on areas the student feels a need. These tools can ensure that student-teacher
conferences have a clear focus.
Discussion Boards
Many students and teachers are taking full advantage of using online workspaces to
collaborate. Blogs, wikis, Nings, and other online discussion board formats are excellent
methods of providing students with an opportunity to respond to you, a text, questions, and to
each other whenever and wherever they are. Discussion boards can be use to activate/assess
prior knowledge, preview concepts, review, or collaborate.
Conferencing
Although time often prohibits our having an opportunity to conference with students as much
as we would like, conferencing provides an opportunity to address specific issues with students
regarding their work. Having students arrive at the student-teacher conference with a
feedback request tool completed will help you use your limited time wisely. Sharing a rubric
with students, and using the rubric to discuss student work or expectation is also a method of
using conference time wisely.
Rubrics
A rubric is a scoring tool that lists the criteria for a piece of work. Generally rubrics specify the
level of performance expected for several levels of quality. These levels of quality may be
written as different ratings (e.g., Excellent, Good, Needs Improvement) or as numerical scores
(e.g., 4, 3, 2, 1) which are then added up to form a total score which then is associated with a
grade (e.g., A, B, C, etc). Many rubrics also specify the level of assistance (e.g., Independently,
With Minimal Adult Help; With Extensive Adult Help) for each quality rating. Rubrics can help
students and teachers define "quality". Rubrics can also help students judge and revise their
own work before handing in their assignments. Both www.rubistar.com and
http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/ are great starting points for creating rubrics.
Tickled Pink – Green for Growth
When providing feedback to students, particularly on writing, students can often become
overwhelmed. One strategy is to use a pink and green highlighter to provide two kinds of
feedback – Tickled PINK to show that the teacher is pleased with a particular aspect of the
work and GREEN for growth to highlight areas that need attention. No more than two areas
of GREEN for growth should be marked at one time. The teacher can then provide specific
feedback on the two areas of concern. When revisions are made, the cycle is repeated.
www.leics.gov.uk/success_crit_leaflet.doc
Three Stars and a Wish
Students write/highlight or tick three parts of their partner’s work that meets the success
criteria (the stars). They then highlight or circle in a different color the area for improvement
and write a wish (For example: “I wish you would explain the process more thoroughly in this
section.” Students do need training and modeling to learn to provide good feedback. This
strategy can also be used orally in partner pairs or cooperative learning groups.
www.leics.gov.uk/success_crit_leaflet.doc
Comprehension Strategies and Resources
Marzano’s Five Step Process/Interactive Word Walls
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Present students with a brief explanation or description of the new term or phrase.
Present students with a non-linguistic representation of the new term or phrase.
Ask students to generate their own explanations or descriptions of the term or phrase.
Ask students to create their own nonlinguistic representation of the term or phrase.
Periodically ask students to review the accuracy of their explanations and
representations.
This strategy can be combined with Word Wall to maximize exposure and to make Word Walls
interactive.
Use Images and Media
Providing students with nonlinguistic representations of words is an important aspect of
vocabulary study. Using sites like Google Images http://images.google.com/ and Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/ can provide you with images to support word study in your classroom.
YouTube for educators is now available to the public as well. This is a great place to find videos
for students.
Think-Pair-Share/Knee Partners/Squaring Up
Think-Pair-Share is a strategy designed to provide students with time to think about a given
topic, enable them to formulate individual ideas, and share these ideas with another student.
This strategy encourages student classroom participation. Rather than using a basic recitation
method in which a teacher poses a question and one student offers a response, Think-PairShare encourages a high degree of pupil response and can help the teacher gauge student
understanding of a concept. Students also become imparters of knowledge with this strategy.
Modeling
Providing students with a model or an exemplar of your expectation is one of the most
powerful ways to ensure that students are successful in reaching their learning targets. By
creating rubrics, providing clear samples for critique, and both poor and exceptional models,
students can gain a greater understanding of an appropriate product. Teachers may have to
create models on their own, or they may, over time, choose student models from previous
classes. Sharing the model/exemplar as well as providing time to discuss the quality of models
will ensure student understanding.
Khan Academy Video Series
http://www.khanacademy.org/ Khan Academy provides students with over 3100 video tutorials
that lend themselves to the flipped classroom. Students can listen to a teacher demonstrate a
mathematical, financial, or scientific concept while watching the teacher illustrate the
problem, structure, or design on a virtual whiteboard/blackboard. Use this site to reinforce
classroom instruction or to allow for students to move at their own paces.
YouTube for Schools
http://www.youtube.com/teachers Connect your students to the best educational video
resources on the web with YouTube for schools. Content is free to educators and has been
screened to ensure it is appropriate for K-12 classrooms.
“Teach” / “Okay”
“Teach / okay” is one element of the Power Teaching movement created by Chris Biffle in the
late 1990s. This movement, now referred to as Whole Brain Teaching, incorporates the
philosophy that students learn best when they have opportunities to be the imparters of
knowledge, they incorporate movement into their daily learning, and no more than ten
minutes go by without the implementation of formative assessment. In this particular
strategy, the teacher asks students to turn to their partners and simultaneously explain to each
other what they have just learned in class regarding a specific concept. In its truest form, the
teacher has incorporated a variety of demonstrative hand gestures to help demonstrate the
concept, and students use these gestures to explain the concept to their partner. When the
teacher says, “Teach,” the students respond with “okay,” then they teach each other.
Inner/Outer Circle
This is a review strategy that is great for our kinesthetic learners. Students create an inner
circle and an outer circle facing each other. The number of students in each should be the
same. Students in the inner circle will hold a two-sided handout. On one side will be a
vocabulary term, and on the other side is a definition. The inner circle students hold up the
word to the person in the outer circle. On the teacher’s command, the person in the outer
circle provides the definition to the person in the inner circle. The teacher can decide whether
or not the inner circle person provides the correct definition if the student misses. The
students in the outer circle rotate on the teacher’s command until they are back where they
began. Then, the teacher can allow inner circle students to switch with outer circle
participants. He/She can also ask questions about which words were not missed or missed
often to gain information about how to support student mastery.
Stoplight Strategy
This strategy was featured last year and widely popular. Students are given a red, green, and
yellow crayon, marker, or colored pencil for use on their pre-test, vocabulary list, or review.
Students code each item as either green, meaning confident in the response; yellow, meaning
unsure; or red, meaning a total guess or that they do not understand the term/concept. The
information from the student coding informs the teacher about mastery of material and gives
the student a chance to process individually.
Knowledge Triangles
Students choose three different vocabulary words or concepts and place each word in a
triangle surrounding a circle. In the circle, the student writes a sentence or creates an image or
hypothesis that demonstrates the relationship between the three words.
Sort or Sequence
Providing students the opportunity to sort or sequence events by concept, timeline, or other
criteria is not only fun, but it allows our kinesthetic learners an opportunity for hands-on
instruction. This strategy can be modified to include cooperative learning groups, time limits,
or other criteria that will make the interactive experience more engaging. One variation is to
make the activity a competition. This strategy can be used as either a literacy or vocabulary
strategy.
Lesson Writer
This online tool allows you to create printable reading assignments tailored to the needs of
your students. Free registration enables you to create and save assignments. Paste in a body
of text and Lesson Writer will generate vocabulary and various grammar lessons from the
content of that text. Add your own comprehension questions and insert graphic organizers.
Then, with a click of a button, you can set the layout of the assignment as well as customize
the printable assignment sheet by choosing what skill activities you wish to include.
http://www.lessonwriter.com/
QAR*
QAR basically defines itself. It is the relationship between questions and their answers. There
are four basic types of question and answer relationships.
1. Right There -- In this type of QAR, the answer is found in the text. Also, the words in
the question and the words in the answer are usually in the same sentence. The reader
can point to the answer.
2. Think and Search -- In this type of QAR, the answer is found in the text. However, the
words in the question and the words in the answer are not found in the same sentence.
The reader must put together different parts of the text to get the answer.
3. Author and Me (or Author and You) -- The answer is not found in the text. The reader
has to put together the information the author provides with information the reader
already knows to come up with the answer.
4. On My Own (or On Your Own) -- The reader does not use the text at all to answer the
question. The answer is based on the reader's opinions and experiences.
Some good QAR resources can be found here:
http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/readingliterature/readingstrategies/QAR.htm
Frayer Model*
The Frayer Model is an adaptation of the concept map. The framework of the Frayer Model
includes: the concept word, the definition, characteristics of the concept word, examples of the
concept word, and non examples of the concept word.
Free Resources:
http://www.worksheetworks.com/miscellanea/graphic-organizers.html
http://www.longwood.edu/staff/jonescd/projects/educ530/aboxley/pdffiles/2.pdf
Break it Down and Solve it*
This strategy, designed for math or any discipline that incorporates math, provides students
with the opportunity to articulate how and why they make mathematical decisions. This
strategy helps both the student and the teacher discover what misconceptions students have
and exactly where understanding ends and confusion begins.
The Vocabulary LINCing Routine*
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:
List the parts
Identify a Reminding Word
Note a LINCing Story
Create a LINCing Picture
Self-test
Text Reformulation
Have students read a body of text and “reformulate” it into another text of their choice.
Examples are: An A-B-C story, a poem, a song, a children’s book, a speech, a pattern based on
another primary source. For example, the concept of Constant of Variation in math could be
reformulated to the patter of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? (Martha Lamb,
Catawba County Schools)
I, We, Two, You
This strategy focuses on best practice in that the teacher models a new concept, the class then
practices together, the teacher then asks partners to practice together, then each student
becomes responsible for his/her own work. This strategy provides low-risk for students and
also allows teachers multiple opportunities for teachers to troubleshoot potential questions or
difficulties students have. Teaching the students this terminology shares your expectation
that eventually they will be responsible for the concept eventually.
Organizational / Note Taking Strategies and Resources
Alphabet Boxes
Students use an Alphabet matrix to record the vocabulary words they find unfamiliar. This
differentiated strategy allows for students to focus on words with which they struggle.
Students can mark through words as they become familiar with them. Then, the matrix
becomes a study guide. Modify this strategy to create a class Alphabet Box matrix for a wall in
your classroom.
Lexipedia / Visuwords
Visuwords http://www.visuwords.com/ and Lexipedia http://lexipedia.com/ are websites that
provide visualizations of word meanings and connections. Students can see how words are
associated and interact with the graphic representation to help them understand word
meanings and to clarify connections. (Note: Both sites contain ads.)
Lotus Diagram*
The Lotus is an analytical, organizational tool for breaking broad topics into components,
which can then be further organized, analyzed or prioritized. Keeps students from becoming
overwhelmed. This organizer provides an outline for students to expand their thinking, helps
students define the topic being studied, and fosters thinking skills. This Quality Tool is great
for major projects, products, or writing assignments and perfect for our ELL, EC, and ADD
students as they can organize information and tackle one section at a time.
Online Graphic Organizers
You can find various graphic organizer templates online. (For example, check out
http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/index.jsp.) Some templates actually allow you to
customize the text/format before printing. (http://my.hrw.com/nsmedia/intgos/html/igo.htm)
Some online tools allow users to create interactive graphic organizers. Exploratree
http://www.exploratree.org.uk/ includes many templates, divided into categories. Users can
create custom thinking guides, save, print, and share with others. Bubble.us http://bubbl.us/ is
another online tool that allows users to create mind maps, save, and share.
Additional graphic organizer resources can be found at
http://delicious.com/murraygirl/graphicorganizers.
Interactive Notes*
Whether students are reading fiction or nonfiction, Interactive Notes provides students with
specific “look fors” before, during, and after reading. This literacy strategy provides structure
and choice as teachers can choose “some” specific tasks or have students choose tasks from
the list.
Journals
Although many teachers use journals in their classrooms, not all teachers take the time to
provide clear, specific feedback to students. Journaling is a wonderful way to have students
share their knowledge and for the teacher to gauge understanding. However, students rely on
the teacher’s feedback to make adjustments that will improve their achievement. Writing in
journals can also function as a pre-assessment or activating strategy or a summarizing activity
– depending on the prompt, and purpose.
Studying with Labels
Adding labels to words and categorizing them is a brain-friendly method of learning and
retaining new words. By using labels, students add yet another connection to a word that can
help them with recall.
Customizable Printables
Choose from embedded lists of words or create your own. Then choose the type of printable
you would like to create (flashcards, study sheets, quizzes, etc.) and customize the layout and
features. http://www.educationalpress.org/index.asp
GIST*
Students read a passage and highlight or determine the 7 most important words or concepts in
the passage. (The teacher will provide a specific number of words from 5-10, but it is important
NOT to go over 1o. Students then pair to share their lists and come to consensus on the top 7
number of words. During this time, students will have to justify, explain, and evaluate the text
in order to come to consensus. Once consensus is reached, the students then write a 1-2
sentence summary of their reading, incorporating as many of their important words as
possible.
Games with Vocabulary
Sort or Sequence
Providing students the opportunity to sort or sequence events by concept, timeline, or other
criteria is not only fun, but it allows our kinesthetic learners an opportunity for hands-on
instruction. This strategy can be modified to include cooperative learning groups, time limits,
or other criteria that will make the interactive experience more engaging. One variation is to
make the activity a competition. This strategy can be used as either a literacy or vocabulary
strategy.
Who Would Say It?
With this strategy, the teacher gives students vocabulary words and has them work
individually, with a partner, or in a small group to write a sentence from the point-of-view of
someone who might use the term. Teachers can provide the “person” or allow students to
choose from one to three different persons who might say the right word. Students share their
responses with the class, or the teacher can take up responses at Exit Tickets to inform
instruction for the next day’s lesson.
Conversation Game
This is a great review strategy for students to use vocabulary words in a different context.
Students must process and use vocabulary to create a conversation either individually, in a
small group, or in a whole-class situation. Specific emphasis should be placed on the use of
context clues to ensure understanding. The Conversation Game is a great strategy to
differentiate. A formative assessment strategy, teachers can use what they glean from this
activity to focus their instruction and identify misconceptions.
Stumpers
This strategy was designed provide yet another opportunity for teachers to differentiate
vocabulary instruction and give students ownership of their learning. There are a number of
ways you can use this strategy in your classroom. For our struggling readers, students can
choose two or three words that “stump” them in their reading. They can write the words and
what they think the words might mean based on the context clues. High flying students may
choose two to three words they “think” will stump other students. Their job would be to write
the word, definition, and use the word in a sentence. The teacher can use the stumpers for
review, extra credit, test questions, or as a bell ringer.
Online Flash Cards
Students need multiple exposures to vocabulary words, and online flashcards can be used as a
tool to provide students with another word study experience. There are various flashcard
websites that include public user-created card sets as well as options to create and save your
own cards. Additionally, sites like FlashcardDB offer free registration so users can customize
study options, making the practice experience more individualized. (Example sites:
http://flashcarddb.com/ http://www.flashcardexchange.com/)
Game Templates
Creating an interactive game using programs like Microsoft Excel can require a lot of time.
Luckily, there are game templates online that have already been created and shared, allowing
you to download and customize the games to suit your purpose. Games patterned after the
$100,000 Pyramid and Jeopardy are good resources to create vocabulary/literacy activities.
Example templates can be found at
http://www.murray.k12.ga.us/teacher/kara%20leonard/Mini%20T%27s/Games/Games.htm#g
ameshows
Quick Check Methods of Formative Assessment
These methods can be used multiple times in each class period to gauge student understanding of
a concept.
Fist to Five
Much like the “Thumbs Strategy,” students show the teacher a fist, one, two, three, four, or
five fingers to indicate their level of knowledge regarding a specific concept, vocabulary word,
or question. A fist would indicate an understanding of zero, and a five would indicate the
ability to teach someone else the material. This strategy provides immediate formative
feedback for the teacher to make immediate modifications to instruction or form groups.
Thumbs Strategy
Students give a thumbs up, thumbs to the side, or thumbs down to indicate their knowledge
regarding a specific concept, vocabulary word, or question. This strategy provides immediate
formative feedback for the teacher to make immediate modifications to instruction.
Clothesline
Create or have students imagine a clothesline in your classroom that runs from one wall to
another. You may choose to place a piece of tape on the floor to serve as your clothesline.
Share with students that one end of the clothesline represents a complete lack of
understanding of a concept, while the other side represents an amount of knowledge that
would allow someone to teach another person about the concept. Then, ask students to gauge
their own knowledge of a specific topic or concept and get up and move to the area on the
clothesline that demonstrates “where they are now” in terms of understanding the concept.
This kinesthetic formative assessment strategy is a nice transition strategy that provides
immediate feedback. However, the teacher must have strong rules governing classroom
movement, and the students and teacher must also have developed a sense of mutual trust.
Speedometer
Like clothesline, thumbs, and show me the fingers, this strategy works in the same manner.
Students use their arms to create a physical speedometer. With arms overlapping, the top arm
will raise to a level that indicates where the student’s understanding of a concept is at a specific
time. If the student’s arms remain still and horizontal, then the student has no understanding
(the speedometer is at zero). The more a student understands, the more he raises his top arm.
Anything past a 90 degree angle demonstrates mastery of a concept.
The Muddiest Point
This technique provides feedback on what students find confusing or difficult about a lesson,
concept, or topic. TMP can be used as a ticket out the door or as a quick formative check at
any point during the class. The teacher simply asks the question, “What is the muddiest point
in ______________? Students can write their responses, think-pair-share, or raise their hands
to share with the whole group. (Ann Carlsen, M.Ed.)
http://www.southalabama.edu/petal/Documents/muddiestpoint.pdf
Yes/No Cards
Students make a card with Yes (or Got It!) on one side, No (No Clue) on the other. Teachers ask
introductory or review questions. Students who know the answer hold up the “yes” card, and
students who do not know the correct answer hold up the “no” card. This strategy is very
effective when introducing vocabulary words that students may need as a knowledge base for
a unit of study. Additionally, the Yes/No Cards strategy can be implemented with little prep yet
provides teachers with information needed to adjust instructional design. Variations: Red,
Yellow, Green; Negative, Positive; , .
Cooperative Learning Activities and Strategies
Cooperative Learning Groups
Cooperative Learning is a relationship in a group of students that requires positive
interdependence (a sense of sink or swim together), individual accountability (each of us has to
contribute and learn), interpersonal skills (communication, trust, leadership, decision making,
and conflict resolution), face-to-face interaction, and processing (reflecting on how well the
team is functioning and how to function even better). A true cooperative learning group works
because each student has a specific role to play, and every group member is necessary to
complete the task at hand. This strategy is often misapplied. Traditional cooperative learning
group roles include facilitator, recorder, reporter, timekeeper, objective overseer, and
motivational manager.
Stay and Stray
This cooperative learning strategy by Ian Smith is similar to a structured Graffiti Write with one
exception. When cooperative learning groups rotate to evaluate the work of other groups, one
team member stays behind to share information or provide clarifying information to groups
that rotate to evaluate the work of the group.
Say Something
Students work with a partner and takes turns reading “chunks” of text as prescribed by the
teacher. After reading each chunk, the reader turns to the partner and says, “Say something.”
The partner makes a connection, makes a prediction, asks a question, clarifies something that
is unclear, or makes a comment relevant to the reading. The reader may then “say
something.” The partner then reads the next chunk of text, and the cycle repeats. It is
advantageous to provide students with a list of appropriate topics for this activity. (Martha
Lamb, Catawba County Schools)
Numbered Heads Together
A team of four is established. Each member is given numbers of 1, 2, 3, 4. Questions are asked
of the group. Groups work together to answer the question so that all can verbally answer the
question. Teacher calls out a number (i.e. “two”), and each “two” is asked to give the answer.
This low-risk activity provides students with a support system and allows for each student in
the class to become responsible for knowledge and understanding.
Jigsaw
Students break into groups, and each person has a number. Then, like a jigsaw puzzle, each
team member breaks away from their group to join all of the like numbers from another group.
For example, Jackson is a #3 in a group of five students. When the teacher gives the signal,
Jackson joins the four other #3s in the classroom to form an “expert” group. In the expert
groups, each student learns about information that they will take back to their jigsaw group to
share. The success of the jigsaw group is contingent upon each member’s expert knowledge
that is brought back into the jigsaw. This is a great method of differentiation and a way to help
students see each other as imparters of knowledge.
Reading Quads
This during-reading strategy helps students who have difficulty reading and/or comprehending
the printed word. Divide students into groups of four. Model the four roles: Reader,
Summarizer, Questioner, Answerer. Provide students a handout with the function of each role.
Explain that students will rotate after each chunk of text as defined by the teacher.
Reader: Read the selection using a quiet voice.
Summarizer: Listen and follow along, Give a short summary of the passage. Help the reader
with any words he/she does not know.
Questioner: Listen and follow along. When the reader finishes, ask a question about the reading
selection. Help the reader with any words he/she does not know.
Answerer: Listen and follow along. Answer the question. Help the reader with any words he/she
does not know. (Martha Lamb, Catawba County Schools)
Team, Pair, Solo
Students do problems first as a team, then with a partner, and finally on their own. It is
designed to motivate students to tackle and succeed at problems which initially are beyond
their ability. It is based on a simple notion of mediated learning. Students can do more things
with help (mediation) than they can do alone. By allowing them to work on problems they
could not do alone, first as a team and then with a partner, they progress to a point they can do
alone that which at first they could do only with help.
Circle the Sage
The teacher places the students in small groups then polls the class to determine which
students have a special knowledge to share. For example, the teacher may ask who in the class
was able to solve a difficult math homework question, who had visited Mexico, or who knows
the chemical reactions involved in how salting the streets help dissipate snow. Those students
(the sages) stand and spread out in the room. The teacher then has the rest of the classmates
each surround a sage, with no two members of the same team going to the same sage. The
sage explains what they know while the classmates listen, ask questions, and take notes. All
students then return to their teams. Each in turn, explains what he/she learned. Because each
group members has visited a different sage, they compare notes. If there is disagreement, they
stand up as a team. Finally, the disagreements are aired and resolved.
Share One, Get One
After students have been asked to research or find information, the teacher asks the students
to find a partner to share one idea and get a new idea. This kinesthetic activity allows students
to move around the classroom and also view each other as sources of wisdom.
Six-Step Partner
Often, when we ask students to “find a partner,” they gravitate toward the same person each
time. With “six-step partners,” teachers allow their students structured movement in the
classroom, and students work with students who do not sit in their general vicinity. Often,
students will be paired that generally have little personal interaction in the classroom. Once
six-step partners have been established, the teacher can use this strategy for a quick method
of pairing students.
Chris’ Test
The teacher creates a test similar to one he plans to give to his class. A fictional student named
Chris takes the test. The teacher distributes copies of Chris’ test to the students. Students
work in pairs to go through the test, item for item, and determine whether Chris answered the
questions correctly. Students then work together, discuss content, and review content as a
formative check of their understanding. The teacher would then review with students and
administer a similar test the next day. (Rutherford, 2008)
Reviewing, Summarizing, and Assessment Strategies and
Resources
Graffiti Write
In graffiti write, students are provided a concept or topic and asked to write everything they
know about a specific topic on chart paper, a white board, or other large sheet of paper. Their
responses should look “graffiti-like.” Students should not write in straight lines or be forced to
write in complete sentences. This is a brainstorming activity that can be used as a preassessment or a review. Teachers may opt to have students rotate through several stations
and either add to or review the work of their peers. (See Gallery Walk.)
Gallery Walk
Gallery walks typically take place following a graffiti write or other activity where students
produce work to be reviewed by peers. Students visit stations in the room where student work
is displayed and then have the opportunity to add to the information provided or to assess the
information. Students are given ownership of their learning and an opportunity to review,
reflect, and respond. (See Graffiti Write)
Quick Writes
The Quick Write is an assessment strategy that is designed to give students the opportunity to
reflect upon their learning. This writing assignment can be used at the beginning, middle, or
end of a lesson and takes only about three to five minutes. Short, open-ended statements are
usually given. For example, students are asked to write about what they learned, problems
they encountered, what they liked (or did not like) about the lesson, and about how well they
understood the concepts. In content teaching, the integration of reading and writing reinforces
meaning construction as both activities use similar processing skills. (Designed for math classes,
as math requires students to continually think at higher levels as one skill is achieved, another is
introduced.)
Conga
Originally a Sheltered Instructional (SIOP) strategy, Conga gives students the opportunity to
become experts about a subject, concept, or topic. To begin the Conga, students create two
equal lines facing one another. One line becomes the “speaking” line, and the other line
becomes the “listening” line. When the teacher poses a question to the class, the speaking line
members look at the partner directly across from them and answer the question. The teacher
chooses a time to say, “Conga,” and then the speaking line shifts one person to the right. The
last person on the end shifts down to the other end of the line. The speaking line students then
provide their answer to the same question to the next person in line. This continues until the
teacher changes questions. Eventually, the listening line becomes the speaking line so that all
students have an opportunity to be the expert and to be the listener. This activity is great for
formative assessment as the teacher can monitor student responses. Follow up questions such
as, “Which question was most difficult to answer?” or “What did you learn that you didn’t
already know?” or “What is still confusing to you?” can make this formative process beneficial
to students. Plus, this activity is a structured way to provide student movement in your
classroom.
Inner/Outer Circle
This is a review strategy that is great for our kinesthetic learners. Students create an inner
circle and an outer circle facing each other. The number of students in each should be the
same. Students in the inner circle will hold a two-sided handout. On one side will be a
vocabulary term, and on the other side is a definition. The inner circle students hold up the
word to the person in the outer circle. On the teacher’s command, the person in the outer
circle provides the definition to the person in the inner circle. The teacher can decide whether
or not the inner circle person provides the correct definition if the student misses. The
students in the outer circle rotate on the teacher’s command until they are back where they
began. Then, the teacher can allow inner circle students to switch with outer circle
participants. He/She can also ask questions about which words were not missed or missed
often to gain information about how to support student mastery.
GIST
This Sheltered Instructional strategy promotes literacy by allowing students to evaluate
vocabulary words and concepts, make educated choices, and summarize. Students read a text
and choose the X number of words they find in the text, as specified by the teacher, they deem
most important. Then, students must write a one to three sentence summary of their passage,
using as many chosen words as possible. Teachers can vary this assignment in many ways to
differentiate for all learners.
Exit Tickets*
Also known as “Ticket out the Door,” this strategy also gauges student understanding of
particular concepts, vocabulary words, Essential Questions, Clear Learning Targets etc.
Specific questions or tasks are best to use with Exit Tickets. Although the teacher can create
his/her own questions for Exit Tickets, here are some popular types of tickets:
+Δ?
After an lesson, reading, or activity, students complete the + Δ ? to share what they
feel confident about, what they do not understand, and what questions they have.
Teachers can use this strategy as an Exit Ticket, a Think-Pair-Share, or a formative
assessment to inform instruction.
The Important Thing…
To gauge understanding of a particular concept, teachers can ask students to relate
“the most important thing” about ________. Like + Δ ?, teachers can use this strategy
as an Exit Ticket, a Think-Pair-Share, or a formative assessment to inform instruction.
3-2-1
The idea is to give students a chance to summarize key ideas and rethink them in order
to focus on those that they are most intrigued by, and then pose a question that can
reveal where their understanding is still uncertain. Often, teachers use this strategy in
place of the usual worksheet questions on a chapter reading. When students come to
class the next day, you're able to use their responses to modify your instruction. The
students feel a sense of ownership because the discussion is based on the ideas they
addressed in their 3-2-1.
Capture Your Thoughts
Capture students’ thoughts on four elements of your content of your choice. Use the
template to ask students to respond to a passage, answer the Essential Question, list
most important elements of a concept, list, or ask questions.
The Struble Technique
A few days before giving a major assessment, provide students with a copy of the test and a
multiple-choice bubble sheet. Ask students to bubble “A” if they are 100% sure they can
answer the question. Ask them to bubble “B” if they are not 100% sure they can respond
correctly to the question. The teacher can disaggregate the data to create a plan to address
student deficiencies. The teacher can also gauge his/her own instruction and evaluate where
more/less time needs to be allotted when this concept is taught again.
Admit Slips
Admit Slips enable students to focus their attention on the reading and study planned for class
by preparing responses, ideas, and questions that anticipate the reading for that day.
An Admit Slip should serve as a review and provide students an opportunity to provide their
insight on a question or topic. Generally, a bell-ringer activity would follow the next day with a
Think-Pair-Share activity or other activity where students would be able to share ideas on their
Admit Slips. The teacher would have an opportunity to evaluate and clarify any
misconceptions.
Connect Two*
Connect Two invites students to share the relationship between two vocabulary words in one
sentence. This is another strategy that can be differentiated based on the level of the
particular needs of the student. In one model, the teacher can provide pairs of words that the
student will use together to write a sentence that demonstrates not only an understanding of
the words but also makes clear the relationship between the two words. In a more advanced
model, students gain choice of words as they are provided a list of vocabulary words and then
choose words to pair together to complete the same activity. This strategy focuses on
comprehension, relationships, literacy, and fluency.
FIT Sheets*
A F-I-T Sheet is an instrument that teachers use to assess reading comprehension, interpretive
skills, and ability to make connections between content and real-life. Students share a (F) fact
from their reading. The fact may be a passage, a summary or a portion of a reading, or a truth
evident in an assignment. Then, the (I) interpret the significance of the fact. Students cannot
choose a fact arbitrarily or there will be nothing to interpret. Finally, students write at (T) tie-in
or connection to their own lives, history, or the real-world. Through these connections, our
students become better readers and improve their literacy skills. (Nicholl, 1992)
What Else?
This strategy is wonderful to help alleviate some of that test anxiety students feel surrounding
multiple-choice assessments. At the completion of the test, the students are able write any
additional information about the topic that they want on the back of the test. Teachers can
prompt students by writing a “What else?” question on the board. For instance, teachers could
ask, “What do you know about the Underground Railroad that I did not ask about on the test?”
This allows teachers to see what students are thinking about and what they valued from their
learning experience.
“What I Know…” Sentences*
Students are provided with one or two vocabulary words and instructed to write as many
sentences as they can about their words in the time provided. These students share their
sentences. The entire class listens and words together to add to the information provided by
the expert group. The teacher can ask coaching questions to get more information, clarify
misconceptions, and facilitate this student-generated discussion. This is a great activity to use
as a review before an assessment. Good sentences can be used as extra credit items, test
questions, etc.
Voicethread
A VoiceThread http://voicethread.com is an online slideshow (with images, documents, and/or
video). Users can narrate with text, audio, or video and the VoiceThread can be shared with
others. A great feature of VoiceThread is the capability for other users to comment on slides.
There are various pricing options, including a free educator account.
Other Online Literacy and Vocabulary Resources
Florida Center for Reading Research
The Student Center Activities section of the FCRR website
http://fcrr.org/Curriculum/SCAindex.htm includes an enormous amount of printable reading
activities. Divided by grade level and then by skill (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary,
fluency, and comprehension), these activities are designed for elementary students but can
certainly be resources for teachers who are working with students reading below grade level
and/or ESL students.
ReadWriteThink
This website is rich with resources, lesson plans, and interactives for literacy instruction. The
Student Materials Index http://readwritethink.org/student_mat/index.asp provides a wide
variety of interactive tools for reading activities. Each tool includes an introduction and related
lesson plans.
Scholastic Vocabulary Tools
Scholastic provides teachers with two tools to create printable vocabulary quizzes
http://wordwizard.scholastic.com/quizmaker/ and mini-dictionaries
http://wordwizard.scholastic.com/minidictionary/. Simply title your quiz/mini-dictionary and
enter a list of up to 25 words. You are then provided with a list of those words with the
corresponding definitions. If applicable, you can choose among multiple definitions to tailor
the vocabulary lesson. The mini-dictionary will include the words, parts of speech, and
definition(s). The vocabulary quiz will include a word list with fill-in-the-blank definitions.
Text to Speech
Natural Reader http://www.naturalreaders.com/download.htm and Yak It To Me!
http://www.yakitome.com/ are free text-to-speech software options. The free version of
Natural Reader (requires download) includes the functionality to read aloud any text in your
computer and allows you to change speed and speaker. Yak It To Me! enables users to upload
documents or paste text, choose voice, speed, and save the file as an Mp3 or wav format.
Online Flashcards
Students need multiple exposures to vocabulary words, and online flashcards can be used as a
tool to provide students with another word study experience. There are various flashcard
websites that include public user-created card sets as well as options to create and save your
own cards. Additionally, sites like FlashcardDB offer free registration so users can customize
study options, making the practice3 experience more individualized.
Web Resources for Literacy and Vocabulary
Teachers’ Domain – www.teachersdomain.org/special/adlit/
Literacy Design Collaborative -- http://www.literacydesigncollaborative.org/
Teaching Channel – www.teachingchannel.org
Lesson Writer – www.lessonwriter.com
Flashcard Exchange – http://www.flashcardexchange.com/
Flashcard DB – http://flashcarddb.com/
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary – http://visual.merriam-webster.com/index.php
Confusing Words – http://www.confusingwords.com/
Wordsmyth – http://new.wordsmyth.net/
Animoto – http://animoto.com/
Word Ahead – http://www.wordahead.com/
Worksheet Works – www.worksheetworks.com
Today’s Meet – www.todaysmeet.com
Visuwords – www.visuwords.com
Lexipedia – http://www.lexipedia.com/
Graphic Organizers – http://delicious.com/murraygirl/graphicorganizers
Customizable Printables – http://www.educationalpress.org/index.asp
Voicethread – http://voicethread.com/ - home
Wordle – http://www.wordle.net/
Khan Academy – www.khanacademy.org
YouTube for Schools – http://www.youtube.com/teachers
The digital tools used during the course of this district-level training have been helpful to some
educators across the state. However, due to the rapidly changing digital environment, NCDPI
does not represent nor endorse that these tools are the exclusive digital tools for the purposes
outlined during this professional development offering.”
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