Strategic Teaching Strategies
Before Strategies
· MEGA LISTENERS
o Pick one or two students before a passage is read or before a topic is discussed....they know that when you are finished, they will have to summarize the key points
· QUICK WRITE
o Write a prediction about text
o Write a summary of text
· ABC BRAINSTORMING
o Individually list as many words as possible associated with topic read in alphabetical order
o Assign each student a letter of the alphabet
o Each student writes a word that begins with his assigned letter about the topic in alphabetical order on chart to make a class summary
· ANTICIPATION GUIDE
o Mark each statement before reading text as agree with or disagree
o Mark each statement after reading text to confirm or correct predictions
· FIVE WORD PREDICTION
o Use only five words to make a prediction about text
o Use those five words to write a summary paragraph
· TABLE TALK
o Write a thought provoking statement or question related to the subject of the upcoming lesson on the chalkboard.
o Students have two minutes to read the topic, reflect, and write a response.
o Students have three minutes to share their response with a partner, reflect, and write a response to their partner’s statement.
o Pairs combine to form small groups of 4-6 students. Responses are shared within the group and one response is chosen to share with the whole class.
· PREREADING PLAN
o Provide students with a cue word or idea to stimulate thinking about a topic.
o Have students brainstorm words or concepts related to the topic. Write all ideas.
o After all the words and ideas are listed, go back to each word and ask the contributor why he or she suggested the word. Clarify ideas or elaborate on concepts.
o Read the text.
o After reading, revisit the original list of words and revise if necessary.
· WORD SPLASH
o Provide Select seven to ten meaningful words of phrases from the reading selection. Be sure to include not only similar words that will indicate the subject of the selection but also some of the words and phrases that seem contradictory to the others.
o Give each student a sheet and ask him/her to spend a little time thinking about what kind of story or article could include all of these words or phrases.
o Ask students to form small groups of three to five (or you can assign them to groups). In their groups, they should decide what the story will be about. They should also create a narrative or an explanation that will include all of the words or phrases.
o Ask each group to share their narrative or explanation. As they listen, students should look for common elements.
o Ask student to list the common elements they heard and list these elements on the board (or you could list them if students have trouble doing this).
o Individually, students now read a selection or an excerpt.
o In small groups or as a whole class, discuss the similarities and differences between the narratives they constructed prior to reading the selection, and the actual selection. It is very important to discuss the reasons for the differences. This discussion can highlight the number of possible approaches authors have available to them when deciding to write about a particular subject. Students' constructions may be perfectly logical without being exactly the same as the story or explanation the author constructed.
· SEMANTIC MAPS
o Select the main idea or topic of the passage; write it on a chart, overhead, or chalkboard; and put a circle around it.
o Have students brainstorm subtopics related to the topic. Use lines to connect to the main topic.
o Have students brainstorm specific vocabulary or ideas related to each subtopic. Record these ideas beneath each subtopic.
o Read the text and revise the Semantic Map to reflect new knowledge.
· SNOWBALL FIGHT
o Ask students to respond in writing to a quote, video clip, surprising fact or opinion.
o Students should ball their papers up and toss them to other students.
o Students will un-wad the papers they have been tossed and respond to the other student’s response.
o Repeat the process as many times a desired.
o The last student to respond must choose one statement to share that stands out to him as the most significant.
· LIST-GROUP-LABEL
o Write a cue word on the board or overhead.
o Have students brainstorm words or concepts related to the topic. Write down all ideas.
o Lead a discussion about whether any words should be eliminated, if so, why?
o Divide the class into groups of three or four. Have groups cluster the words and give each cluster a descriptive term.
o Have groups share their clusters and give reasons for their choices.
o Have students read the text. Afterward, have students revisit their clusters and modify, if necessary.
· CORNERS
o Pose an open-ended question to students and offer them multiple answers.
o Give students time to think about each option; then, have them move to a corner of the room that has been designated as the meeting place for those who hold the same opinion.
o In the meeting places, have students discuss why they think the option they chose is the best one. If groups are large, you may divide them into smaller groups and have multiple groups discuss an opinion.
o After a set amount of time, have groups share their reasons for choosing each option.
· FRAME OF REFERENCE
o Draw an oval (represents the picture in the frame) in the middle of a piece of chart paper or on the board.
o Place a key word or topic inside the oval.
o Draw a larger oval around your “picture” to represent the “mat” area.
o Ask students to give you words or phrases that come to mind when they think of the pictured word and record responses in the “mat” area.
o In the remaining area (or draw a rectangle around the two ovals on the board to represent the frame), ask students to tell you how they came to know their responses and record the information in the “frame”.
· PReP
o Prompt students’ initial associations with a new concept by asking students to say what comes to mind when they hear the key term or new concept.
o As students respond, the teacher records their associations (without making any comments).
o Next the teacher asks each respondent to reflect on their association by asking students to explain their responses.
o Last, students are asked to add any new ideas that have come to mind after hearing others’ ideas.
During Strategies
· X MARKS THE SPOT
o Use X to mark important information; Mark ? if you don’t understand (You can change marks to meet the your needs)
o If using textbook, use Post It Notes to record marks
· THINK ALOUD
o Read short passage; think about it; share thinking with partner; record thinking
o Repeat above
· CHUNK
o Read a short passage; discuss in small groups or whole class
o Repeat above
· TALK TO THE TEXT
o make notes, questions, comments in the margin
· HOT ROD [Hand over text; retell on demand]
o This strategy pairs students to read, talk, and listen during reading.
o One student orally reads a paragraph as the other student follows along silently.
o Then the students cover the text with their hands while the listener retells what the reader’s paragraph said.
o Students swap roles for the next paragraph and continue this pattern until all of the assigned passage has been read and retold.
· SAY SOMETHING
o Choose a text for the students to read and have them work in pairs.
o Designate a stopping point for reading.
o Have students read to the stopping point and then “say something” about the text to their partner.
o Allow pairs to choose the next stopping point. Students repeat steps 3 and 4 until they finish reading the text.
· CODING THE TEXT
o Using a read-aloud and thinking aloud, model for the students examples of making connections. These may include text-self, text-text, or text-world connections.
o While reading aloud, demonstrate how to code a section of text that elicits a connection by using a sticky note, a code (T-S = text-self, T-T = text-text, T-W = text-world), and a few words to describe the connection.
o Have the students work in small groups to read a short text and code the text. Have them share their ideas with the class.
o Encourage the students to code the text using sticky notes to record their ideas and use these as a basis of small and large group discussions.
· INSERT
o Engage in direct instruction and think aloud to teach the INSERT method.
o Introduce a topic and ask students to brainstorm lists of what they already know about it.
o Teach students the following modified notation system:
If an idea: Put this notation in the margin:
o confirms what you thought √ Insert a checkmark
o contradicts what you thought -- Insert a minus sign
o is new to you + Insert a plus sign
o confuses you ? Insert a question mark
o Encourage students to use the notation system in the margins of the informational text or on sticky notes as they read various parts of the text. For example, students place a checkmark (√) in the margin if the information they are reading verifies what is on the brainstorm list; they place a plus sign (+) if the information is new to them – not on their list; they place a minus sign (--) if the information contradicts or disproves information on the brainstorm list; they place a question mark (?) if the information is confusing.
o After the students finish reading and inserting symbols, use the information as the basis of discussion, to seek more information, to answer questions, or to raise new questions.
· JOT CHART
o Divide students into groups.
o Have students quickly skim the text to locate main ideas (subheadings) and fill in the main idea column on the jot chart.
o Within each group, assign each student a main idea on which to collect supporting details.
o Groups complete their jot charts by filling in details provided by group members.
· 3-2-1
o List 3 details, 2 questions, 1 connection
· MAGNET SUMMARY
o On the unlined side of the index card, the student writes 3 to 5 words that they are drawn to as they read the text.
o The student turns to the lined side of the card and writes a summary of the entire text using the words he has chosen in the summary. The student underlines his/her words as he/she uses them.
· READ-TALK-WRITE
o Students read a chunk of material for a specified time.
o Pair up students. One student should tell his/her partner as much as can be remembered without looking at the text and must keep talking for one minute. If he/she runs out of things to say, information can be repeated. Call time at the end of one minute and reverse the process. The second student may state the same information, but should try to say it in a different way, if possible. The listening partner needs to focus attentively without interrupting until it is his or her turn to talk.
o Each student writes what he or she knows about this passage. After writing as much as possible, students may reread the passage to check details.
o Repeat the process with the next chunk of text.
· KEY WORDS
o Use a highlighter to mark important words in passage
o If using textbook, list key words
o Turn and talk to another student about the words chosen
· THINK-PAIR-SHARE
o The teacher provokes students' thinking with a question or prompt or observation. The students should take a few moments (probably not minutes) just to THINK about the question.
o Using designated partners, nearby neighbors, or a desk-mate, students PAIR up to talk about the answer each came up with. They compare their mental or written notes and identify the answers they think are best, most convincing, or most unique.
o After students talk in pairs for a few moments (again, usually not minutes), the teacher calls for pairs to SHARE their thinking with the rest of the class. She can do this by going around in round-robin fashion, calling on each pair; or she can take answers as they are called out (or as hands are raised). Often, the teacher or a designated helper will record these responses on the board or on the overhead.
· TURN AND TALK
o Discuss passage read with small group or a partner
o Share with class information that you heard (not what you said) during discussion with partner or small group
· MARGIN NOTES
o Use Post It Notes to write notes about important information as one reads
· MEGA LISTENERS
o Pick one or two students before a passage is read or before a topic is discussed....they know that when you are finished, they will have to summarize the key points
After Strategies
· TURN AND TALK
o Discuss passage read with small group or a partner
o Share with class information that you heard (not what you said) during discussion with partner or small group
· NUTSHELL
o Write definition of a vocabulary word
· MARGIN NOTES
o Use Post It Notes to write notes about important information as one reads
· RETELL
o Read a passage and tell a partner the important points
· SAVE THE LAST WORD FOR ME
o Have students read a designated text.