Differentiated Instruction

Simple Strategies

 

3-step Definition (KWL) p. 5, 75

ABCD Active Listening

A interviews B; B interviews A; C interviews D; D interviews C.  Introduce partner to group or ABC grouping, Individual response; B’s response; C’s response.  Share with whole group.

 

Anticipation Guide p. 17, 32, 64

This teaching strategy promotes active involvement and enhances comprehension. The teacher prepares several declarative statements about the topic that being studied. Before reading, students discuss the statements in small groups or as a whole class, agreeing or disagreeing with them and supporting their views with reasons. Speculating and hypothesizing are encouraged at this point in the lesson. The teacher remains a neutral facilitator; encouraging debate and asking probing questions that require students to think carefully about their views. The discussion arouses students' curiosity and prepares them to assimilate the new information. After reading, students discuss the statements again, revising their responses in light of what they learned. Anticipation guides can be designed to create a mismatch between what the learner knows or believes and what is presented in the text, a situation that can lead students to think more critically about the information.

 

1.  www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/ 6-12/Reading/Reading%20Strategies/anticipation%20guide.htm

2.  http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/downloads/pdf/anticipation_guide.pdf

3.  http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson226/anticipation.pdf

4.  http://ih.esuhsd.org/anticipation_guide.htm

         

List-Group-Label  p. 49

This strategy is used to present vocabulary and concepts before reading so as to activate prior knowledge, stimulate thinking, and set purposes for learning. The students start with an array of words and work cooperatively to group (categorize) them and then label the categories. Students are thus using lesson-related words in the familiar context of their own experiences. This provides a foundation for encountering the words in the lesson, which is ordinarily a less familiar context. The teacher may prepare the list of words for students to work with, or the teacher may give students the topic, have them brainstorm words that they associate with the topic, and work with that list. In either case, groups are encouraged to discuss and compare their categories before reading (which will most likely be different from group to group) and then confirm or revise their thoughts after reading.

 

1.  http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/summerworkshop/hinkle/edlite-slide009.html

 

2.  http://www.justreadnow.com/strategies/list.htm

 

3.  http://learningcommunity202.org/PHS/indexreadspecial/list_group_label.html

 

A-Z Taxonomy p. 32

These are lists of words related to a specific topic or subject area, usually organized alphabetically.  Associate words, make connections, describe the characteristics.

 

Jig-Saw

This is a strategy where text is divided among individual or paired readers.  Each person or pair then reports the information learned from their section to the rest of the group.

 

1. http://www.litandlearn.lpb.org/lessons/lssn_jigsaw.pdf

2. http://www.ncrel.org/litweb/adolescent/strategies/jigsaw.php

3. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy036.shtml

4. http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/africanamerican/ciardiello.html

 

4 Corner p. 46, 47

The four-square strategy provides students with a visual representation of words and concepts in the form of a graphic or spatial organizer. The underlying function is to position several related terms, ideas, or concepts around one central element in a graphic or spatial organizer, then to help students understand the relationships that tie the various parts together.

OR   the four corner strategy can be a list of projects (outcomes) the student can choose to complete.  Each square might contain activities in different modalities (Visual/Auditory/Kinesthetic/Written) or different degrees of difficulty.

OR Given 4 choices or ideas, go to the corner and discuss.  Can also be used to strongly agree, agree, strongly disagree or disagree to a statement.

 

Interactive Loops

Uses:  Vocabulary, terms math facts, study questions.  Write terms, questions, etc. on one side of a 3 X 5 note card.  Put them in a vertical row.  Write the answer to your first card on the back of the second card; the answer to the second card on the back of the third card, etc. such that the answer to your last card is on the back of your first card.  Distribute cards randomly to students.  Choose one student to begin.  The first student reads the question side of his/her card.  The other students examine the answer side of their cards, and the student with the correct answer speaks out.  That student reads his/her question and waits for the correct answer.  Eventually the loop will end.  If you do not have enough cards to involve the whole class, run the loop more than once.  Involve the “listeners” by having them determine if the correct answer was given.

 

Word Swatting (The Flyswatter Game)

A list of words/pictures/symbols or definitions is displayed (overhead, poster board, blackboard, display chart).  Randomly write all these words on the board. Go over the words on the board, having the students listen. Divide the class into two teams.

One student from each team comes and stands in front of the board. They each hold one flyswatter. The teacher asks a question or for a definition. The first person at the board to hit the correct word gets the point for their team.

Then they pass the flyswatter on to another teammate. Teacher asks another question.  The flyswatter position clearly shows who got the answer first. This game can be used: to reinforce vocabulary; to practice pronunciation of minimal pairs; or as a quick review or warm up.

 

1. http://www.tjhsst.edu/~jleaf/tec/cellengines/four/flyswatter.html

2. http://okaatg.okstate.edu/tips/tips.html#Flyswatter%20Game

 

Graphing Me  p. 20, 21

This might be called linear equations.  This is a visual assessment.  You may use stickers, drawings, dots, bars.

 

Find Someone Who/Walk About Review (Bingo) p. 2, 66

This may be used as readiness or assessment.  This activity can be used as a "class builder".  Also, it provides the instructor an informal means to pre-assess student understanding of functions.

 

1. http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/slip.php?item=496

 

Think-Pair-Share p. 5

This is a structured approach to classroom discourse that aims to get all students actively involved in a discussion. First, the teacher asks the class a question and then signals time for individuals to THINK silently (teacher included) for several seconds. The teacher then signals students to PAIR up to exchange ideas. When pairs are finished, individual students SHARE with the entire class. Each phase can be initiated with a different cue, for example, a spoken word, a hand signal, or a colored card held up for all to see.

 

1. http://www.eazhull.org.uk/nlc/think,_pair,_share.htm

2. http://www.jhu.edu/gifted/teaching/strategies/brainstorm/thinkpairshare.htm

3. http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/cl1/CL/doingcl/thinkps.htm

 

 

PMI p. 202

PMI Charts are a type of chart or a graphic organizer in which a student examines the Plusses, Minuses, and Interesting things (or Implications) associated with a topic, decision, or idea.

For example, a student can use a PMI chart to help organize their thoughts about making a decision, evaluating the pros and cons of a debate topic , or comparing the advantages and disadvantages of an action.

1. http://www.education.tas.gov.au/english/PMI.htm

2. http://www.tandl.leon.k12.fl.us/lang/Elementary/GIplminin.html

 

Graphic Organizers

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/pmi/