Practice
Procedure for Teaching Lists
Martin Kozloff
List knowledge. A subject that is either a thing that is particular or is a class of things has several features.
(1) Sometimes you want students simply to learn a list by rote because they will be reading about the items many times. Knowing the list prepares them.
(2) Other times, the objective is for students to FIND and ORGANIZE items found in text, as one part of comprehending text. “So, what does this document say about the different offices in the Roman republic?” http://www.utexas.edu/depts/classics/documents/RepGov.html
A. The following contain obvious lists that can be learned by memorization.
a. “The four largest moons of Jupiter (subject) are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto
(predicate: tells several things about the subject).” [This could be learned in one task.]
b. “The main reasons for the decline and fall of Rome (subject: a thing that is particular---not all civilizations, just Rome) were (1) overabundance; (2) overextension of territory; (3) political corruption; (4) excessive public expenditures; (5) moral decay; and (6) loss of patriotism (predicate: tells more---features of the decline of Rome).” Note, if you studied enough civilizations, you might be able to make a list of causes for the decline of the whole class of things that are civilizations, not just a particular EXAMPLE of one. This would be a statement about a concept: “All civilizations that decline had the following features….”
[This would be gone OVER in one task, and then repeated in the next lessons. By repetition, it will be learned.]
When you want students simply to learn a list by memorization, teach directly by stating several items on the list and having students memorize them. Repeat until students can say the whole list. A long list may take several days to firm up.
1. “Class. Here’s the list of main battles in the Greco-Persian War. Get ready to write them
down.” [Gain attention and focus. Frame the task.] “Marathon Thermopylae, Salamis,
Plataea.”
2. “Here we go. Marathon, Thermopylae. “ [model] Point to map locations.
3. “Say those two with me.”….. [lead]
4. “Say those two by yourselves. [test/check]
5. “Yes, Marathon, Thermopylae.” [verification]
6. “Next, Salamis and Plataea.” [model]
7. “Say those two with me.” [lead]
8. “Now by yourself.” [test/check]
9. “Yes, Salamis and Plataea.” [verification]
10. “Now I’ll say all four. Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, Plataea.”
11. Say all four with me.” [lead]
12. Your turn. Say all four.” [test/check]
13. “Yes, Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, Plataea. You are so smart.” [verification]
Now that students can SAY the list, you might continue with the next task---identify the location of each battle. “This is Marathon. What battle?... This is Thermopylae. What battle?...This is Salamis. What battle?...This is Plataea. What battle?... Now,I’ll say a name and you point to the location.”
Practice.
Middle school math. The unit is on parentheses. One lesson in the unit is multiplying parentheses using FOIL. FOIL is a routine---a sequence of steps. To do the routine, you need to know what F O I and L mean---that is what, each letters says (first, outside) AND what each letter SIGNIFIES (points to, means) in the expression (a +/- b) (c +/- d).
Therefore, you need to teach this BEFORE you teach the steps.
Write a procedure for teaching what FOIL means as a pre-skill for learning the FOIL routine. Tie F O I L to the terms here (a + b)(c + d), so that the words first, second, etc., point to something tangible. [Of course, tell that the letters will be different in other expressions, but that first, second, etc., are the same regardless of the numbers or letters.]
Two objectives.
1. When you ask, “What does (F, O, I, L) mean?” students answer correctly within 3 seconds.
2. When you show examples of (a +/- b) (c +/- d) using different letters, and say, “What letters
are (F, O, I, L)?” students answer correctly within 3 seconds.
3. When you SAY examples of F, O, I, and L (e.g., “a and d”) and ask, “Which part of FOIL is
that?” students answer correctly within 3 seconds.
HINT: The objectives tell you exactly what to teach and test.
More practice.
World history, From Pre-History to the Fall of Rome. You are covering early humans, very ancient India, China, Assyria 859-612 B.C. 247, Persia 538-330 B.C., Greece 331-100 B.C. (Alexander and his successors), Roman Republic 260-27 B.C., Roman Empire 27 B.C.-A.D. 180,
Arab Empire A.D. 634-880. Memorizing the list and a few beginning facts (dates, location in the world) is a good idea. It gives a big picture AND it prepares students for an early Unit in which you present a general theory or model of the rise, growth, and decay of civilizations.
Glubb.
How might you teach the list for the first time? [You assume that with repetition of the list and with GUIDED usage (“What was before the Roman Empire?...”) students will eventually have the whole list down.
Hints.
1. Guided Notes.
2. Maps.
3. Use the procedure for teaching lists. Model-lead-test ever chunk of information.
Even more practice.
High School Spanish 3. Strands in the course include vocabulary, grammar, reading fluency, culture, and literature. You are starting a unit on Don Quixote. Naturally, you want students to know something about Miguel de Cervantes, the times in which he wrote, and the book.
1. Go here (or other sites) and find facts to teach as a list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes
2. List them.
3. Do you have to define any concepts as you teach the list? [using synonyms or a quick
definition]
“Don Quixoteis cited as the first classic model of the modern romance or novel, and it has served as the prototype of the comic novel”
4. How would you supplement your words? Hint.
B. Another kind of list is made FROM items embedded in a document. Instead of YOU teaching the list by rote, as above (telling students the items), the objective is that students FIND and ORGANIZE items in the text, as one part of comprehending text.
When you want students to find items in a text and then to organize the items into a list, teach like this:
(1) Model how to find items, and have students say the item.
(2) Make a running list of the items, and have students do this with you.
(3) Say the whole list, and then have students say it.
(4) Show students new text and help them to find and list the items. For example,
“What is the subject of THIS text? What is the thing the text is telling about?... That is the
subject. Okay, now find a sentence that tells SOMETHING about the subject. Number it
number 1 (and maybe underline it). Now find the next sentence that tells something about
the subject. Number it number 2…[Repeat until done.] Now say the subject and read the
whole numbered list of items that tell about the subject.”
Here’s part of a speech given by Patrick Henry (1736-1799), who wanted strong state governments and a weak central government, which he feared would eventually become a tyranny. He is presenting his case against the Constitution just written—that it would not prevent tyranny. He uses powerful language, but basically he LISTS weaknesses of the Constitution.
I have added comments and have numbered what I think are items on the list.
“This Constitution is said to have beautiful features; but when I come to examine these features, sir, they [SUBJECT!!] appear to me horribly frightful. Among other deformities,(1) it has an awful squinting; it squints toward monarchy, and does not this raise indignation in the breast of every true American? Your president may easily become king. (2) Your Senate is so imperfectly constructed that your dearest rights may be sacrificed to what may be a small minority; and a very small minority may continue for ever unchangeably this government, altho horridly defective. (3) Where are your checks in this government? Your strongholds will be in the hands of your enemies. (4) It is on a supposition that your American governors shall be honest that all the good qualities of this government are founded; but its defective and imperfect construction puts it in their power to perpetrate the worst of mischiefs should they be bad men; and, sir, would not all the world, from the Eastern to the Western Hemisphere, blame our distracted folly in resting our rights upon the contingency of our rulers being good or bad?...
(5) Away with your president! we shall have a king: the army will salute him monarch; your militia will leave you, and assist in making him king, and fight against you: and what have you to oppose this force? What will then become of you and your rights? Will not absolute despotism ensue?” [Patrick Henry, anti-federalist, speech against ratifying Constitution. 1788]
Practice.
Write a procedure for teaching students to find and make a list of items. Use the procedure above.
Hint:
Gain attention.
Frame. What are they going to learn? What will they do when they learn it?
Model. A list is a set of features that tell more about a subject. So, what’s the first thing you have to show students to find? s ______
Model. Now that students know the s ______, they need to find s______ts that tell more about the s______. Show them how to do that.
Number each one.
Students write it down
Repeat to find more, and write them on a list.
Say the whole list.
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