Instructional Strategies List
1. Sketch to Stretch
Short, K., Harste, J. (with Burke, C.). (1996). Creating classrooms for authors and inquirers. Porstmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Description: This strategy helps students to discuss their individual questions from the text/assigned readings with the rest of the classroom. In the strategy, students choose the most important idea from their reading or reading log and create a visual representation of the idea. They are then asked to write why they chose to represent this particular idea, how it is important to them personally, and give an explanation of the visual they drew to represent it. The discussion of these visual ideas is started when the students participate in a "gallery" tour of the artwork. Students hang pictures around the room or leave on their desks while the entire class wonders about to look at the visual representations. Students make note of the name of the artist that created a powerful piece and this artist later stands before the class to explain how/where their drawing was created from the text. The discussion will then begin because students will make a connection to the text, the art, and their own lives.
Classroom use: I think this strategy has various uses in my classroom. The one that first comes to mind is during my poetry unit. I would use this strategy to teach about the “images” the author and poetry creates when it is read. I would read an example of a poetry piece that creates many images and have students create a picture of their favorite part or most important part of the poem. I would then have the students walk around the “gallery” of pictures to see which best represents the poem. I would have the person chosen describe their picture and decided on what to draw from the poem. Once the gallery is created from the poetry reading, it could even be used as a bulletin board reminder of the importance of details and descriptions in poetry. Another use is during novel studies, to summarize a chapter or to discuss important events in the text. I also think I could use this strategy as a summary tool or important event synthesis of science or social studies text.
2. Exit Slips
Exit Slips. (2008). Retreived March 5, 2010 from http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/exit_slips
Description: Exit slips are used to help students reflect on what they have learned and express their ideas. The teacher asks students one or two questions about the lessons taught or ideas presented and the students write their responses on an index card to be turned in as their “exit” from the classroom. Questions could include: What is one thing you learned today? What could you take from today’s lesson and how would you use it in the real world? One thing I did not understand… or I want to learn more about… The teacher uses the cards to review student comprehension and make judgments on the lesson: what needs to be retaught, what was done well, what students still need. This is a quick informal assessment that helps student and teacher.
Classroom Use: This strategy could be used at the end of any subject matter or lesson, depending on what you want the students to tell you. I would use this as a quick assessment of a new math topic, to see who has understanding or who needs further instruction. This could be a great tool for use in differentiating instruction. I would also use these slips to ask students a question about our novel study or reading, which I would then use as a discussion starter for the next class meeting. This could also work well as an “end of the day” reflection before leaving the classroom discussing the days learning.
3. SQR3
Sqr3 reading method. (2006). Retrived from http://rcn.icu.ehc.com/cpm/sqr3_reading_method.pdf
Description: SQR3 stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review. Students create a five column chart on paper with the headings S, Q, R, R, R. Students first “survey” their reading assignment by looking over the material for clues about how the text is organized. Students must being to think about what they already know about the reading or topic and any experiences they may have related to the topic. These ideas are written in the “S” column of the chart. They must also scan for a look at photos, tables, or other graphic sources. The second step in SQR3 involves students predicting questions that could be answered by the material, which gives the reader a purpose and meaning for the text. The students write the questions in their chart under the “Q” to further help them focus on interpretation of the information. Students then read the text, noting any useful information in their chart. Any useful information or the answers to their questions that are found in the text are written in the “R” column. Once they have read a section, students then take time to “recite” by taking time to see if they can recall facts or important points from what they have just read. Students can do this with a partner, small group, or whole class. This helps readers learn to summarize information instead of focus on all specific details. When students finish reading and reciting, they “review” the entire text by seeing how all the information fits together. This is best done whole group with a teacher guiding discussion questions. Students are able to add their ideas to the whole class setting. They evaluate the reading and try to organize all the information to fit prior knowledge and questions. They list these evaluations in the last column on the chart.
Classroom Use: I find this strategy especially useful in science and social studies text. Since much of the informational text seems more difficult for students to understand after just one reading, I believe this method helps students organize all the questions and facts gathered while reading. It also gives students a chance to talk about their different interpretations and facts gained from the reading. I have recently used the strategy when discussing animal adaptations. Students were able to create questions about the text and review their learning after reading when using this strategy. This method also works well when reading a novel when discussing author’s word choice, interpretations of certain events, and plot structure. For example: when discussing a chapter in “Pinballs,” the SQR3 method could be used as a pre-, during, and after reading activity. I would have the students complete an SQR3 sample chart with a chapter whole group. Then I would have them use the same strategy in pairs for another chapter. I like that students are able to use the strategy to come to a purpose for reading the text and what they hope to gain from the reading. It teaches students to be involved in the reading and requires their participation in group discussions of interpretations.
4. K-W-L Charts
Instructional strategies online. (2009). Retrived March 1,.2010 from http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/kwl/
Description: A K-W-L Chart is a way for students to organize information by activating prior knowledge and connecting it with new information. The teacher introduces a new topic to the classroom and has students create a three column chart with the topic indicated above. The column titles: “K”-Know, “W”-Want to Know, and “L”-Learned. Students then fill in the “know” column before reading or learning new information about the topic. This allows students to activate prior knowledge about the topic and will help them connect their knowledge with the learned information. The “Want to know” column is filled out next as the students write questions they have about the topic or what they want to know about the topic. This helps students set a purpose for reading and engages them in the text. After the teaching, reading, and learning takes place, students fill in the “Learned” column with new information that will connect to their prior knowledge. This chart helps students organize the steps of comprehension.
Classroom Use: I use the KWL strategy in all subject areas. Using this organizer in my classroom has proved to create an interest in a topic that would otherwise not have related to a student. We have currently used a K-W-L chart in discussing the NC history of the Wright Brothers by reading informational text in reading and social studies classes. Students first filled in the “K” and “W” portions of their chart to activate their prior knowledge about aviation and create questions they had about the Wright Brothers as people and the event they created. We shared our questions in a whole group discussion before reading. Students were able to add any questions to their chart that were created after whole group discussions. After reading the informational text and further researching the topic for video simulations and memorial information, students added to their charts any information gained from the readings in the “learned” column. The information that was gained from the reading and research was shared with a partner. These steps are easy to replicate for any content areas, thus the KWL chart is a great way to organize information and help students connect prior knowledge to current learning.
5. Think-Tac-Toe
Samblis,K.,(2006, April). Think-tac-toe, a motivating method of increasing comprehension. Retrived from http://www.reading.org/Publish.aspx?page=/publications/journals/rt/v59/i7/abstracts/rt-59-7-samblis.html&mode=redirect
Description: Think-Tac-Toe menu boards allow for student choice and increases comprehension of text by relating to student interests and learning styles. Students are able to choose their assignments to go along with text when they are given a 3x3 matrix of assignment ideas, much like a tic-tac-toe board. These assignments are created to appeal to all types of intelligences and interests of the students, so that all students are given an opportunity to make creative and well-thought out work products based on their individual strengths. Students also enjoy the game-like quality of the board because they are able to choose which three tasks to complete from the board. They do not have to complete all tasks on the board, just the three that best suit their interests and strengths. Students may complete extra tasks for extra credit.
Classroom Use: I have used the Think-Tac-Toe technique in my classroom several times to give students a choice of tasks related to topics. This technique is used as an after reading activity for students to show interpretation and comprehension of text. It works well as a differentiation activity for all learners in the classroom because different interest and learning style tasks are represented in the 3x3 matrix. Currently, I am using this technique as part of our research project of North Carolina Pirates. Students chose a pirate from a bag of six names, locate research (books and online texts) about their pirate, record and site their research, and complete a Think-Tac-Toe to synthesize and apply their learning about the pirate. On the board are different tasks: creating a song, pirate dictionary of terms, pirate flag, poem, PowerPoint, etc. Students are asked to choose one task from each row of the matrix to complete, for a total of three tasks completed.
6. Jigsaw
Aronson, E. (2010). Jigsaw classroom. Retrieved from http://www.jigsaw.org/.
Description: The jigsaw technique is a cooperative learning strategy that makes each student responsible for group success. Students are divided into small groups of five or six per group. They are given a topic to learn more about and each student is given a specific part of the text or research to become responsible for. Eventually students will come back to the group to share their “chunk” of the information and listen to their peers provide the rest of the information needed to fully understand the entire topic. To make sure that students give accurate information about their piece of the responsibility, students meet with students from other groups that have the same assignment to discuss before sharing with their original group. Students become “experts” on their topics and feel welcomed in the group for their information. They also do not become bogged down by the full weight of reading on the topic.
Classroom Use: This strategy can be used as all three parts of the reading process: before, during and after. I use this technique in my classroom especially when discussing Social Studies or Science text/ideas. Due to the different reading levels represented in my classroom, as well as the intense factual recall that is needed when reading information text, I have learned that many students have trouble breaking down the text because they feel they have to remember everything at once. I take an informational content area text and break it into parts for groups to become “experts” on. These expert groups then share the facts in “kid-friendly” language so the entire class gains a better understanding of how the topic relates to prior knowledge. This strategy is especially helpful with lower level students because they are given an opportunity to know more about a specific topic than their peers and be given a chance to teach a concept. I have most recently used this strategy when discussing our rocks and minerals science unit. Each student was responsible for a chunk of the information and I grouped these students to share their information with each other. They also completed a graphic organizer of the information to pull all their peers information together.
7. RAFT
Buehl, D. (2009). Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning: Third Edition. Newark, DE. International Reading Association.
Description: The RAFT strategy allows students to create a mental role-playing of characters and events to help improve their reading comprehension and writing technique. Authentic reading and writing activities have proven to facilitate understanding and the RAFT strategy gives students a chance to use imagination and creativity for better quality writing. The RAFT acronym stands for: R-Role of the writer, A-Audience for the writer, F-Format of the writing, T-Topic to be addressed in the writing. To prepare the activity, the teacher must analyze the important events or information the student needs to understand from the text. Then the teacher must brainstorm ideas of roles, audiences, writing formats, and topics to address when relating to the text. Students can be given the list of ideas for each area, or the whole class may be given the same role, audience, etc. The teacher should also help students discuss an understanding of their role and have students brainstorm the role with peers. The teacher can also provide examples of specific RAFT projects for students to consult before writing their own piece. Students take the role, audience, format, and topic to combine in an original writing piece that engages students based on their comprehension and interpretation of the text and class discussion.