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Activating Strategies

Activating Strategies. A combination of several Quality-Plus Teaching Strategies including… Background Knowledge Vocabulary Questioning. What are Activating Strategies?. Any cognitive strategy that activates student thinking [not an announcement or list of new content].

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Activating Strategies

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  1. Activating Strategies A combination of several Quality-Plus Teaching Strategies including… Background Knowledge Vocabulary Questioning

  2. What are Activating Strategies? Any cognitive strategy that activates student thinking [not an announcement or list of new content]

  3. Why use Activating Strategies? • Students become cognitively engaged and focused • We surface student misconceptions • Students feel empowered and more confident – “I already know something” – approaching the new material. • We gather informal data about how we might want to adapt the lesson plan(s) to match student knowledge or interest.

  4. When? Usually at the beginning of a lesson Allocate about 10% of acquisition lesson for this component

  5. Planning Questions • Does the activity link to students’ prior knowledge? • Does the activity link to the lesson content? • Will it motivate students? • How will I preview and teach key vocabulary?

  6. Sample Activating Strategies • KWL or KWL plus chart • Word Splash • Anticipation/Prediction Guide • Brainstorm and Categorize [post-its] • Brainstorm “Flexibility Style” & Web • Carousel Brainstorming • Four Corners • Draw a picture/diagram • Activating Acrostic • Sort Cards: Words or Pictures • Walking Tour [in classroom]

  7. More Activating Strategies • Write letter to teacher • What’s Already in my Head? [Speech Bubble] • Find Someone Who can Tell [People Bingo or Human Treasure Hunt] • Estimation Lineup [taking a position] • Five Words – Three Words • Medium Size Circle [like “Zones”] • Mental Imagery • Paired Verbal Fluency [like “Microlabs”] • Three Step Interview

  8. How do you know if your choice of strategy/activity was appropriate or effective? • Learners were mentally active during this time • Learners contributed information or personal ideas • Learners used appropriate vocabulary during lesson • Learners able to connect learning to current/old knowledge

  9. Reading Connection Creating Text Sets with Resources to Activate Learning • Organize by Units of Study across all curriculum areas • Might see brightly colored containers with labeled signs on them • Possibly housed in central location at BMS • Include a guide sheet with contents of container

  10. What is a Text Set? • Contain a wide variety of written texts • Contain materials that vary in length, difficulty, and text structure • Contains examples of text that are relevant, interesting, and accessible to most students • Give students several options for obtaining information

  11. Examples of Accessible Text • Poems • Short non-fiction selections • Fiction • Picture books • Newspaper articles • Short stories • Biographical information • Internet pieces • Student writing • Lists • Historical recounts • Photos • Postcards • Primary sources • Student-created resources • Quotes • Song Lyrics • Stamps • Letters and journals • Pictures of Artwork • Calendars • Recipes • Brochures • Maps • Charts and graphs • Catalogs • Menus • Almanacs • Magazine Articles • Games

  12. “When teachers make the transition from textbook only classrooms to multitext classrooms, the focus of study becomes concepts rather than the content of one particular book. Students gain both a broad perspective and an in-depth sense of the subject matter from reading many texts on the same topic. I know of no one textbook that contains enough information to help a student become even mildly expert on any topic.” Gail Ivey [Ed Leadership 2002]

  13. What are your key units of study [themes] for grade level content area? • Make a list of key units of study [themes] for the school year. You may want to use your instructional calendar. • Place in my box by the end of January!

  14. Resources • Learning-Focused Strategies Notebook Dr. Max Thompson 2003 • Acquisition Lessons Flipbook Carol Gardner and Debbie Taylor • Activators by Research for Better Teaching Jon Saphier and Mary Ann Haley 1993 • Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Cris Tovani 2004

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