DI Strategy Kit Team Leader: Beth Franks

Support Staff: Nikolette Edge, Stephanie Garcia, Alyssia Harper, Jason Henderson

http://educ524cn.weebly.com/di-kit.html

Nikolette Edge

Choral Response

All students respond to a teacher posed question or statement in unison. This can be used to review information taught previously, or for a new concept reviewed throughout a lesson. It serves two purposes. It allows you to quickly assess the students' understanding and reinforces the learning.

Clothesline

Teacher hangs a clothesline across the room and designates one end as having complete understanding of a topic and the other end as not understanding at all. Students then place themselves along the clothesline to show their understanding. This can be used to assess the learning of a topic. You can quickly determine how much more time needs to be spent.

On the Fence

Teacher gives a two sided topic and ask students to choose a side. Student that are not sure remain in the middle or “on the fence” and each side is given an opportunity to convince them to see their point of view.“On the Fence” is a way to have students begin thinking about both sides of a topic for an argumentative essay. They are able to first orally discuss the topic and clarify their thinking before writing.

Fist of Five

Students use their hand to express their feelings or understanding of a topic. The fist represents the most negative end of the spectrum and five fingers the most positive. Teachers can assess how much a class enjoyed a lesson or how much a student feels they understand a topic. It can also be used to assess the success of a group's interactions, or students' emotional well-being.

Tea Party

Students are given a piece of paper with a fact on it pertaining to a topic of study. They then get up and begin to share their fact and listen to the facts given by others. This allows students to learn key pieces of information while getting to move and talk to their classmates.

Individual Response Boards

The teacher asks a questions and the students write their answer on an individual board. Students hold up the board when the teacher signals. Response boards allow the teacher to assess the learning quickly and make adjustments where needed.

Index Summaries

Hand out index cards and ask students to write a summary statement of what they have learned. You may also have them write a short summary paragraph or have them write a question about what they have learned on one side. Teachers can then assess the understanding of a topic and address lingering questions.

The Teaching Channel

Stoplight Method-Teaching Channel

Teacher has a stop light represented by a green circle marked “what I

learned”, a yellow circle marked “what I considered or questions”, and a

red circle marked “what stopped my learning”. Students use a sticky note

to respond to one or more of the statements, and puts the note on one of

the lights. The teacher can address questions about the lesson and make

corrections in understanding where needed. “Stop Light” also has the

students reflect on what they learned or were confused about.

Be Sure To-Teaching Channel

Students write a “be sure to” which is a goal or action statement tied to an observation during

their lesson. They may also write what not to do. Students watch speeches or read an essay and

respond to their observations by noting what they want to be sure to do during their own

speech or writing. They may also note what they want to be sure not to do.

Silent Tea Party-Teaching Channel

Students receive a quote from a text they will read and questions they will use to reflect on the

quote. Each student receives a different quote and first reads their own and completes the

sheet. Students then silently get up and move around the room shaking hands with others

indicating that they will exchange quotes. Students must then decide which question they can

answer based on the quote received. After students have recoded the number of the quote

next to the question they answered, they shake hands again and return the quote. When time

is called, students will not be finished. So, they will then work with a group to complete the

sheet and discuss the questions. “Silent Tea Party” can be used to help students begin thinking

about a challenging text or character. They must think deeply to find meaning and analyze the

quote. Students also work within a group to clarify and discuss the meanings.

Beth Franks

One Minute Essay

The One Minute Essay is a version of the quickwrite. It can be used at the beginning or the end

of the class. If used at the beginning, it could be used as a bridge to connect to

the previous lesson. Students can write the main idea of the previous lesson or

summarize their assigned reading. At the end of the class, it can be used as an

exit ticket, where students write the most important thing they learned or ask

a question about something they don’t understand. The point is two-fold: to

get students writing every day and as an informal assessment. The teacher should look for

accuracy, precise language, and conciseness. Students should be instructed to constantly ask

themselves: Am I saying what I mean? Will my reader understand what I've written?

Jigsaw Students are divided into “home” groups. Each member of the group is assigned a part of the

topic and/or a number (1, 2, 3, 4). Then all of the 1’s meet together, all of the 2’s

meet together and so on. Those groups then research their part of the

topic and become experts. The home groups then meet together again

where each expert member teaches the rest of the group about their

topic. Students must listen and respond to their peer teachers because

this is the only instruction on the topic they will receive. Each member has a piece of the puzzle

and the puzzle cannot be whole unless all group members participate.

Three Minute Pause

3-Minute Pause allows students to stop and absorb content while reading,

listening, or watching a movie, especially when learning large chunks of information. Students

can retreat to a group or pair up with a shoulder partner to reflect, summarize the information

or ask a question about the material. The entire activity should take three minutes. This will

make it easy to do more than one pause in a lesson. For students who have trouble verbalizing

their thoughts or those who have a hard time getting started, provide sentence frames such as:

• I changed my attitude about… • I related to…. • I became more aware of… • I agree/disagree with …. • I thought ______was interesting because… • I was surprised about…

Idea Spinner

The teacher makes a spinner with the following four quadrants labeled:

Predict, Explain, Summarize, and Evaluate. After presenting the material,

the teacher spins and asks the class a question according to the location of

the pointer. For example, if the pointer lands on Explain, the teacher might

say, “Explain or clarify in your own words the concept of ….”

Inside-Outside Circle

Students are divided into two groups. The inside group forms a circle facing outward. The

outside group forms a circle around the inside group facing inward. Students

across from one another are partners. The teacher can pose questions or

statements and the students have ten seconds of think time. Then the inside

members begin speaking. When they are finished, they say, “pass” and the

outside member responds or adds to the statement. The teacher then asks

the inside group to step two paces to the right and new partners are formed.

This can be repeated as many times as needed. This is a good way for students to interact with

people they might not normally talk to or work with.

Think-Pair-Share

The teacher poses a question or

statement. Think: the students

take time to think about it. Pair:

Then they turn to a shoulder

partner and discuss their thoughts

with each other. Share: the partners then share their ideas with the whole class.

Circle Maps

This graphic organizer is very simple and easy to use. Draw two circles, one inside the other. In

the center circle, write the topic. Then in the

surrounding circle, brainstorm thoughts and

ideas about the topic. The Circle Map is very

versatile. It can be used to express

knowledge about the topic, character traits,

adjectives, synonyms, etc. It can be used with

pictures or words.

Bubble Maps

This graphic organizer is used to describe a word or topic. Then describing

words or pictures are added in the surrounding bubbles. The number of

bubbles is only restricted to the amount of space you have.

Double Bubble Maps

While the Bubble Map is limited to adjectives, the Double Bubble

Map is used for comparing and contrasting. Two bubble maps

are joined together in the middle where the similarities are

written. The differences are written in the outside bubbles.

More bubbles can be added.

Bridge Maps

Bridge Maps show relationships between words or ideas. It is a way to visualize and develop

analogies.

Tree Maps

This graphic organizer is used to classify information. Words or ideas are sorted into categories.

Tree maps come in many sizes and shapes. They can be very simple or very complicated,

making it a really versatile tool.

Show Me the Word

This vocabulary activity allows students to show what they know even if they do not speak well in front of others. Students fold a piece of paper in half, in half again, and in half again. When open, there should be eight boxes. Students write one vocabulary word in each box. They need to write it big enough to fill the box. They can use both sides of the paper, depending on how many words there are. The teacher can describe a vocabulary word or give the definition. Then the teacher says, “Show Me the Word!” Students must fold the paper until the correct word is showing and then show the word to the teacher. The teacher can look over the class and say, “you are correct” or “try again,” which sends the student feverishly folding again.

The Teaching Channel

Using Sentence Frames to Jumpstart Writing

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/jumpstart-student-writing

The teacher makes sentence frames on sentence strips based on the lesson for the day. These sentence frames can be used for discussion and/or for writing. The teacher in the video is

teaching about Lewis and Clark. She wrote this sentence frame: “The author thinks exploring is____________________.” She requires that students prove their answer to her from the text. They do not have to use the sentence frame, but may if they want to. This is particularly good for English language learners because they need the example of academic language. However, it is good for native speakers as well because many times, they need a model of academic language as well. Another sentence frame she provides is, “I think Lewis and Clark were _____________ because ______________.” The frames are not only a model for speaking, but for writing as well. They give the students a starting point so they are not just staring at the page. The teacher states, “I’ve taken part of the job of writing away from the student so they can focus on the content.”

Supporting ELLs Through Project-Based Learning https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/ell-support-through-pbl-inps This video is in a high school science class, but the concept of project-based learning spans all content areas. By grouping students heterogeneously, in a group with mixed language levels, students can learn from one another. When students can work on a hands-on project in a small group, they will be more engaged. “Heterogeneous group work supports all students to engage in productive group work.” The teacher states, “The real conversations happen when kids are able to talk to each other about what it is they’re doing.” One of the differentiation strategies that was not talked about, but seen, is a worksheet. It has a place for students to write in English and their native language (“in my language.”) This way students whose native language is not English can develop the concept in English as well as in their own language. This solidifies and cements in what is being learned.

Stephanie Garcia

Brace Maps The brace map helps students organize the details of a particular subject/idea. The subject begins as a broad or general, and the student then organizes it into more detailed or specific parts. The idea is to get students to think deeper on a particular subject. On the left, write the name of the whole subject. Then, write major parts of that subject. Then each of those parts can have subparts as well.

Flow Maps/Charts Flow maps helps students to show

sequences or orders to a process. It can be

used to explain an order of events. Outside

of the boxes, write the name of the process

being described. Inside the first box should

be the first step/sequence. Then in the

second box is the next step/sequence and so on until the process is complete. Smaller boxes

can be used for substages. This helps students learn routines, sequences to solve problems, or

even processes to think logically.

Multi-flow Maps These maps can be used to show cause-and-effect relationships. Students can map the results

or effects of an event. In a larger rectangle, the

single event is listed. To the left of that rectangle,

the student will list the causes of that event. To

the right, the student will list the effects of the

event. Students can use this to analyze moments

in history. It can also be used to analyze social

aspects, such as friendship, bullying, etc.

Colored Cups Each student is given three cups: red, yellow, and green.

The red cup means the student is stuck and can’t move

on. The yellow means that the student is unsure if they

understand a topic. The green means they fully

understand. The students leave them on their desks

during a lesson or homework time to give the teacher a

visual of what is going on with each student. There is a caution though. Students may be

hesitant showing that they need help. If almost everybody else has a green or yellow cup, a

student may not want to state they don’t get it in front of everybody.

Graffiti Wall Teachers give students a prompt about a topic in class. Somewhere

in the classroom, the teacher has a board, wall, or sheet of butcher

paper that the students can write on. After the students read

through the prompt/question and the teacher gives an example of

an appropriate answer, the students take turns writing their

answers on the wall.

Shape Ups This activity gives students choices. There are generally two to four different shapes students

must complete an activity for. Then each shape has two to three choices of activities to

complete. It is similar to tic-tac-toe, but they have to match one activity for each of the shapes.

Think-Tac-Toe Students are given options in the format of a Tic-Tac-Toe board.

They must complete the Tic-Tac-Toe board by choosing three

options that “win” the game: three vertical activities, three

horizontal activities, or three diagonal activities. This activity gives

students options to complete, but the teacher still somewhat

controls which activities are available. The first row of activities is

simple, the middle row is a little more complex, and the bottom

row contains the hardest activities.

Homework Checkers Students are assigned in groups. Instead of the teacher checking each student’s homework, the

groups check their homework. The students get into their groups and discuss their answers. The

talk should not include, “I’m right. You’re wrong,” talk. It should be a discussion of the work. If

there is a disagreement, they need to work together to decide where the disagreement lies.

They should work together until they reach agreement.

Pass the Ball Pass the ball is a great review activity. It can be an individual or group

activity. The teacher asks the student/group with the ball a question.

If they get the question correct, they get to shoot the ball in the

hoop. The teacher can then also put tape on the floor to correspond

for different points. Closer to the basket would be lower points while

further away would be more points. Assuming the students will almost

go for the larger number of points but will not always necessarily make it.

RSQC2 Recall, summarize, question, connect, and comment. This can be used as a starter, exit ticket or

even throughout a unit. The students create a list of things they recall on a certain topic. Then

they summarize what was presented in a day’s content. They also come up with questions they

still have on that subject. They can connect it to other things they have previously learned or

experienced, and then the students finally comment on any part of the subject. This helps

teachers get insight into what the students have learned and any misconceptions.

Walking Through the Pages This could be an introductory lesson to a unit or subject. The students look through the section

putting sticky notes on different pages that they may have questions on, pictures they are

interested in, things they may already know, etc. Then the teacher asks for the students to

share what they put notes on. While the students are talking, the teacher makes his/her own

sticky notes to note where the students are interested or have questions.

The Teaching Channel

Snowball Effect Sometimes a topic may be overwhelming for students to take in all in one day. This activity

presents materials in pieces. It starts with giving small readings (a paragraph or so) and/or

images to students about a particular subject. They first read the information to themselves to

pick out pieces of information that help build their own understanding. Then the students share

what they found out with a partner. They discuss the different pieces they discovered in the

readings. Then finally, they share with groups of around 4. Essentially, the students end up

teaching each other. They get to share the information they found through the readings and

the understandings they came up with. Then there is a final share-out with the class. This gives

the teacher an understanding of which pieces the students understood and which pieces they

did not pick out. Then the teacher can determine what to review over or teach the next day.

Alyssia Harper

Ticket out the door Ticket out the door is an easy way for students and teachers to reflect on the day’s lesson. You

would use this as a way of assessing if your students grasped the main concepts of the day. You

would either have them use a scratch sheet of paper or have a premade form ready to use.

They students would be required to write one or two statements about the lesson along with a

predetermined question. This is an example of one teacher’s idea:

Cubing

Cubing is a critical thinking strategy. Students will use this in order to think deeply about a

subject or to use it to brainstorm for ideas. The way to use this strategy is to create a cube and

have the students roll the cube and they will then complete which ever activity that comes up.

Each side of the cube will provide a writing prompt that addresses one aspect of the topic. The

six sides are:

1. Describe- Students will describe the topic as thoroughly as possible in words, including as

many details as they can think of.

2. Compare- Students will compare and contrast the topic to something else, finding similarities

and differences.

3. Associate- Using free association, students will list things that this topic brings to mind.

4. Analyze- Students will break the topic down into its component parts and materials, or

analyze it in terms of causes, effects, or relationships.

5. Apply- Students will think of some of the ways this topic is used or what its affect has been in

the world or everyday life.

6. Argue for or against- Students will come up with positive and negative attributes of the topic,

and defend their argument.

You can change the sides of the cube based on your need and can be used for any subject

depending on the need for your classroom.

RAFT RAFT is a writing strategy that allows the students to think about who they are writing to and

writing from different viewpoints.

Role of the Writer: Who or what are you as the writer? A pilgrim? A soldier? The President?

Audience: To whom are you writing? A friend? Your teacher? Readers of a newspaper?

Format: In what format are you writing? A letter? A poem? A speech?

Topic and strong verb: What are you writing about? Why? What's the subject or the point?

This strategy can be used with in a small group or for single students. When you first

implement this strategy in the classroom it might be helpful to have all of the students

complete the same prompt, but later on you can either allow them to choose or assign

different ones.

3-2-1 Summarizer 3-2-1 summarizer is an extremely helpful resource for all ages and all subjects. This is a strategy

where you have the students write down 3 things that they discovered, 2 things that they found

interesting, and 1 question that they still have. I think that this is also a great way to reflect on

your teaching. If most of the students have the same or similar question chances are there is a

gap in your teaching.

3-2-1 Summarizer 3-2-1 summarizer is an extremely helpful resource for all

ages and all subjects. This is a strategy where you have the

students write down 3 things that they discovered, 2 things

that they found interesting, and 1 question that they still

have. I think that this is also a great way to reflect on your

teaching. If most of the students have the same or similar

question chances are there is a gap in your teaching.

I Have – Who Has This is a great review strategy that the students will have so much fun completing that they will

forget that they are learning. The students will have a deck of cards distributed among them.

The first half will contain a term and the bottom half a new question. An example of the way

the game goes:

1. Pick a first person who will only read the bottom half of his/her card (often the teacher joins

in the game and goes first). It will be the question. For example, "Who has ‘a triangle with an

angle of 90°?"

2. The person whose card says on the top ‘right triangle’ gets to read his/her card (both top and

bottom). So, for example, the person with ‘right triangle’ would read, "I have ‘right triangle’,

who has ‘a triangle with one angle that measures more than 90 degrees?’ “

4. Then the person with the card that has ‘obtuse angle’ on top will read his/her card. If

everyone is paying attention and knows their facts, everyone will read their card and

eventually, the last person will read a question and the answer will be the top half of the card

of the person who started the round.

One school also had it set up where you could use Skype (or any video chat) to play the game

with another class in the district. They had someone who would set everything up including

getting the cards to the other class. I know that my students would love this idea!

Even Dozen With this strategy the class will get into groups to discuss an article, a movie, lesson, or

whatever they just completed and gather the main ideas. The students will then create 12

boxes and write down what they believe are the 12 best main ideas. Once that is completed

the fun begins! One student comes up and picks a box and must then explain what is in the box

and then write “1” within that box. The next student comes up picks a box, explains what is in

that box, and then they must tell how it is related to box one. This will continue until all of the

boxes have been explained. This obviously gets harder with the more boxes you have to relate

it to.

ABC Review ABC review is a fast and easy way to review a topic and allows the

students to learn how to think quickly and stay on topic. For this strategy

you simply have a bucket of letters that the students will choose from.

Once they choose a letter they will then try and think of words that begin

with that letter that is on the subject.

Divide and Conquer The class is broken down into groups and assigned a set of questions and problems. The groups

take turn going up and answering the questions or problems with the help of their group. This

seems like a very simple strategy to implement.

Trash Basketball This is a great review strategy for students of all ages. Before class you will put tape in the

different spots around your trashcan. One by one students will come up and take turns

answering questions, and if they get it correct they earn a “basketball.” The student will then

have an opportunity to shoot from the 10, 20, or 30 point line. Have the students keep their

own score and it might also be fun to incorporate a “trick shot” point bonus.

Hot Seat I have found two ways to use this strategy. First, it could be used as an attention grabber and

perk the interest of students before you begin a new topic. You would do this by:

1. Prior to the beginning of class, the teacher will prepare questions related to the topic of study and write them on sticky notes. Four to five questions are usually enough.

2. Place the sticky notes underneath student desks/chairs so that they are hidden from view.

3. At the start of the class, inform students that several of them are sitting on "Hot Seats" and will be asked to answer questions related to the topic of study for the day.

4. Have students check their desks/chairs for the strategically placed sticky notes.

5. Students who have questions on sticky notes will then take turns reading the question and attempting to provide an answer. Due to the nature of this motivational activity, these should be questions that students are able to answer.

Example questions include:

Internet:

1. What is your favorite search engine and why?

2. When was the last time you used the internet to complete a classroom assignment?

3. If you had to recommend a website to a friend, which one would you pick and why?

4. What do you think would be the impact if the Internet was gone tomorrow?

5. Do you think that students should be allowed to use the Internet unsupervised? Why or why not?

The next way to use this is as a review or it could be an oral research project. The student could research a topic, a person, or a book and choose to be something from their topic. They will then enter the hot seat and allow other students to ask them questions.

Sample questions:

1. How would you have changed the ending of the story? 2. Why did you decide to get involved in...? 3. How did you think up your invention? 4. How do you think you have changed the world?

Students are THIEVES

This strategy is a great way for students to use their previewing skills in order to become

familiar with the text assigned. Students will work together by following the acronym THIEVES

in order to “steal” information from the text to discuss with their group or partner and to better

understand the material. Here is what each letter stands for along with helpful questions to

ask:

T……. TITLE

What is the title?

What do I already know about this topic?

What does this topic have to do with the preceding chapter?

Does the title express a point of view?

What do I think I will be reading about?

H……HEADINGS/SUBHEADINGS

What does this heading tell me I will be reading about?

What is the topic of the paragraph beneath it?

How can I turn this heading into a question that is likely to be answered in the text?

I……INTRODUCTION

Is there an opening paragraph, perhaps italicized?

Does the first paragraph introduce the chapter?

What does the introduction tell me I will be reading about?

E……EVERY FIRST SENTENCE IN A PARAGRAPH

What do I think this chapter is going to be about, based on the first sentence in each

paragraph?

V ……VISUALS AND VOCABULARY

Does the chapter include photographs, drawings, maps, charts, or graphs?

What can I learn from the visuals in a chapter?

How do captions help me better understand the meaning?

Is there a list of key vocabulary terms and definitions?

Are there important words in boldface type throughout the chapter?

Do I know what the bold-faced words mean?

Can I tell the meaning of the boldfaced words from the sentences in which they are embedded?

E……END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS

What do the questions ask?

What information do I learn from the questions?

Let me keep in mind the end-of-chapter questions so that I may annotate my text where

pertinent information is located.

S……SUMMARY

What do I understand and recall about the topics covered in the summary?

Teaching Channel Strategy:

Vocabulary Paint Chips

This is a strategy that is great for teaching vocabulary words.

The school that I taught at actually had us teaching our

students ACT or SAT words every day in every class no matter

which subject you taught. This is also a great way to teach

students new terms when you begin a new chapter. The way

that you use this strategy is by having paint chips and writing

the work on the top color and then the different versions of the word in the related shades and

also the synonyms of the word. In the first slot the original word is written with the definition

and it also has the Latin root. The teacher also has a reward system set up where if a student

uses the word on the paint chip or any of the related words they get to place that color of

sticker on a sheet with their class. Before she passes out a set of new words she has them

posted and the whole class pronounces the words together so that they understand how to

properly say it and will hopefully feel more comfortable using the word. Overall, great strategy

that I hope to use in class!

Practicing Perseverance with “Lifelines”

This is a strategy that is used to practice problem solving, independent learning, and critical

thinking. Students are broken into independent learning groups that are mixed ability. The

students were given questions and told to not ask the teacher unless they are all completely

stumped. The students get three “lives” and they use their life if the teacher has to answer a

question for them. This allows to students to try to think through problems and seriously

consider which question they want to take to the teacher. This strategy also allows students to

explain things in their own words which may help a classmate who did not understand the first

time. This also allows a teacher to asses where there might be a misunderstanding in their

teaching if most groups are using a “life” on the same question.

Jason Henderson

Timed Pair Share

Students pair off then number 1-2. Teacher chooses either 1 or 2 to talk

first. That student talks about a topic for a particular length of time. Then

the other student speaks for that long.

Wise Sages

Teacher announces the topic. Students come up with as many questions as they can about the topic in three minutes. They can put these on post it notes. The group then goes through the questions and initials the ones they know the answer to. They then take turns choosing a question, looking to see who initialed it, then asking them to answer.

GIST

Summarize the main idea in your own words, no more than 25. Make sure all points are

covered. Then reduce it to 20. Then 15-10. You should be left with the main idea.

Four-Two-One

Teacher asks the students to generate 4 words that summarize the

main idea of a particular content. They then share with a group and

make a list of words they have in common. They then narrow it down to the 2

most relevant ones. Then have them narrow it down to one.

Vanity Plates Students take on the role of the topic to be studied for the purpose of creating a vanity plate. Assign a topic of study. Students create a vanity plate related to the topic of study. Have them share by lining up in parallel lines, student facing student. Rotate.

Learning Log At the end of class, students record two facts from the lesson and express

their opinion of their day.

Stop n Jot Student uses a preset sentence stem and completes his/her thoughts about the material he/she just read.

Pinch Cards On a large notecard, write four levels of understanding in student friendly terms, one on each corner. At any time during the lesson, ask students to PINCH their level of understanding on the card and hold them where you can see them.

K-W-L Before students read/begin an exercise, students explain two things they already know about the topic at hand (K—what they know). As they read/work through exercise, students record three things they learned (W—what they learned). After the reading/exercise, students write two questions about what they want to learn (L—want to learn).

One Minute Essay A one-minute essay question (or one-minute question) is a focused question with a specific goal that can, in fact, be answered within a minute or two.

Corroboration

Students are given multiple sources concerning one topic. Students work in pairs to determine which text is the most reliable, as well as determine main ideas of each article.

Keep it or Junk it

Students are put into pairs. The particular lesson at hand has several key terms and phrases that direct the lesson. Each set of students will lead the class in determining which words/phrases to keep or get rid of as determining the main idea of the lesson. The students leading the activity allow for the rest of the class to vote on the terms, to which the students are individually called on to explain why he/she voted to keep or get rid of the term/phrase.