Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers
18. Think Alouds
-Basics:
Time Needed: Varies, 1-30 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: No material necessary.
-Process:
The process of the Think Aloud strategy is very simple. When using this strategy, the teacher simply “thinks aloud.” Often used when reading texts, the teacher reads a selection and models what he/she is thinking while reading. The goal of this strategy is to get students to think in the same way while reading, rather than reading straight through a passage without constructing any meaning. By following their teachers’ example, students should be able to increase their comprehension level of texts.
-Example:
This is a great strategy to use when reading a complicated science textbook. To begin a section, a teacher may read the first paragraph or so aloud, emphasizing when he/she needs to look up a word or when he/she uses other cues to understand the passage. He/she will also model the process of summing up the reading and connecting the reading to prior knowledge. After the teacher has modeled this, students then have an opportunity to do this on their own or in groups.
-Source:
Farr, R. and Conner, J. (2004). Using think-alouds to improve reading comprehension. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/102/.
19. Anticipation Guides
-Basics:
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Anticipation guide template, writing utensils for all students.
-Process:
Anticipation guides are composed of a series of questions which prepare students for the upcoming lesson. These questions often activate prior knowledge, identify misconceptions, or simply help the student focus on the topic ahead. These anticipation guides should be focused on four to six key ideas which will be discussed in the lesson. The goal of anticipation guides is to not only prepare students for the next topic but also motivate them to discover more about the topic. After learning more information, students go back and check the responses they recorded on their anticipation guides. At this point, they explain why they were correct or incorrect in their answers.
-Example:
Anticipation guides are great in language arts lessons where students will be reading a book. By completing the anticipation guide ahead of time, students activate prior knowledge they will need to remember while reading the book. They also may become interested in knowing what will happen in the book after answering a variety of interesting questions.
-Source:
Ansberry, K. and Morgan, E. (2007). More picture-perfect science lessons. United States: National Science Teachers Association.
20. Graphic Advance Organizers
-Basics:
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Graphic organizer template, writing utensils for all students.
-Process:
To being this process, the teacher creates or finds a graphic organizer which fits well with the topic the class will be studying. Rather than having students use this graphic organizer during the lesson, however, the teacher introduces the graphic organizer to them before the lesson begins. This allows him/her to give students an idea of what they will be learning and activate their prior knowledge about the subject.
-Example:
An example of a graphic advance organizer is included in the embedded lesson. Before students begin learning about Iraq, they fill out a simple Iraq Facts graphic organizer, which they will complete as they learn more about Iraq during the lesson.
-Source:
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Denver: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
21. Skimming
-Basics:
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Textbook or other instructional material.
-Process:
Skimming is a very simple process, but it can be very effective in preparing students to learn a new concept. In this strategy, students simply skim over the chapter or material they will soon be covering. Skimming involves reading all of the headings and subheadings to get an idea of the topic as well as the density of the information. When students come across something they do not know about, this can encourage them to make predictions about what they will learn.
-Example:
An example of skimming would be to use this strategy when preparing to learn about the Pythagorean Theorem in an eighth grade math class. Students have probably not had a lot of experience with similar concepts in the past, so skimming over material about the theorem would give help them identify parts of the chapter which may be especially intriguing to them or that they will need to pay close attention to in order to understand.
-Source:
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Denver: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
-Basics:
Time Needed: Varies, 1-30 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: No material necessary.
-Process:
The process of the Think Aloud strategy is very simple. When using this strategy, the teacher simply “thinks aloud.” Often used when reading texts, the teacher reads a selection and models what he/she is thinking while reading. The goal of this strategy is to get students to think in the same way while reading, rather than reading straight through a passage without constructing any meaning. By following their teachers’ example, students should be able to increase their comprehension level of texts.
-Example:
This is a great strategy to use when reading a complicated science textbook. To begin a section, a teacher may read the first paragraph or so aloud, emphasizing when he/she needs to look up a word or when he/she uses other cues to understand the passage. He/she will also model the process of summing up the reading and connecting the reading to prior knowledge. After the teacher has modeled this, students then have an opportunity to do this on their own or in groups.
-Source:
Farr, R. and Conner, J. (2004). Using think-alouds to improve reading comprehension. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/102/.
19. Anticipation Guides
-Basics:
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Anticipation guide template, writing utensils for all students.
-Process:
Anticipation guides are composed of a series of questions which prepare students for the upcoming lesson. These questions often activate prior knowledge, identify misconceptions, or simply help the student focus on the topic ahead. These anticipation guides should be focused on four to six key ideas which will be discussed in the lesson. The goal of anticipation guides is to not only prepare students for the next topic but also motivate them to discover more about the topic. After learning more information, students go back and check the responses they recorded on their anticipation guides. At this point, they explain why they were correct or incorrect in their answers.
-Example:
Anticipation guides are great in language arts lessons where students will be reading a book. By completing the anticipation guide ahead of time, students activate prior knowledge they will need to remember while reading the book. They also may become interested in knowing what will happen in the book after answering a variety of interesting questions.
-Source:
Ansberry, K. and Morgan, E. (2007). More picture-perfect science lessons. United States: National Science Teachers Association.
20. Graphic Advance Organizers
-Basics:
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Graphic organizer template, writing utensils for all students.
-Process:
To being this process, the teacher creates or finds a graphic organizer which fits well with the topic the class will be studying. Rather than having students use this graphic organizer during the lesson, however, the teacher introduces the graphic organizer to them before the lesson begins. This allows him/her to give students an idea of what they will be learning and activate their prior knowledge about the subject.
-Example:
An example of a graphic advance organizer is included in the embedded lesson. Before students begin learning about Iraq, they fill out a simple Iraq Facts graphic organizer, which they will complete as they learn more about Iraq during the lesson.
-Source:
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Denver: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
21. Skimming
-Basics:
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Textbook or other instructional material.
-Process:
Skimming is a very simple process, but it can be very effective in preparing students to learn a new concept. In this strategy, students simply skim over the chapter or material they will soon be covering. Skimming involves reading all of the headings and subheadings to get an idea of the topic as well as the density of the information. When students come across something they do not know about, this can encourage them to make predictions about what they will learn.
-Example:
An example of skimming would be to use this strategy when preparing to learn about the Pythagorean Theorem in an eighth grade math class. Students have probably not had a lot of experience with similar concepts in the past, so skimming over material about the theorem would give help them identify parts of the chapter which may be especially intriguing to them or that they will need to pay close attention to in order to understand.
-Source:
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Denver: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.