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 dont 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 1s meet together, all of the 2s 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, Ive 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 theyre 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 cant 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 dont 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 students homework, the groups check their homework. The students get into their groups and discuss their answers. The talk should not include, Im right. Youre 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 days 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 days 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 teachers 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. 2. 3. 4. 5. What is your favorite search engine and why? When was the last time you used the internet to complete a classroom assignment? If you had to recommend a website to a friend, which one would you pick and why? What do you think would be the impact if the Internet was gone tomorrow? 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. 2. 3. 4. How would you have changed the ending of the story? Why did you decide to get involved in...? How did you think up your invention? 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?

HHEADINGS/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? IINTRODUCTION 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? EEVERY 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? EEND-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. SSUMMARY 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 (Kwhat they know). As they read/work through exercise, students record three things they learned (Wwhat they learned). After the reading/exercise, students write two questions about what they want to learn (Lwant 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.