ENGAGEMENT

Use Stories or Puppets in Social Problem Solving

Use stories or puppets to model and role-play children’s challenging social situations in order to look for possible solutions. Example:... View Article

Prime Students for Discussion with Free-Writing

Have students write low-stakes responses to a brief prompt to help get them ready for discussion. Example: At the start... View Article

Make Prompts Clear and Specific

When asking students to do a written task, make sure you are clear about the role, audience, format, and topic... View Article

Give Actionable Feedback on Students’ Written Work

Students need feedback on their work that allows them to make successful revisions. This includes showing your understanding of their... View Article

Invite Students to Develop Assessment Criteria

Students feel more engaged when they have the chance to determine criteria for how their writing will be assessed. Example:... View Article

Use Multilingual and Visual Guides for Vocabulary

By using vocabulary frames like the Frayer model, emerging bilingual students are given the opportunity to learn new vocabulary in... View Article

Invite Writing Across Languages

By giving students the opportunity to write in their home language, they are are invited to explore their literary abilities... View Article

Group Multilingual Learners Together

Placing students in multilingual groupings will give them an opportunity to express themselves in the target language while allowing for... View Article

Preview Texts in Students’ Home Languages

Through the use of multilingual texts, emergent bilingual students are given the opportunity to access the content in their home... View Article

Use Stories to Explore Number Patterns

Use a sequencing story or song to explore how growing patterns work. Example: After sharing a story or song such... View Article

Create Nonverbal Classroom Conversations

Stimulate thought and conversation between students who struggle to express themselves verbally. Example: Contrary to dominant pedagogical practices, many students... View Article

Graph Coordinates on the Floor

Create a cartesian plane on the floor for students to practice their graphing skills. Example: Create cartesian plane on the... View Article

Provide Video and Visuals to Preview Content

Use visuals and video as part of a lesson opening to help students access new content in a unit or... View Article

Use Voicethread for Sharing Ideas

Ask students to share their thinking about a topic, image or reading by using voice, video or text with Voicethread.... View Article

Use Self Scoring to Increase Reflection

Before submitting an assignment, ask students to complete a self score using the same rubric you will use for grading.... View Article

Use Graded Writing to Set Goals

At the end of each writing unit, have students analyze their scored writing to develop personal goals for the next... View Article

Support Fiction Comprehension with Images

As students get older, the books we read to them have fewer visuals to support comprehension.  Teachers can create a... View Article

Provide Alternatives to Written Response with Flipgrid

Allow students to speak their words as an alternative to writing in the classroom with Flipgrid. Example: A student that... View Article

Provide Visual Reminders for Concepts Mastered in Isolation

Using a visual reminder of a skill mastered in isolated practice to other areas of student work can be a... View Article

Provide Students Modified Worksheets When Needed

Some students benefit from modified worksheets that have diversified displays and content to meet their needs. Consider building in scaffolds... View Article

Provide Models for Math Computation

When students are learning a new strategy for solving a math computation problem, include a model of a completed problem... View Article

Create Graduated Learning Objectives

Provide tiered learning objectives at different levels for what students will learn. Example: In a unit about a historical event,... View Article

Pair Text with Visuals to Increase Comprehension

When students are early readers they use pictures to support understanding of the text; Informational texts and adolescent novels rarely... View Article

Create Student Portfolios for Reflection

Instead of passing back graded work to take home, have students reflect on their graded work with a portfolio.   Example:... View Article

Give Students a Tic-Tac-Toe Assessment

Students can be given options to display their mastery of content material, allowing students to choose from a series of... View Article