Vanessa M. Johnson
Introduction
When exploring InTASC Standard #8, I realized the importance of incorporating a variety of instructional strategies. In teaching and learning at a Title I school, we service a special population of students who have unique needs. With a high population of Special Education and English Language Learners, it is essential that we integrate instructional strategies that meet them where they are. Throughout my graduate coursework and teaching English, I find that making connections between the students and the content is what makes instructional strategies work effectively for our diverse learners.
In this section, I have first included technology integration strategies that help to engage and support diverse learners. The tools I have included don't take place of instruction, but is used to support it. I have included both interactive and real life examples to show how technology can work for everyone. I next included different note taking strategies that require students to interact with their notes, so that instead of just taking them to recall and retain information, they can be used as working documents that are completely student centered. I last added writing strategies that I think benefit and enhance learning for struggling readers and writers. Together, these instructional strategies help students to achieve learning goals.
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Table of Contents
Technology Strategies
Achieve 3000: In the English and Reading classroom, the curriculum requires that students engage in a variety of texts and use various skills and strategies to understand the content. Integrating technology further engages students, especially if they are struggling readers. Achieve 3000 is an online reading program that provides students with differentiated grade level content that helps them to become better readers and writers. With this program, the student receive daily practice to independently read and use close reading strategies to build upon their skills. Using what is called the 5-Step Literacy Routine (pictured below), students are able to appropriately respond to a text in a variety of ways. I have also included a student sample pf the 5-Step Literacy Routine to show how multiple instructional strategies are used.
These polls engage students in the main idea of the article. It also gives them the opportunity to share what they think of the topic and how it applies to them. Before I have the students write, we usually discuss.
During the independent reading, I have the students highlight unfamiliar or important words. I also encourage them to stop and jot to ask questions and to summarize for notes they can use later on.
The thought questions give the students the opportunity to demonstrate understanding of the text.
These polls engage students in the main idea of the article. It also gives them the opportunity to share what they think of the topic and how it applies to them. Before I have the students write, we usually discuss.
Answer Garden: To introduce students to new material or to activate prior knowledge, I use AnswerGarden to quickly ask the students questions. As the students answer the questions, their answers are projected (pictured below) for them to see. I use this as a discussion starter and time to clarify for misunderstanding. For this particular AnswerGarden question, the students are asked “What makes a great friendship?” As a warm up question, the purpose of this is to get the students to brainstorm ideas for their Expository Essay which focuses on the qualities of a strong friendship. AnswerGarden is a great way to enhance student learning and to quickly assess progress as required of InTASC Standard #8.
Making Connections through Video: This standard requires that we engage learners in using a range of technology tools to access, interpret, evaluate, and apply information. By engaging the students in videos that align with the content, the student has the opportunity to apply what they have learned to what they experience in real life. In the video (shown to the right), the students were able to identify and apply the elements of characterization of the characters in a familiar film. Incorporating video that the students can identify or relate to activates prior knowledge and gives them opportunity to practice applying the new skills they have learned.
Note Taking Strategies
Guided Notes: Using guided notes in the classroom differentiates instruction and provides learners with the opportunity to develop reading and writing skills, especially for struggling students. I like to use guided notes as an instructional strategy because it helps supports different learning styles. In the guided notes (pictured right), the students watched a video on the elements of a biography and had to watch and listen for the information to include in their notes. In this example, I have also included the sticky note to demonstrate how the student was able to identify the elements of a specific biography we read in class, and effectively used the notes to do so. This example of guided notes supports and expands the learners ability to read, write, and listen to apply what they have learned.
Cornell Notes: Taking notes can be boring and repetitive for students. Using interactive Cornell Notes, the student can write meaningful notes that they can always add to or use for reference purposes. In the example, the students learned an new strategy called CUPS. I like Cornell Notes because you can combine a variety of instructional strategies in one document that is student created.
The first strategy the student used (pictured right) is the annotation strategy, where the student highlighted and color coded the parts of the CUPS strategy. I think it is important to do this to help students remember the acronym and to highlight important information.
Throughout the notes, I give the students the opportunity to stop and jot (which is another strategy) down examples and I have the students share them out. At the end of the notes, the students always summarize what they have learned in a few sentences, which allows me to check for understanding of the concepts they have learned.
Brainstorming/Prewriting Webs: Prior to writing the Expository Essay for each unit, I have the students collaborate together to create a brainstorming web. From these notes the students develop a controlling idea and thesis statement to guide their writing. The brainstorming map also includes supporting details that the students can reference while they write. This style of note taking, encourages positive collaboration where the students can pull ideas from one another while building on their own reading and writing skills.
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Close Reading Strategy Graphic Organizer: Having the students take notes using graphic organizers allows them to learn a new concept or skill and apply it simultaneously. In the Close Reading Graphic Organizer (pictured right), the students learned a reading analysis strategy called SOAPSTone. I provided the student with the notes and key look for's while reading.
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I also included a sticky note that I provide the students to make notes of the strategy while they read so that they can use it while they complete the analysis.
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To check for understanding, I have the students answer the questions in the right column to better understand the text. This note taking strategy pushes the students to think critically beyond the notes.
Writing Strategies
ACES Writing Strategy: I provide the students with this writing strategy so that they have a formula to use when writing an open ended response. For each reading assignment, I include a short answer question that requires the students to use evidence to support understanding of the text and any given skill taught. The ACES strategy helps struggling writers by providing sentence stems to guide writing and to keep it focused.
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In the student sample (pictured above) the short answer question was, "How did Martin feel about his brother's death?" The student used ACES and its answer stems to guide their writing. Short answer questions is an instructional strategy that helps students support understanding of a text with evidence and helps teachers for further planning.
SEE Writing Strategy: I provide the students with this writing strategy so that they have a less structured open ended responses than the previously mentioned strategy. For students who don't want to use the answer stem but still want to ensure that they have effectively answered the short answer question.
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In the student sample (pictured above) the students used the SEE Strategy to demonstrate understanding of making inferences. The student effectively answered the question but instead of the response being as structured as the first example, the student had the opportunity to write this response more freely. Using these two writing strategies differentiates the writing process and builds the students to become better writers.
Power Writing: This writing strategy activates prior knowledge for the students when learning new material and can be used as a prewriting activity. I like this activity because it creates a sense of urgency because it is a timed activity. It also serves as a great discussion starter, where the students can reference their own ideas.
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In the samples (pictured below), two students were preparing to write expository essays about racism, prejudice, and oppression. I gave the students 10 minutes to write all that they could think of when it came to those words. During the writing process, I allow the students to use their power writing activity for the Expository essay.
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For the Power Writing activity, I do not give the students a specific format or length, I just give them a specific time to write. In Sample 1, the students wrote a list of things that come to mind when they thought about the topic. I used this activity as a warm up, so that the students would have it as a discussion point and as a brainstom activity for writing. In looking at this sample, I know that I should have discussed the meaning of oppression, prejudice, and racism, to make the students.
In Sample 2, the student wrote her power writing activity in the form of an essay. During this activity, it is important to encourage the students to pull examples from their own life, and to offer their opinion. This student provided examples from the real life events that are happening right now. These examples could also be used as supporting details for the expository essay, and I often reference the students’ power writing to get the students to write.
For the Power Writing activity, I do not give the students a specific format or length, I just give them a specific time to write. In Sample 1, the students wrote a list of things that come to mind when they thought about the topic. I used this activity as a warm up, so that the students would have it as a discussion point and as a brainstom activity for writing. In looking at this sample, I know that I should have discussed the meaning of oppression, prejudice, and racism, to make the students.
Conclusion
According to Standard #8 the teacher must encourage learners to develop understanding of content by making learning engaging and purposeful. I found that instructional strategies requires teachers to make connections between them and the content and give them multiple opportunities practice and build on those skills. Technology, Note Taking, and Writing strategies are effective because it develops overall student performance.
Infusing lessons with technology it is an important instructional strategy because it prepares students for a world where innovation is an important part of our daily lives. I love that technology supports diverse learners and takes them beyond surface level learning. Teaching the students a set reading or writing skill is great, and technology is a tool they can use to apply those skills simultaneously.
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As an English and Reading teacher, note taking occurs often. What I noticed is that my students write the notes, but rarely do they use them any time after. I wanted to make note taking purposeful and interactive for the students. I included guided notes to begin because I want to gage the students’ ability to listen, and it gets them comfortable with the idea of self-paced notes. I then went in with annotated Cornell Notes, where I can ask students questions throughout and have them write color-coded responses. I also included graphic organizers where I provide the students with notes to learn how to prewrite and use close reading strategies.
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It is important to use instructional strategies to help students to become better writers. The writing strategies I have included incorporate culturally relevant learning experiences to apply what they have learned. I included two writing strategies for two different types of writers. The first strategy provides sentence stems while the other allows the students to write more freely. I then include the Power writing activity that encourages discourse and the use of the skill when practiced. To achieve the same learning goals for all students, I think that these writing strategies give multiple opportunities for them to demonstrate their work through a variety of work products.