From NY Times

• You can use this exercise in any number of ways depending on your subject area and learning goals. 

  • In a social studies class, students might collect songs related to a historical event, like the civil rights movement, or to a broader topic, like protest. 

  • In an English class, students might round up songs that use a specific literary device, like irony or metaphor, or songs that relate to a novel. 

  • Playlists can even be autobiographical, with students selecting songs that express different aspects of their identities.

• Have students create playlists on their own, or in small groups, with each student choosing a different song to contribute and write about. Students can share their playlists on YouTube or Spotify.

• For more ways to teach with music in The New York Times, see our lesson plan “Nine Teaching Ideas for Using Music to Inspire Student Writing.”

Directions

Choose one playlist from “The Playlist” column (New York Tines) to read. 

1. First, analyze the structure of the column. How is it organized and formatted? How many songs are included? About how long is the commentary on each song? Who are the authors?

2. Next, focus on the commentary. What kinds of information are included in the explanation of each song? Why do you think the critics chose to include this information?

3. Now, choose one song or video and its commentary to focus on.

• What is the author’s opinion of this song? Underline or highlight at least one line that communicates what the author thinks.

• Imagine a reader hadn’t heard this song. How does the author provide background and context so the reader knows what this song is about and where it fits into the genre or current music scene?

• What specific details — lyrics, instrumentals, rhythms and more — does the author share about this song? What do you think the author is trying to express through these particular details?

• Remember that the overarching theme for “The Playlist” is “the week’s most notable new songs and videos.” How does this track speak to that theme? Circle words or phrases that show how this song is “notable.”

4. Finally, take a look at the language the authors use throughout the playlist. Which words, phrases or lines stand out to you? Why? How would you describe the overall tone of this column?

5. Which “writer’s moves” from the playlist do you admire that you’d like to try in your own writing?

Going Further

Now it’s your turn: Create your own annotated playlist of songs around a particular topic, theme or event modeled after “The Playlist” column.

1. Identify a subject for your playlist and clearly define it (this can be assigned by a teacher).

2. Brainstorm a list of five to 10 songs that relate to that subject.

3. Write a paragraph-long annotation for each song. Like the Times critics, you should provide relevant background on the track; explain how the song relates to your topic, theme or event; include details from the song (e.g., lyrics, instruments, rhythm or melodies) that speak to that topic; and write with style.

4. Format your piece like “The Playlist” column and give it a title.

5. Present your annotated playlist to the class and (if available) share your collection of songs on YouTube or Spotify.

Circle Connections

Use this circle template to get students making connections! The only rule is there are no repeats! 

Possible ideas:

• Each student completes a page of circles as a “get to know you” activity where each circle represents an aspect or characteristic of that student

• Each circle could represent a different concept or topic they are learning about

• Each idea within one circle has to connect somehow to the one on either side (or for an additional challenge, to any circles “touching” it)

In BookSnaps, students find a passage from a book they’re reading that resonates with them. They snap a picture of it and annotate it, underlining and adding text reflections and including fun things like emojis and Bitmojis (optional). There are variations of these, like MathSnaps, ScienceSnaps, and even GratitudeSnaps. 

Snapchat is one tool many teachers and students use to create these annotations. (If you use Snapchat to do them, you don’t even have to follow each other or post it to Snapchat … just use the app to create the image!) If you don’t want to use Snapchat, take a snapshot (Insert > Image > Take a snapshot) using Google Slides or Drawings and add the annotations. 

Example: Reflect on a reading in a book with a BookSnap. Explain parts of a math problem with a MathSnap. Show what’s happening in a science lab with a ScienceSnap.

See more about BookSnaps on the Twitter hashtag (#BookSnaps).

Resource: #Booksnaps- How-To Videos

Exit Ticket Ideas

(from Ditch That Textbook)

In an article in the publication Educational Leadership by ASCD, Robert Marzano explains that there are four kinds of prompts teachers often use with exit slips — prompts that …

• Provide formative assessment data (How would you rate your current level of understanding of what we did today?)

• Stimulate student analysis (How hard did you work today? What could you have done to help yourself learn better?)

• Focus on instructional strategies (How did the group work today help you understand the content?)

• Are open communications to the teacher (What could I do differently to help you understand better?)

Exit tickets are also a research-based best practice for several reasons ...

• Students are second-most likely to recall what they learn at the very end of class (most: beginning). Therefore, the end of class is when their brains are primed for learning.

• When students recall what they've learned without textbooks or notes, it produces great long-term memory effects. 

• Reflection on learning -- and the learning process -- can help learning stick and help them become better students.

Exit Ticket Prompts

1. What two things stood out to you most today? Recalling what they've learned helps students store it in long-term memory. Plus, only asking for two isn't too overwhelming.

2. Do you agree or disagree with the topic today? Describe why. If you're studying a topic that has two or more sides, this lets the student decide where he/she stands and why.

3. If you had to describe what you learned today very simply to a young child, how would you describe it? Simplifying a concept into its most basic terms can help students boil it down to its key points.

4. Design a t-shirt that represents something you learned today. This is a fun twist, it's visual, and it lets students get creative.

5. Snap a selfie with your reaction to something you learned. Then, describe why you reacted that way. Then, describe why you reacted that way. This multimedia prompt utilizes the camera option that most devices offer. Plus, it's very personal -- the student's picture is in it!

6. What are you most confused about? This lets students get really honest. Plus, it can be very, very valuable information to guide your instruction.

7. What could you have done today to help yourself learn better? This introspective question helps students look metacognitively at their own learning -- and how they can improve their learning skills.

8. How hard did you work today on a scale of 1 to 4? Then, describe why you feel that way. Effort is important, and it's something we don't help students identify and evaluate. When students self-evaluate, it's a non-confrontational way to help them judge their own effort.

9. What could I, the teacher, do differently to help you learn? This turns the evaluation from student to teacher. It does open the teacher up to criticism, but it can be valuable feedback that can help you improve.

10. How are you doing? Just a simple social-emotional check-in can give the teacher valuable information and help the student to feel seen and heard.

11. The class sketchnote: At the end of class, ask students to draw, doodle, diagram, etc. a part of the lesson they remembered on the whiteboard/chalkboard at the front of class. Seeing everyone’s responses in one place is a fun visual experience. Plus, when you see lots of similar responses — or a lack of certain responses! — it can show you what stuck and what didn’t.

12. The sticky note mosaic: Grab a few pads of sticky notes of different colors. Tell students what each color stands for: something that know for sure, something they’re still unclear on, something they need to tell the teacher, etc. Stick the sticky notes on the board randomly or in groups as they leave. The colors will help you sort them quickly.

A “listicle” is a hybrid of a list and an article. Even before they had a name, these list-articles were used in magazines and online publications as a way to grab readers’ attention and share content in a quick, easy-to-read format. Using listicles with content in our classrooms allows students to practice reinforcing and clarifying knowledge as they create a short article connected to the content they are learning and then turn it into a list format. This instructional practice is an excellent formative assessment opportunity that gives students practice in thinking creatively.

Typically, listicles are numbered or bulleted. Each item in the list is followed by a paragraph or two that elaborates on the topic. For instance, a listicle called “Best New Mysteries for Middle Grade Readers” would list each book by title and author, provide some summary and commentary from the listicle-maker about each book that made the list, and perhaps include a photograph of each.

Preparation for Instruction

• Determine content appropriate for the development of a listicle by students. Conveying themes, ranking ideas, connecting content, or making claims are all good starting points for a listicle. Consider whether the listicle should be something like “Top Ten Causes of the Cold War,” with number one on the list being most important, or a listicle like “How does a virus feel about sugar?” in which the theme matters, rather than the ranking.

• Decide how students will develop the listicle. Will they work with a partner? Will the title of the listicle be provided for students, or will they determine that themselves? Will the listicles be posted around the room and students asked to add to them?

• Pull together a few listicle examples so students will have a model. Listicles are everywhere; finding examples is easy, as they are one of the most common forms of expository writing.

• Identify the time allotted for instruction, the location where students will develop their listicles, and the audience for the listicles. Additional considerations should include whether images or other necessary components will be incorporated into the listicle.

Instructional Strategies

• Poll students on their familiarity with listicles. Display an example of a recent listicle from a website, newspaper, or magazine.

• Analyze the format and components of the listicle:

• Did it bring up any initial wonderings or questions?

• How was it structured?

• How are images used?

• How is the text broken up?

• What is numbered?

• How does the content of the non-bolded text differ from the  bolded text?

• What did you learn?

• As a whole class, brainstorm topics that would make great listicles.

• Take one of the topics and model how to create a listicle for the class, thinking aloud through the decisions being made.

• Have students work with a partner or small group to develop a listicle connected to the course content.    

A Human Timeline activity requires students to learn about a particular event and then line up with peers according to their events’ chronology. This strategy uses movement to help students understand and remember the order of events.

Select Timeline’s Content

Establish a context for the chronology you want students to focus on. If you are studying a particular moment in history, such as the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, you would want students to be aware of key events that led up to this moment. Sometimes you also want students to know what occurred after the focal event. You should aim to include enough events on the timeline so that each student, or pairs of students, can be assigned one event.

Prepare Materials

In preparation for this activity, we suggest placing each of the events on an index card or a standard-size sheet of paper, along with the date when it occurred. Rather than distributing the timeline slips randomly, you might want to give certain students easier or more challenging items, depending on their strengths and weaknesses. When students present their timeline events, it is best if they are sitting or standing so that they are able to see and hear each other. This activity often works best if students stand or sit in a U-shaped line rather than in a straight-line formation.

Students Prepare for Presentations

Assign each student one event from the period that you are highlighting. Each event should be described along with the date it occurred. Whether students work individually or in pairs, here is an example of instructions you can provide:

• Read over your timeline event once or twice.

• Rewrite the timeline item in your own words. If you are having trouble writing the statement in your own words, ask for help.

An extension of this activity asks students to create or find an image that corresponds with their event.

Build Your Human Timeline 

Invite students to line up in the order of their events. Then, have students present their events. After each event is presented, students can suggest possible causes of the event and can pose questions about what happened and why. These questions can be posted on the board for students to answer later.

From: https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/human-timeline

The Iceberg Diagrams teaching strategy helps students gain awareness of the numerous underlying causes that give rise to an event. It’s often difficult for students to see these causes because they rest “beneath the surface.” The visual image of an iceberg helps students remember the importance of looking deeper than the surface in order to better understand events in the past or present. This strategy can be used as a way for students to organize their notes as they learn about a period in history, as a way to review material, or as an assessment tool.

Select an Event

Select an event that students are exploring in class. It can be an event from literature, history, or recent news. Students should already be familiar with this event.

Introduce the Iceberg Visual

Ask students to list what they know about icebergs, or you can show them a picture of an iceberg. The main idea you want to establish is that what one sees above the water is only the tip of the iceberg; the larger foundation rests below the surface. Then ask students to draw an iceberg on a piece of paper or in their journals, making sure that there is a tip, a water line, and a larger area below the surface. Their drawings should be large enough so that students can take notes within the iceberg. Or, use this handout.

The Tip of the Iceberg 

Ask students to list everything they know about the facts of a selected event in the “tip” area of the iceberg. Questions they should answer include: What happened? What choices were made in this situation? By whom? Who was affected? When did it happen? Where did it happen?

Beneath the Surface  

Ask students to think about what caused this event. In the bottom part of the iceberg (under the water), they should write answers to the question, “What factors influenced the particular choices made by the individuals and groups involved in this event?” These factors might include events from the past (i.e., an election, an economic depression, a natural disaster, a war, an invention) or aspects of human behavior or nature such as fear, obedience to authority, conformity, or opportunism. This step is often best done in groups so that students can brainstorm ideas together.

Debrief

Prompts you might use to guide journal writing and/or class discussion include:

• What did you learn from completing your iceberg?

• Of the causes listed in the bottom part of the iceberg, which one or two do you think are most significant? Why?

• What more would you need to know to better understand why this event took place?

• What could have been done, if anything, to prevent this event from happening?

• What have you learned about how to prevent similar events from happening in the future?

• How does the information in this iceberg help you better understand the world we live in today?

From: https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/iceberg-diagrams

An activity based on the S-I-T strategy provides a quick and straightforward way for students to demonstrate their engagement with a text, image, or video. In this activity, students identify what they find surprising, interesting, and troubling about the material. Because the activity gives students an opportunity to process and articulate a short response, it’s especially useful when students are encountering material they find shocking or an outcome that is counterintuitive. Having students complete an S-I-T activity can be an effective way to help them prepare for a class discussion in which you want everyone to have something to contribute. It can also be an effective prompt for an exit card at the end of a lesson.

1. Choose a text, image, or video that you expect students will find engaging and will want or need to discuss after reading or watching.

2. After reading, observing, or watching this stimulus, ask each student to identify the following:

• One Surprising fact or idea

• One Interesting fact or idea

• One Troubling fact or idea

3. Give students an opportunity to share and debrief their S-I-T responses, either in pairs or as a class discussion. Or collect their responses and read them to find out how students are feeling about and understanding the material presented in class.

From: https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/s-i-t-surprising-interesting-troubling

Say, Do, Mean

The following summary exercise can be used to assist students as they learn how to analyze an author’s argument. Say, Do, Mean scaffolds some of the important elements found in a rhetorical précis—a summary exercise that asks students to craft a concise analysis of an argument. 

From Facing History & Ourselves

Rationale

To engage with and analyze a text effectively, students need to be able to identify appropriate evidence, thinking about whether or not it supports their claims and argument. The purpose of this strategy is to help students distinguish between relevant and irrelevant evidence so that they can make appropriate selections for their analytical writing and debates.

Procedure

1. Model the Process of Determining the Relevance of Evidence
   In this exercise, students will identify evidence that is relevant to prove a particular claim. This activity is most effective if students have a basic command of the concept of relevance. Therefore, we suggest modeling this process with a few examples. We recommend that you start with a real-world example and then test students’ understanding in a literature-based example
   
   

2. Example 1: Real-World Claim: Cell phones should not be allowed in school.

   1. Which of the following pieces of evidence are relevant and support this claim? 

   2. Which of the following pieces of evidence are not relevant to this claim?

• Mobile phones distract from the learning environment. Students who text or play games on their phones during class do not hear directions or miss learning important content. 

• Many students today bring mobile phones to school. 

• Mobile phones are more affordable now than they were in 2000. 

• In surveys, some students report using their mobile phones to cheat in exams.

Here are some ideas to bring up during a discussion of this question:

1. (a) and (d) are both relevant to defending the claim. 

2. (b) provides accurate information but is irrelevant to proving the claim. 

3. (c) may or may not be accurate. It is also irrelevant to proving the claim.

Example 2: Literature-based Claim: Priestley presents the character of Mr Birling in An Inspector Calls as ignorant and out of touch.

1. Which of the following pieces of evidence are relevant and support this claim? 

2. Which of the following pieces of evidence are not relevant to this claim?

   • The Crofts are not celebrating the engagement dinner with the Birlings. 

   • Birling is looking forward to a time when Crofts and Birlings ‘are working together – for lower costs and higher prices’.

   • Birling believes that there ‘isn’t a chance of war’.

   • Birling speaks more than anyone else in the opening scene.

Here are some ideas that you might bring up during a discussion of this question:

1. While (a) may be correct, it is not relevant to supporting the claim about Mr Birling. 

2. (b) could be used: it suggests Mr Birling is out of touch, but it does not suggest he is ignorant. 

3. (c) is relevant evidence: it highlights how Birling is out of touch because he states that war is not going to happen, but the audience knows that not only did the First World War begin two years later, but that the Second World War broke out less than thirty years later. The dramatic irony makes Birling seem ignorant and out of touch with reality. 

4. (d) highlights Birling’s self-involved nature and the fact that he may be out of touch with the social situation, but not his ignorance.

3. Determine the Relevance of Text-based Evidence
   Continue to have students practice this exercise individually or in groups. Provide text-based analytical claims for students, and have each individual or group come up with three pieces of evidence that might be used to support the claim. Two of these selections should represent relevant evidence – evidence that addresses the particular claim. One of these selections should be accurate and credible but not relevant to proving that particular claim. Explain to students that they will present their claim and three pieces of evidence to the whole class (or to another group) and that the audience will have to determine which evidence is relevant and which is irrelevant.

From Facing History & Ourselves

Rationale

To engage with and analyze a text effectively, students need to be able to identify appropriate evidence, thinking about whether or not it supports their claims and argument. The purpose of this strategy is to help students distinguish between relevant and irrelevant evidence so that they can make appropriate selections for their analytical writing and debates.

Procedure

1. Model the Process of Determining the Relevance of Evidence
   In this exercise, students will identify evidence that is relevant to prove a particular claim. This activity is most effective if students have a basic command of the concept of relevance. Therefore, we suggest modeling this process with a few examples. We recommend that you start with a real-world example and then test students’ understanding in a literature-based example
   
   

2. Example 1: Real-World Claim: Cell phones should not be allowed in school.

   1. Which of the following pieces of evidence are relevant and support this claim? 

   2. Which of the following pieces of evidence are not relevant to this claim?

• Mobile phones distract from the learning environment. Students who text or play games on their phones during class do not hear directions or miss learning important content. 

• Many students today bring mobile phones to school. 

• Mobile phones are more affordable now than they were in 2000. 

• In surveys, some students report using their mobile phones to cheat in exams.

Here are some ideas to bring up during a discussion of this question:

1. (a) and (d) are both relevant to defending the claim. 

2. (b) provides accurate information but is irrelevant to proving the claim. 

3. (c) may or may not be accurate. It is also irrelevant to proving the claim.

Example 2: Literature-based Claim: Priestley presents the character of Mr Birling in An Inspector Calls as ignorant and out of touch.

1. Which of the following pieces of evidence are relevant and support this claim? 

2. Which of the following pieces of evidence are not relevant to this claim?

   • The Crofts are not celebrating the engagement dinner with the Birlings. 

   • Birling is looking forward to a time when Crofts and Birlings ‘are working together – for lower costs and higher prices’.

   • Birling believes that there ‘isn’t a chance of war’.

   • Birling speaks more than anyone else in the opening scene.

Here are some ideas that you might bring up during a discussion of this question:

1. While (a) may be correct, it is not relevant to supporting the claim about Mr Birling. 

2. (b) could be used: it suggests Mr Birling is out of touch, but it does not suggest he is ignorant. 

3. (c) is relevant evidence: it highlights how Birling is out of touch because he states that war is not going to happen, but the audience knows that not only did the First World War begin two years later, but that the Second World War broke out less than thirty years later. The dramatic irony makes Birling seem ignorant and out of touch with reality. 

4. (d) highlights Birling’s self-involved nature and the fact that he may be out of touch with the social situation, but not his ignorance.

3. Determine the Relevance of Text-based Evidence
   Continue to have students practise this exercise individually or in groups. Provide text-based analytical claims for students, and have each individual or group come up with three pieces of evidence that might be used to support the claim. Two of these selections should represent relevant evidence – evidence that addresses the particular claim. One of these selections should be accurate and credible but not relevant to proving that particular claim. Explain to students that they will present their claim and three pieces of evidence to the whole class (or to another group) and that the audience will have to determine which evidence is relevant and which is irrelevant.

 This integration of head, heart, and ethics is always important to learning, and it is particularly crucial when students are considering contentious or emotional topics. This strategy can be particularly useful for an initial discussion of complex and emotional current events and to help students clarify their relationship to and their perspective on the event.

Procedure

Ask Students to Respond to Head, Heart, Conscience Prompts
Introduce the event or topic that students should respond to. Depending on the context, you might choose to share some background information with students. Then, ask them to respond to a selection of the following prompts in their journals or on a piece of paper:

Head: 

1. 1. What information do you know about this event? 

   2. What information is confirmed? What remains uncertain? Are there any facts that are contested? 

   3. What additional information would you like to have to help you understand the event better? 

Heart: 

1. What emotions does this event raise for you? 

2. Are there particular moments, images, or stories that stand out to you? If so, why?

Conscience: 

1. What questions about fairness, equity, or justice does this event raise for you? 

2. What choices did key figures make, and what values may have guided those choices? 

3. How were people impacted by this event? Are there people who should be held accountable? If so, how?

Share and Reflect

Students can share aspects of their reflections with the class or directly with you. If you plan to discuss the event or topic further, use students' responses to guide your subsequent lessons.

(Facing History)

The Evidence Logs strategy provides a place where students can centralize and organize evidence they collect over the course of a unit. Creating these logs is particularly helpful when you introduce a writing prompt that students will be revisiting. Collecting evidence is an important part of essay writing because it allows students to weigh different sides of an argument and eventually craft theses that they are able to defend. By organizing evidence in a central location or structure, students are able to review the information they’ve collected and pick clear and relevant reasons to support their thinking. You might also use this strategy to help students organize evidence they find that is related to a unit or lesson’s essential question.

(Facing History)

Rationale

This strategy invites students to reflect on ideas in nonverbal ways and encourages them to think metaphorically. Students first focus on something they’ve just read and think about the most important theme, idea, or emotion that surfaced for them. Then they reflect on how they can communicate the essence of what they’ve read using a color, a symbol, and an image. Use this strategy to vary the ways you invite students to respond to ideas in order to appeal to the strengths of a variety of thinking and learning styles.

Procedure

1. Choose a Stimulus
   You can base this activity on any document, image, video clip, or other resource that you think might prompt significant engagement, wonder, or emotion from your students. Once you have chosen the stimulus, give students time to read, watch, or observe.

2. Students Respond to the Stimulus
   Prompt students this way:
   Think about the major themes, ideas, or emotions in what you’ve just read, and select one big idea that you’d like to focus on. Then do the following and write or discuss the reasons for the selection, using evidence from the stimulus:

   1. Choose a color that you think best represents that idea.

   2. Choose a symbol that you think best represents that idea.

   3. Choose an image that you think best represents that idea.

3. Debrief
   You might opt to keep students’ responses private. You can also use the Gallery Walk teaching strategy to help students reflect on the patterns, similarities, and differences in how they are responding to the stimulus.

Students studying notes on a common topic work collaboratively in groups to generate questions by beginning with “I wonder...” statements about the notes. 

• After allowing group members some time to peruse their notes and ponder, ask the students to proceed around the table sharing their statements while one group member records the responses on paper or digitally. 

• Do not stop to discuss or critique the responses. 

• Allow enough time for groups to go around the table several times. 

• When time is called, students should review the list of “I wonder...” statements and write some questions they would like to discuss about the notes. 

• The questions generated could be used for 

  • discussion in the groups that posed them,

  • they could be switched with other groups,

  • or they could become the questions for a full-class discussion or Socratic Seminar.

Journal writing provokes more reflection and encourages students to take charge of their learning and their feelings. Journals help students make connections between what is really important to them, the curriculum, and the world. Fillable templates can be found here so that students can use them online during distance learning.

The Learning Log is a technique to help students focus on what they are learning in their classes by writing their thoughts, reactions, and responses to class lectures, videos, or discussions. A Learning Log is a  written reflection of the students' perceptions of what is being learned and how they are learning. It also provides a record of students' growth over time. Writing a learning log is an excellent way to help use writing as a process of discovery and to clarify ideas. Fillable templates can be found here so that students can use them online during distance learning.

Taking notes digitally allows students to record, process, and apply their learning in new ways. This resource for students and teachers highlights how digital tools can be used to support greater flexibility, personalization, and curation throughout the focused note-taking process. Fillable templates can be found here so that students can use them online during distance learning.

During initial learning, students occasionally arrive at misconceptions. Although these initial misconceptions are not inherently harmful, if left uncorrected, they can lead to greater educational struggles in the future. Asking students to reflect on their initial understanding and how their thinking has changed over time supports them in independently identifying their misunderstanding of material.

3-Ways in which my thinking about the topic changed.

2-Things or events that caused these changes in my thinking.

1-Question that I still wonder about.

This strategy can be found in AVID’s Critical Reading Handbook

A one-pager is a strategy for responding to a text through writing and illustration.

Students fill the entire sheet of paper with:

• two or more direct quotes from the text

• one or more drawn pictures/symbols related to the quotes or to the reading as a whole

• a written personal response, including comments, connections, or interpretations, and

• anything else that is relevant to the reading.

• Examples

This strategy can be found in the following online resources:

• AVID Elementary Bridges

• English Language Arts: Exploring Texts with Strategic Reading

• History/Social Science 1

1. Students identify one word or phrase beginning with each letter f the alphabet to represent the text, content, or idea

2. Students then briefly describe why the chosen word/phrase is important in describing the text, content, or idea

Students collect a set of articles, images, videos, or even whole websites based on a set of criteria (e.g. the most “literary” song lyrics of the year, or the world’s weirdest animal adaptations) and rank them in some kind of order, justifying their rankings with a written explanation or even a student-created scoring system. Each student could be tasked with creating their own collection or the whole class could be given a pre-selected collection to rank. Conclude with a discussion where students compare and justify their rankings with those of other students.

Left and Right Annotation is a way for students to mark their texts. It’s simple, memorable, and transferable. 

• On the LEFT, students write about what the author LEFT for them to find.

• On the RIGHT, students write about the connections they made with the text; the Thoughts, Questions, and Epiphanies which make them wonder if they’re RIGHT.