Writing/Communication
Focused Note Taking
Focused Note Taking is a five step process that allows students an opportunity to remember information by interacting with their notes frequently
One Pager
A one pager is a way for learners to respond to a resource that incorporates creativity while being concise and brief. Think of a one page flyer that gives graphics and info about a product. One pagers can include facts, graphics either drawn or cut from a magazine, quotes, a title, color, vocabulary words/phrases around the images, a decorative border, and Costa’s Level 2 or 3 questions and answers to them.
Sample of instructions for a one pager.
Quickwrite
Quickwrites are short written responses to open ended questions or prompts. Learners think about a topic and then write nonstop for anywhere from 2-10 minutes. It allows learners to write something meaningful to them while creating a habit of reflection.
KWLA
Conduct a KWLA where students start by writing what they Know about a topic and anything they Want to know. After the lesson have students write what they Learned, and how they will Apply that learning.
DLIQ
Have students write a :
What did I Do?
What did I Learn?
What did I find Interesting?
What Questions do I have?
Word Bank
Create a list of possible words that students can use in some type of written response (i.e. Quickwrite, Summary, open-ended response, etc.)
Timed Writing
Have students practice writing to a prompt under a
timed writing situation.
Open-Ended Question
Open-ended, short answer questions, based on literary selection or word problems that require students to interpret the text and support/justify their answer.
Sentence Frames
Use sentence frames to have students reflect/review their learning. Remember to keep the sentence frames open-ended to ensure they can be used repeatedly.
3-2-1 Exit Ticket
The 3-2-1 exit slip strategy is a specific type of exit strategy that asks students to summarize three things they learned, two things they liked, and one question they still have.
Learning Logs
The Goal of a learning log is to reflect on what students have learned during class. By focusing on what they have learned in class often students can see growth over time.
30 Second Expert
This activity is similar to Think-Pair-Share. It allows a student to write down what they already know about a topic and then collaborate with a partner to fill in any gaps. To complete this activity, students form pairs and take turns sharing what they know about a particular topic. Each student shares for 30 seconds.
Processing Menu
This menu gives students the opportunity to apply their Focused notes in a variety of ways.