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Reading Strategies
Reading Strategies
Students preview statements and indicate whether they agree or disagree. Post-reading, students revisit their initial thought and determine if/how their thoughts have changed and why
This strategy provides student with a framework to identify what they already know about a topic, what they want to learn about the topic, where they will go to learn about the topic,and what they have learned after studying the topic.
This strategy asks students to categorize key words from a passage to predict what the passage is about.
In this strategy, students briefly read a passage and choose key words, details, and phrases. Students take turns sharing their key words and details with their partners and then predict what the passage is about.
Students use provided words and phrases to create what they think might be the first sentence of a non-fiction article. After reading, they revisit and modify their possible sentence sentence.
During Reading Strategies
Students record important words, phrases, and ideas from the reading, trying to fill in each box.
Students read independently, but pause every few paragraphs to “say something” to an assigned partner. Students can make a prediction, ask a question, clarify a misunderstanding, make a comment, or make a connection.
This strategy asks students to reflect on what a text means to various levels of groups including self, family, peers, community, country, ultimately, humankind.
As students read a passage, they note where the reading gives them trouble. Students are then given an opportunity to discuss the areas in which they struggled.
Post-Reading Strategies
This organizer prompts students to make inferences by combining what the text says with what they know.
Students complete the sentence template Somebody wanted ________, but ______ so __________ to summarize events in history from different perspectives.
This strategy asks students to read a text and reformulate the ideas into a different narrative technique, such an ABC book or a Fortunately, Unfortunately story.
This is a reading review game played by three students using a pre-prepared checklist of significant points from the text. Students challenge each other to recall key concepts and facts from the reading.
Questions - Answers - Relationships
This strategy asks students to look beyond the words on the page to make inferences and predictions using their prior knowledge.
Writing Strategies
Writing Strategies
This paragraph writing frame helps students determine the most important details about a topic.
In this template, students are asked to provide one sentence summaries for each paragraph of a test, and finally to distill the main idea for the whole text down a single sentence.
Students will choose a word, write as much as you can, as fast as you can, as well as you can for one minute. Students will repeat this process to build the number of words written in one minute.
Students combine reading, writing and talking about a topic in order to deepen understanding.
This template has students produce visuals and key words prior to writing about a topic.
Discussions from Different Perspectives
Students gather thoughts, feelings, motivations, etc. of a specific historical individual while learning about an event though a reading or video. After getting their information, they get in “character alike” groups to compare notes and prepare to answer other groups’ questions from their characters perspective. The strategy could be extended to a writing activity by having students write reflections based on their character’s experience.
Students respond in writing to a prompt, exchange papers with a partner, then respond to the partner’s writing in order to deepen understanding of a topic.
Vocabulary Strategies
Vocabulary Strategies
Using this template, students define, describe, and provide examples and non-examples of individual vocabulary words.
This vocabulary strategy prompts partners to utilize new vocabulary in conversation.
With this template, students generate associated vocabulary based on a key term or topic.
Similar to a Frayer Model, this template asks students to provide additional detail. (* Frayer Model and Word Map could be used to differentiate instruction.)
In this strategy, students sort cards with vocabulary terms or concepts into like groups and create headings for those groups. Add rigor by asking students to resort the cards in 2-3 different ways.
Stand Up, Explain
When a new or unfamiliar word is encountered, ask students who know the term to stand up.The students who are standing then explain the term to a student is standing. Repeat until all students are standing.
Connection cards provide a variety of tasks that prompt students to interact with the word wall.
Students choose three terms in a row from a vocabulary tic-tac-toe board. Using the three chosen terms, students write a paragraph connecting the terms.
Critical Thinking Strategies
Critical Thinking Strategies
Critical Thinking About Bias Questions
Teacher Guide and Analysis Tools
Tool to help students analyze different sources, like documents, books, motion pictures, maps, newspapers, politcal cartoon, etc.
This strategy guides students through analysis of primary source documents. Students are asked to identify the author, audience, context, purpose of, and significance of the document.
This strategy guides students through analysis of primary source documents. Students are asked to identify the author, places and time, audience, reason, the main idea, and asks students to summarize in writing the significance of the document.
This strategy guides students through analysis of primary source documents. Students are asked to identify the speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and asks students to write a brief summary of the document.
This strategy helps students analyze a political cartoon by asking them to identify the time, action, captions, and objects in the political cartoon,and asks students to write a brief summary of the political cartoon.
This strategy helps students analyze a political cartoon or visual by asking them to identify an overview, parts, titles, and interrelationships to draw conclusions on the meaning and intention of the cartoon or visual.
STAND Visual for Maps, Charts and Graphs
This strategy helps students analyze maps, charts, and graphs by asking them to identify the source, title, author, notes,and dates of the document.
Historical Map Analysis: Observe, Reflect, Question
This strategy provides questions prompts for students to observe details of a historical map, reflect on the purpose of the map, and answer questions related to the significance of the map.
Critical Thinking and Writing Starters
This link provides a list of writing prompts to help students access and connect with the learning from the previous lesson.
Critical Thinking Question Stems
This link provides question stems to encourage students to practice critical thinking skills.
This closed card sort asks students to unscramble words and phrases to reveal the connection between big ideas and key concepts.
Analyzing Political Cartoons Strategy
This strategy provides a method for analyzing political cartoons by asking students to observe, reflect, and question.
Students analyze a chain of events and their outcome by describing each event and offering commentary.
This template asks students to break down a concept or event into 4 key parts and then summarize the event or concept.
In this strategy, students fold their papers in half and jot down key ideas from a reading. After the reading, the class discusses the ideas in the reading, and students record additional notes on the other half of the paper.
Making Inferences with Political Cartoons
Students use this template to list facts and inferences about a political cartoon and then produce a written summary.
Socratic seminar is a text-based structured and collaborative conversation between large groups of students.
Students ask questions, present opinions, and share information while they sit in a “fishbowl” circle, while students on the outside of the circle listen carefully to the ideas presented and pay attention to process.
In “Fortunately, Unfortunately,” students examine the positive and negative impacts of specific events and/or decision.
In this strategy, students acknowledge one part of another person’s argument while continuing to build on that point to convince them of the merits of their argument.
A routine for analyzing the significance of an event or issue by making global, local, and personal connections.
In this strategy, students employ writing and discourse to process a text.
A routine for exploring truth claims from different perspectives.
Today's Tweet Summary Strategy
This exit ticket activity has students creating tweets or status updates to reflect on or summarize their learning.
Critical Thinking Strategies for ALL Students
A list of 20 other strategies to promote critical thinking.
Pre-AP Social Studies Strategies
A quick guide to 12 recommended strategies from the College Board.
Routine and strategy for developing thinking critically, communicating ideas, listening to others, and discussing productively.
Group members approach an event from six different perspectives.
History Labs
History Labs
A Guided Approach to Historical Inquiry
History Labs are research and investigative learning experiences that provide teachers with the necessary information, resources, and procedures to teach a full range of historical thinking skills by taking students through a process that is methodologically similar to that employed by historians.
Academic Conversations Strategies
Academic Conversations Strategies
Social Studies Sentence Starters
Sentence starters to help students begin and continue discourse.
Thinking Through Intentional Grouping
This document provides suggestions and guidance on grouping students for academic conversations.
Socratic Seminar and Socratic Seminar Scripts
Socratic Seminar is a discussion method in which participants gain deeper understanding through thoughtful dialogue.
Students rotate in concentric circles to face new partners for academic conversations.
Students draw cards that prompt them to respond to and participate in a conversation.
Questions to Help Focus on Your Comprehension
Focus questions are categorized by the depth of thinking to help students make meaning of their learning.
In this structure Kagan activity, students review vocabulary terms with their peers, providing each other tips and reteaching as necessary.
This resource provides question stems for each of the seven social studies strands.
Discussions from Different Perspectives
Students gather thoughts, feelings, motivations, etc. of a specific historical individual while learning about an event through a reading or video. After getting their information, they get in “character alike” groups to compare notes and prepare to answer other groups’ questions from their character's perspective. The strategy could be extended to a writing activity by having students write reflections based on their character’s experience.
Additional Strategies
Additional Strategies
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