Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning

Doug Buehl

Please sit with someone from your department if possibleTake the strategies you would like from the table before or after we begin!

Where do strategies fit?Instructional strategies fit in

Teaching for Learner Differences with Characteristics of Effective Instruction.

The objective of teaching for learner differences is to implement a process of teaching, learning, and assessment that will effectively meet the learning needs of all students so that they can acquire the essential

concepts and skills of the Iowa Core.

Ch 2: Frontloading: Addressing knowledge Demands of Complex

Texts“When students do not have the knowledge

necessary to comprehend a particular text, such knowledge needs to be built; one cannot activate

what is not there, and one cannot strategize about things one does not know.”

From What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction

Hidden KnowledgeFor your students, look at “What does the author assume we already know?”

Proficient readers can size up a text to determine this and adjust accordingly.

If the author assumes readers will know things that they do not know, a mismatch results which will frustrate your reader (p12).

Hidden KnowledgeCan you interpret this statement?

There’s a bear in a plain brown wrapper doing flip-flops on 78, taking pictures, and passing out green stamps.

This is a basic sentence. The vocabulary is very simple. The readability is elementary, but perhaps your comprehension falters due to an author’s mismatch with your knowledge? This sentence will not make sense to some readers because of the confusion about the author’s message (p 13). If I had told you this was trucker talk on a CB radio, would it have helped?

Hidden KnowledgeTwo levels of knowledge:1. overt display / readily apparent/ directly stated2. hidden knowledge- below the surface/unstated/readers assume

the responsibility to find the message (ex: draw conclusions/inferences)

Cold readings- When there is no early alert about the text such as in Iowa Assessments, AIMSweb, and some of your classroom assignments or tests.

But not everything has to be a cold read. In order to learn how to independently do cold reads, we must teach students how to do what good readers do by gradually releasing strategies in our instruction.

Hidden Knowledge“Having knowledge is one

thing; using it is another. That readers often do not relate

what they are reading to what they already know has

prompted research about how to encourage more extensive

use of prior knowledge.”From Reading Instruction that Works

Frontloading for Hidden KnowledgeSometimes general knowledge will not be sufficient enough to compensate for the lack of academic knowledge.Frontloading instruction- addressing knowledge demands of a text before reading- teachers can accomplish a number of important objectives (p 13-14).

● discover what students already know● build relevant background● spotlight key vocabulary● ignite interest in a topic● intentionally connect their knowledge to the text● help extract relevant information

FrontloadingStudents who arrive in the classroom with rich reservoirs of academic knowledge tend to have grown up with more firsthand experiences such as the following: visiting museums, art galleries, plays, concerts, travel opportunities, interactions with knowledgeable adults, and access to print as well as other sources such as the internet. Students who don't have these experiences depend on frontloading practices to prepare for reading and learning content information.

Caveat Regarding FrontloadingAn important thing to remember regarding frontloading is that the intention is NOT to tell the students what they should learn through the reading which renders the actual reading unnecessary. Don’t do the work (the comprehension or thinking) for them.

Instead, focus on what the author expects readers to already know and what the author does not tell them. Focus on the words and concepts that are essential to a basic understanding and the students are not likely to know or be able to determine from the context.

The purpose of frontloading is not to replace reading, but to prepare students to further their knowledge and delve deeper into concepts through the reading (p 15-16).

StrategiesGeneral Application:● K-W-L (plus), (K-C-M)● Brainstorming Prior Knowledge with an Alphabet Chart● Analogy Chart● Anticipation Guide● Connect Two● Vocabulary Surveys (Classification Chart)

Specific Classes:● Literature Character Quotes● Math Reading Keys● Science Connection Overview● History Change Frame

Know, Confirmed, Mistaken● KWL with Text Evidence● Supports the idea of Claim, Support, Evidence● Can be utilized across Contents

Know Confirmed Mistaken

● Students’ Previous Background Knowledge of the Topic

● Allows for Connections to be Built

● Revitalized “Want to Know”

● What topics did they think were true and provided accurate

● Utilizes Text Evidence to Support Confirmations

● Revitalized “Want to Know”

● What topics did they think were true and were inaccurate

● Utilizes Text Evidence to Correct Mistaken Information

Alphabet Chart● Connect a Concept or Vocab Word to

Letter● Can Be Utilized to Frontload or Review● Students Can Add Just the Vocab Word● Extend: Write Sentence with

Vocab/Concept Explanation

Anticipation Guide● Survey Knowledge on Concepts or

Themes● Allows Room for Pre-/Post-

Assessment● Apply Claim, Reasoning, Evidence● Utilize Across All Content Areas

Vocabulary Classification● Classify by any category (Part of Water Cycle, Time in History,

etc.)● Teacher-Determined Categories ● Pre-Assessment for Student Vocabulary Knowledge● Provide Students with Word Bank for Vocabulary in the

Unit/ChapterThis word is TOTALLY new to me.

I’ve heard/ seen this word before but I am not

sure what it means.

I know the definition for this word and can use it

in a sentence.

I know many ways this word can be used, can

explain it to another person, and give

examples

Vocabulary Classification

Types of Clouds Tools/Instruments Forms of Precipitation

Water Cycle Unsure-of At This Time

Word Bank:- air pressure - condensation - barometer

- front - altitude - forecast - longitude

- humidity - cumulous - rain gauge - stratus

- evaporation

ResourcesDoug Buehl graphic organizers- http://teach.clarkschools.net/jbernhard/literacy_web/LitDocsJennifer/Reading_Strategies_Reproducibles_Buehl.pdf

Exit Slip and Next Time

● Next Time- November 10, Application Sessions● Then, MORE Strategies! Focus on questioning for

understanding

If there is anyone with a great strategy idea that has worked in your room and would like to share it in a TQ session, please let me know!

We can set up a time for you to lead a session!

● Exit Slip- http://goo.gl/forms/IFnEqVptDZ

Constructing Meaning from Complex Texts

Comprehension is achieved when readers actively create meaning. The interactions with the following four conditions determine what meaning a reader will construct from a text (Finish Ch 1- p 6):

● What the reader brings to the reading situation (the reader)● The characteristics of the written text (the text)● The activity that defines the task and purpose of the reader (the

activity)● The context within which the reading occurs (the context)