Instructional Coach Corner
September 2017
3 Minute Pause
3-Minute Pause is similar to a time out in a sporting event. Sometimes when students read they need a time out to reflect on what they have read, ask questions, clear up something confusing, etc. During a 3-Minute Pause, students summarize, make connections, share something interesting, or ask a question. This strategy is quick and easy to incorporate into your lessons.
For More Information on this strategy - click here
Problem - Attic
This is a data bank of questions from State Assessments, Academic Competitions, NAEP, TIMMS, PISA and more! Search by topics! Select, arrange and format questions. This can be used as warm-ups, exit tickets, flash cards, problem pf the day
Watch the video below to use Texting in the Classroom
Two Word Strategy
It sounds simple, but students must read the text/video and be able to determine the gist of what they read/viewed. The discussion that follows will leads to deep understanding.
- After reading a selection, have students silently decide on the two most important words to describe the selection.
- After selecting their words, students find a partner to share their two most important words. Tell why they chose them and explain how they relate to the text.
Reading Recommendation
This past month I read "The No Complaining Rule" by Jon Gordon. This is a book about positive ways to turn complaints into solutions. Here are 5 things to do instead of complaining.
Student VOC Strategy
The "visualizations" tie the "unknown"—the current reading content—to the "known"—the reader's past knowledge and experience. This strategy greatly enhances retention by adding a sensory connection between the reading content and the reader's prior knowledge.
Steps to the Student VOC Strategy:
- Prior to a reading assignment, list key vocabulary words from the selection on the chalkboard.
- Ask students to identify any word that is unknown or unclear.
- Have the student try to define (or deduce) the meaning of these words by . . .
- Locating the sentence in the document containing the term and trying to uncover the term's meaning from this context.
- Looking up the term's definition in a dictionary or discussing the term's definition with a classmate.
- Writing the word in a new sentence to demonstrate comprehension.
- "Visualizing" the term as presented in the document—that is, by imagining the scene in the text in sensory detail (in terms of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell). Students should be encouraged to associate this "visualization" with some past personal experience. This sensory connection will assist in long-term retention of this information.