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Emotion flash cards

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Practical Tips for Teaching Online Small-Group Discussions

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Moving to online teaching does not have to mean losing rich peer-to-peer discussions. Video conferencing software, such as Zoom, allows teachers to send students into breakout rooms for small-group discussions. However, when students move into virtual breakout rooms, it is challenging for them to remember the task and for teachers to monitor how the discussions are progressing. Three tools address this challenge:

These practical tools address the challenges of facilitating effective virtual small-group discussions and provide a means to monitor and measure student learning.

Tool 1: Note Catchers for Breakout Room Discussions

A Google doc can be used to organize how discussions take place in breakout rooms. Each breakout room discussion begins by the students entering their names into a table where they will record notes as their discussion unfolds. As the teacher, you can "listen" to each group through their note-catching documents. Teachers can provide feedback efficiently by inserting comments and questions into the note catcher. When the teacher sees a group having difficulty getting started, then the teacher can enter that breakout room to help with the difficulty.

Note Catcher Teaching Tips

1. See what is happening in every breakout room at a glance by reading the notes the group recorders are capturing as learning unfolds through the discussions.

2. Insert a comment letting a group know the teacher is about to join the conversation, or save time by not interrupting a discussion unless it is necessary. Provide efficient and effective feedback to every small group in minutes.

3. Use the same routines, protocols, and other discussion structures that are common during face-to-face classes by putting the directions in the note catcher (e.g., Think, Pair, Share or See, Think, Wonder).

4. Limit the need to read directions by using graphics and pictures that symbolize directions or include a link to a video with the teacher giving directions or an example. Provide a model of discussion notes so that students see the expected outcome of the discussion. Focus student attention on their learning through discussions with peers rather than on remembering what to do because the directions are posted in ways that students can independently understand.

5. Keep time for students by sending announcements so that students are aware of the time including a timer in the note catcher. Time often needs to be adjusted based on how ideas are developing in the note catcher.

6. Offer feedback and ask questions by inserting comments into the note catcher as students record notes during the discussion.

7. Link to help resources such as a text, media, and vocabulary support.

8. Provide high-quality criteria in the note catcher as a means for students to monitor their responses and to add challenge to the discussion.

Make a copy of note catchers prior to use with students to use as a template for future lessons. Share note catchers with teacher teams because students will become familiar with the format. Template note catchers can be copied and adapted for discussions: 1A. Sample Note catcher Template and 1B. Additional Ideas .

Tool 2: Pre-Assignments to Prepare for Online Discussions

Pre-assignments, such as this sample slideshow , help students prepare for online peer discussions. In addition to prompting students to prepare ideas to discuss with peers, the slideshow enables students to add comments or pose questions to peers both within their online breakout group or across all groups because everyone's slides are visible in one slideshow.

Pre-Assignment Teaching Tips

Review the slides prior to class and assign students to small groups in ways that support productive discussions.

Direct students to discuss a specific slide or look for patterns across the class and report their findings to the whole group.

Encourage students to add videos, pictures, and text, which can lead to interesting discussions.

In addition to slideshows, there are many free tools that can be used to prepare for online small-group discussions. For example, is an awesome tool for students to record a short response to a question. Then participants can listen to each other as they prepare for discussions. During breakout room discussions, students might view their peers' responses and then provide comments in the Flipgrid. Another useful tool is VoiceThread , which allows students to collaborate on multimedia slides by leaving voice, text, or video comments.

Tool 3: Simple End-of-Session Feedback Survey

It is very challenging to observe the body language of the whole class throughout an online session, and it's also hard to know how students felt about the process of the discussions in the breakout rooms. Therefore, collecting feedback at the end of each session or immediately following a peer discussion during a lesson helps the teachers to shape the next online class. It is useful to save five to 10 minutes for students to complete a short feedback surveys: (try Simple Feedback Survey Example 1 or Feedback Survey with Peer Learning Question Example 2 ). Teachers place the link to the survey in the chat area of video conferencing software and wait for students to complete the survey during the lesson. Students have a tendency not to complete surveys after the class, so incorporate the survey into lessons. Teachers can vary when and how students complete the surveys. For example, students can complete a survey individually, or they can reflect and take notes on their feedback to the teacher on the discussion process in a breakout, placing their notes in the note catcher. Students generate incredibly useful ideas that often solve technical problems and promote better learning for everyone.

Promote Belonging While Deepening Learning

Students are one of the most valuable resources for learning in every learning community. Small peer-group discussions enable students to practice academic language, gain feedback on their ideas, and further understanding. Peer discussions are an essential part of learning that should not be lost when teaching online. Given that students are not able to meet physically, students need to engage with their peers to know that they belong and are valued members of many communities, especially their school community. By using freely available online tools, teachers can promote student feelings of belonging and deepen student understanding through facilitating peer discussions in online breakout rooms.

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Practical Tips for Teaching Online Small-Group Discussions

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Moving to online teaching does not have to mean losing rich peer-to-peer discussions. Video conferencing software, such as Zoom, allows teachers to send students into breakout rooms for small-group discussions. However, when students move into virtual breakout rooms, it is challenging for them to remember the task and for teachers to monitor how the discussions are progressing.

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Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching: Creating Responsible and ... - Suhanthie Motha - Google Books

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This timely and critical look at the teaching of English shows how language is used to create hierarchies of cultural privilege in public schools across the United States. Drawing on the work of four ESL teachers who pursued anti-racist pedagogical practices during their first year of teaching, the author provides a compelling account of how new teachers might gain agency for culturally responsive teaching in spite of school cultures that often discourage such approaches. She combines current research and original analyses to shed light on real classroom situations faced by teachers of linguistically diverse populations. This book will help pre- and inservice teachers to think about such challenges as differential achievement between language learners and "native-speakers"; hierarchies of languages and language varieties; the difference between an accent identity and an incorrect pronunciation; and the use of students' first languages in English classes. An important resource for classroom teaching, educational policy, school leadership, and teacher preparation, this volume includes reflection questions at the end of each chapter.

"This is an important and timely book. How to best educate new Americans, including the best language policies, is a matter of controversy and dissent. Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching is must reading for teachers and school administrators, policymakers, and concerned citizens who are interested in a deeper understanding of how anti-racist pedagogical practices and culturally responsive teaching can work to engage all students moving forward."

-Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, dean and distinguished professor of education, UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, co-author of Learning a New Land

"Foregrounding teachers' voices, Motha lucidly conceptualizes ideological facets of teaching English-monolingualism, native speakerism, and standard language-as racialized practices that undergird colonial power and contradict pluricentric understandings of English. Her analysis is intellectually robust, morally engaging, and discursively accessible. This is a must-read for all ESL professionals."
-Ryuko Kubota, professor, Department of Language and Literacy Education, The University of British Columbia

Suhanthie Motha is assistant professor in the Department of English at the University of Washington, Seattle.

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Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching

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This timely and critical look at the teaching of English shows how language is used to create hierarchies of cultural privilege in public schools across the United States.

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43 Best Which One Doesn't Belong images | Which one doesnt belong, Math talk, Teaching math

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This idea came up in our two-weekly Friday seminar, nearly two weeks ago now (how time flies…). The seminar was about teaching teenagers, and at this point were were discussing the difference…

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Beginning and ending stories in Spanish 

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Beginning and ending stories in Spanish 

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Biblioteca del Trabenco : Fórmulas de cuento. Las palabras más mágicas de la literatura

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Los cuentos tradicionales empiezan y acaban siempre con una pequeña fórmula que abre y cierra, como si de una llave mágica se tratara, el mundo fantástico en el que nos permiten adentrarnos. Estas fórmulas, tan maravillosas como los cuentos que enmarcan, son pequeñas joyas de la tradición oral que desde la biblioteca queremos rescatar para ponerlas a vuestro alcance e invitaros a vivir experiencias in creíbles contando cuentos.
conocidas y otras menos. Hemos recopilamos las que más nos han gustado para compartirlas con vosotras y animaros utilizar estas palabras mágicas para enriquecer el principio el final de vuestros cuentos favoritos. Había una vez y Colorín colarado tal vez sean las más utilizadas de la tradición oral castellana, pero hay muchas más, algunas muy

Fórmulas para iniciar el cuento:

- Había una vez... - A mí me contaron una vez que era... - Has de saber para contar y entender para saber que esto era... - Hace mucho tiempo, cuando el mundo estaba formándose y los animales hablaban... - En cierto pueblo... - Hace mucho tiempo - En aquellos años en que se pasó muchísima hambre - Cuentan y no paran de contar

- Era vez y vez
- Vivían una vez...
- En cierta ocasión... - Cierto día...
- Cuent an...

- Una vez dicen que dijeron que había...
- Esta era una vez que había...
- Cuentan que cuentan que me contaron..
- Haga usted cuento de saber que...
- Era esta vez como cuentista que es...
- En tiempos de Maricastaña...
- Hace mucho tiempo, cuando todavía los cerdos usaban sombrero...".
- Cuentan los ancianos que...
- Cuando las ranas tenían pelo y las gallinas tenían dientes...
- En cierto país ¡muy lejos, muy lejos!, que de lejos que era ya no me acuerdo ni dónde era
- En la tierra del olvido, donde nadie se acuerda ya de nada
- Allá, en un país muy lejano
- En tiempos muy remotos

-Cuando los burros volaban, uno que lo vio me contó

- Cuento va y cuento viene, no te creas nada de lo que te cuenten

- Cuentan los que lo vieron (yo no estaba, pero me lo dijeron)
- Mi abuelo me contaba

- Aquí se acabó este cuento, como me lo contaron te lo cuento. - Cuento contado, cuento terminado.- Todo esto fue cierto y pudo no haber sucedido. - Y viruento viruento , este cuento se lo llevó el viento". - Y kikirikí el cuento se acaba aquí, y cocorocó, el cuento ya se acabó. - Y este cuento colorao por mi boca se ha escapao - Y aquí termina esta historia, más larga que una zanahoria - Y así pasaron muchos años hasta que este cuento se perdió entre castaños

- Se acabó el cuento con pan y pimento.
- Aquí se rompió una taza y cada quien para su casa.
- Aquí se acabó este cuento y se lo llevó el viento y se fue por el mar adentro.
- Como me lo contaron, t e lo cuento, no me lo invento.

- Victoria, victoria, se acabó esta historia".
- Y colorín colorete, por la chimenea sale un cohete, y tú que lo viste, ¿por qué no lo cogiste?.
- Y aquí se acaba mi cuento con pan y rábano tuerto".

- Y este cuento se ha acabado, tal como me lo contaron te lo he contado.
- Y como mi cuento fue tu arrullo ahora yo quiero conocer el tuyo.
- Y colorín, colorao, este cuento es regalao.
- Y el que no quiera creer esta historia verdadera, ojalá la cabeza se le vuelva de cera.
- Estuvieron contentos y felices, y nosotros nos quedamos con tres palmos de narices.
- Tuteh, tuteh, mi cuento ha madurado y por eso he ha acabado.

- Colorín colorado, cuento acabado
- Así que esto pasó, ya mi cuento se acabó
- Y entra por el sano y sale por el roto, el que quiera que venga y me cuente otro
- ¿Y el burro? Pues álzale el rabo y bésale el culo
- Y fueron felices por muchos años
- Y así terminó el cuento, todos felices y contentos
- Y se acabó el cuento con ajo y pimiento
- Y este cuento se perdió; cuando lo vuelva a encontrar te lo volveré a contar
- Quien no quiera creer esta historia verdadera, que su cabeza se le vuelva de cera
- Esto es verdad y no miento, y como me lo contaron te lo cuento
- Como me lo contaron os lo cuento y me alejo de esta historia sin guardarme nada dentro.
- Con pan y pimiento asado este cuento se ha acabado
- Y un granito de sal para acabarlos de engañar
- Y vivieron felices y comieron perdices, y a nosotros nos dieron con el plato en las narices
- Y a mí me enviaron aquí a que te lo contara a ti
- Y cuando estaban en lo más bonito del sueño, vino el día y los despertó
- Chistera, chistera, este cuento está fuera
´- Y como dice don Crispín, este cuento llegó a su fin

- Y por un agujero entro y me salgo por otro. Y el que contó este cuento contará otro

Y como el lenguaje es algo maravillosamente vivo y cuando contamos todo es posible,

también podemos inventarnos nuestra propia fórmula,

¡COMO!, ¿que tu ya la tienes? ¡CUÉNTANOSLA!

Si te interesa ampliar información sobre el tema te recomendamos leer:
Aproximación a las fórmulas tradicionales de inicio y final de cuentos por Juan Ignacio Pérez
Las palabras dichosas. Algunas fórmulas para comenzar y acabar los cuentos de tradición oral, por Ignacio Sanz

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Fórmulas de cuento. Las palabras más mágicas de la literatura

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Los cuentos tradicionales empiezan y acaban siempre con una pequeña fórmula que abre y cierra, como si de una llave mágica se tratara, el mundo fantástico en el que nos permiten adentrarnos. Estas fórmulas, tan maravillosas como los cuentos que enmarcan, son pequeñas joyas de la tradición oral que desde la biblioteca queremos rescatar para ponerlas a vuestro alcance e invitaros a vivir experiencias in creíbles contando cuentos.

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GOOGLE DOCS
Start voice typing in a document

1. Check that your microphone works.

2. Open a document in Google Docs with a Chrome browser.

3. Click Tools Voice typing. ...

4. When you're ready to speak, click the microphone.

5. Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace (see below for more information on using punctuation).

WORD DOC
Record audio notes

1. Check that your microphone works.

2. Open a document in Microsoft Word.

3. Go to the far right and click on Dictate icon.

LINKS WITH DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

Dr. ET

Edith Treviño, Ed. D.

Bilingual and ESL Specialist with Ed Tech Superpowers

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Start voice typing in a document Check that your microphone works. Open a document in Google Docs with a Chrome browser. Click Tools Voice typing. ... When you're ready to speak, click the microphone. Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace (see below for more information on using punctuation).

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Which do you know? Who would you like to know more about? Why? How can we find out more information?

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Like this infographic? Share now, save for later:

Want this infographic on your site? Embed code:

Always using the right words? Make sure:

Over 70,000 people use our grammar checker daily

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16 Boring Verbs & What to Use Instead (Infographic)

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Just like food, your writing needs spice. This infographic will help you turn the most basic and mundane verbs into scintillating ones. Ready to upgrade your writing? Then take a look at this handy list of 16 common verbs, followed by a handful of interesting replacements for each one.

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STEM -How many speaking or writing activities can you think of to use with these photos? 

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STEM -How many speaking or writing activities can you think of to use with these photos? 

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Frozen Lake breaks into natural art

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Infogram

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Learn about Día de los Muertos
Compare & Contrast /Opinion discourse

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Create Visuals to Support Required Repeated Responses

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Create Visuals to Support Required Repeated Responses

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BICS/CALPS

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Vocabulary development BICS/CALPS

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Don't Accept "I don't Know" Based on Seidlitz 7 Steps

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For all content areas

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Videos, lessons and ideas for hands on math for early learners

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Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative

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May 27, 2020

Do you remember enjoying fingerplay songs like 5 Little Monkeys or Un Elefante Se Balanceaba when you were young? You may not have realized that sharing these songs is a great way to bring math to life.

En Español También. Every day dishes need to get cleaned, and every day dishes need to get put away. By involving children in tasks like doing the dishes, you can help them see mathematics in this work.

En Español También. Going for walks is an excellent time to talk about math with your child. You'll be surprised how much math talk you can have when you look for the math in your very own neighborhood.

En Español También. Jigsaw puzzles are a great way for children to develop their spatial thinking and problem-solving skills. Children enjoy doing all kinds of puzzles and making ones from materials found around the house keeps it fresh and new.

Free videos.

Free newsletter packed with ideas.

Free professional learning modules.

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May 27, 2020 Do you remember enjoying fingerplay songs like 5 Little Monkeys or Un Elefante Se Balanceaba when you were young? You may not have realized that sharing these songs is a great way to bring math to life. En Español También.

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ESL Cyber Listening  Lab

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Science, Social Studies & LA scaffold for vocab & concepts

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Sentence Stems and definitions

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reading strategies cards for teacher use

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Speaking then writing

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Summarizing in different ways

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Use across curriculum to review

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Station choice board

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Small group, partner or independent work

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Speaking Practice- Explaining Math Problem

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I use CommonLit all the time when planning my unit and yearly curriculum. Materials are rigorous and relevant in an easy-to-find, teacher-friendly format. I can tell it is a resource written by teachers, which is so important!

Noel Quivey

High School Teacher

CommonLit offers a unique resource in support of literacy and critical thinking. The wonderful collection of free and accessible texts enables students to explore enduring themes.

Jay McTighe

Understanding by Design

CommonLit serves an immediate need felt by all teachers who are trying to align their instruction to the Common Core Standards...I work with teachers every day who could benefit greatly from this resource.

Ryan McCarty

Literacy Director

ANet

As an ELA curriculum director for the Match network of charter schools, I have found no resource that is more valuable or immediately impactful in the classroom.

Kim Nicoll

ELA Director

MATCH

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I use CommonLit all the time when planning my unit and yearly curriculum. Materials are rigorous and relevant in an easy-to-find, teacher-friendly format. I can tell it is a resource written by teachers, which is so important! Noel Quivey High School Teacher CommonLit offers a unique resource in support of literacy and critical thinking.

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ReadWorks | Award-Winning, EdTech Nonprofit Organization

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ReadWorks is an edtech nonprofit organization that is committed to helping to solve America’s reading comprehension crisis.

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Who is Selfish? Who is Generous?

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Resources for ESL Teachers.pdf - Google Drive

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Daily Math Mystery

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Roaming Paragraphs

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English news and easy articles for students of English

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News in Levels « World News for Students of English

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We write news in three different levels of English. We want to help you understand English more. Now all students can enjoy reading and listening to news.

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AISD Approved Apps & Programs -Just a few!

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Intro & Examples

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Is it a Couple or a Few? How do you know?

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Interactive Modeling is a straightforward, quickly paced, seven-step process that's effective for teaching children any academic or social skill, routine, or procedure that you want them to do in a specific way (whether for safety, efficiency, or other reasons). One of the essential practices of the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching elementary school children, Interactive Modeling can be used by any adult anywhere in school at any time of year.

How does Interactive Modeling differ from traditional modeling?

In traditional modeling, the teacher shows children how to do a skill, routine, or procedure, tells them what to notice, and expects that they will learn it immediately. Interactive Modeling also shows children how to do skills, routines, or procedures, but it goes well beyond that basic step. Students also:

Learn exactly why the skill, routine, or procedure is important to their learning and the respectful, smooth functioning of the classroom.

Are asked what they noticed about the teacher's modeling (rather than told by their teacher what to notice).

See a few classmates additionally model the routine or procedure after the teacher's initial modeling.

Practice the routine or procedure right away.

Receive immediate feedback and coaching from their teacher while they practice.

Why is Interactive Modeling more effective than traditional modeling?

The distinctive steps of Interactive Modeling incorporate key elements of effective teaching: modeling positive behaviors, engaging students in active learning, and immediately assessing their understanding. Research shows that when we teach in this way, children achieve greater, faster, and longer-lasting success in meeting expectations and mastering skills.

With Interactive Modeling, children create clear, positive mental images of what is expected of them. They do the noticing themselves, which builds up their powers of observation and their analysis and communication skills. In addition, because they get immediate practice, they gain quicker expertise and stronger mastery of the procedure or skill being taught.

What are the seven steps of Interactive Modeling?

1. Briefly state what you will model, and why.

2. Model the behavior exactly as you expect students to do it (the right way, not the wrong way, and without describing what you're doing unless you need to "show" a thinking process).

3. Ask students what they noticed. (You may need to do some prompting, but children soon notice every little detail, especially as they gain expertise with this practice.)

4. Invite one or more students to model the same way you did.

5. Again, ask students what they noticed the modelers doing.

6. Have all students model while you observe and coach them.

7. Provide feedback, naming specific, positive actions you notice and redirecting respectfully but clearly when students go off track.

What can I teach with Interactive Modeling?

Here are just a few examples:
Academic & Social Skills

Listening and responding to questions

Working with a partner or small group

Using technology and other resources

Taking part in a whole-group discussion

Test-prep procedures

Procedures & Routines

Arrival and dismissal routines

Cleaning up

Lunch, recess, and bathroom routines

Schoolwide assembly procedures

Transitions from one classroom/activity to another

How long does Interactive Modeling take?

An Interactive Modeling lesson to demonstrate lining up, for example, may take only three or four minutes. A more involved lesson, such as teaching children how to partner chat, might take twenty minutes.

This modest investment saves you time in the long run. That's because children gain mastery more quickly and are thus able to spend much more time on task. You'll have less confusion in the classroom and fewer interruptions because children will not need to ask you or peers over and over what to do. As a result, you'll have more time for teaching-and children will have more time to complete their work and to learn.

How much time could I gain with Interactive Modeling?

A little time spent on teaching students exactly how you want them to do things will pay big dividends throughout the year. Say you lose a few minutes every hour to repeating instructions and dealing with interruptions. That can add up to twenty or thirty minutes of lost instructional and work time each day-2½ hours each week. That's 100 lost hours every school year! Think of what you could do with that time. Think of what your students could do.

What does Interactive Modeling look and sound like in action?

In a fifth grade classroom, Mrs. K wants the students to understand how to work productively during independent work time. She teaches this Interactive Modeling lesson:

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Interactive Modeling is a straightforward, quickly paced, seven-step process that's effective for teaching children any academic or social skill, routine, or procedure that you want them to do in a specific way (whether for safety, efficiency, or other reasons).

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A quick introduction to metacognition, plus 7 questions to help your students become more independent learners.

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A quick introduction to metacognition, plus 7 questions to help your students become more independent learners. https://t.co/sH63ykizfo

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A quick introduction to metacognition, plus 7 questions to help your students become more independent learners. pic.twitter.com/sH63ykizfo
— edutopia (@edutopia) October 14, 2018

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A quick introduction to metacognition, plus 7 questions to help your students become more independent learners. https://t.co/sH63ykizfo

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A quick introduction to metacognition, plus 7 questions to help your students become more independent learners. https://t.co/sH63ykizfo

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A quick introduction to metacognition, plus 7 questions to help your students become more independent learners.

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Elementary English Language Learners - English Learners

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I HAD AN EPIPHANY! I HAVE TO SHARE IT WITH YOU. ESPECIALLY THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE EVER WONDERED...

"WHY DO I HAVE TO WRITE MY CONTENT AND LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES ON THE BOARD?"

I USED TO THINK IT WAS FOR ADMINISTRATORS TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON IN CLASSROOMS. THAT WAS EVEN A RUMOR IN THE BUILDING. TEACHERS WERE ALL A BUZZ OVER THE NEW EXPECTATION.
IN HINDSIGHT, IT WOULD HAVE REALLY HELPED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHY WE NEEDED TO PUT THESE OBJECTIVES UP ON THE BOARD.

BUT WHEN IT HIT ME, IT HIT ME! IT WASN'T FOR THE ADMINISTRATORS AT ALL. HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED...

I WENT GROCERY SHOPPING WITHOUT A LIST! YES, THAT'S WHEN IT HIT ME.

THINK ABOUT THIS...A TIME WHEN YOU WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE WITHOUT A LIST. WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW DID YOU FEEL?

IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, YOU WALK AROUND GRABBING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT, FEELING OVERWHELMED AND LEAVE REALIZING YOU DIDN'T GET WHAT YOU REALLY NEEDED FOR DINNER. AND SOMEHOW, TONS OF JUNK ENDS UP IN YOUR CART. I'M SERIOUS...FOR EXAMPLE, CHOCOLATE BARS AND OREOS (I'M SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE). THIS IS NOT A LIE. IT'S WHAT HAPPENS TO ME ALL THE TIME WHEN I GO WITHOUT A LIST... JUNK! I LOSE FOCUS AND I GET DISTRACTED BY ALL OF THE SURROUNDINGS.

NOW THINK OF A TIME WHEN YOU WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE WITH A LIST. WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW DID YOU FEEL?
FOR ME, WHEN I GO WITH A LIST, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M THERE FOR, AND I GET EVERYTHING I NEED. I LEAVE FEELING SUCCESSFUL.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH CONTENT AND LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES?? WELL...OUR CLASSROOMS ARE FULL OF INFORMATION. THEY CAN BE CONFUSING AND OVERWHELMING ESPECIALLY TO STUDENTS LEARNING ENGLISH AS ANOTHER LANGUAGE AND CONTENT AT THE SAME TIME. IF WE DON'T TELL THEM WHAT THE GOAL OR TARGET FOR THE DAY IS, THEY CAN BE GRABBING IDEAS THROUGHOUT THE LESSON INSTEAD OF FOCUSED ON THE LEARNING. I DON'T WANT THEM GRABBING FOR JUNK. "I WONDER IF MY JOB TODAY IS TO UNDERSTAND THAT ADJECTIVES CAN MAKE A SENTENCE MORE DESCRIPTIVE. OR AM I SUPPOSED TO UNDERSTAND THAT VERBS CAN BE IRREGULAR? OR IS MY GOAL TODAY TO BUILD SENTENCES THAT ARE COMPOUND?"

WHEN WE EXPLICITLY TELL OUR STUDENTS WHAT THE GOALS ARE FOR THE DAY OR CLASS PERIOD, IT'S LIKE GIVING THEM THE TARGET. THEY KNOW WHAT TO REACH FOR SO THEY CAN AIM APPROPRIATELY. AND THEY ARE NOT FOCUSED ON EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE. AS WE KNOW, LEARNING ENGLISH IS A HUGE TASK WHILE AT THE SAME TIME LEARNING CONTENT. THE MORE SUPPORT WE CAN GIVE OUR KIDS, THE BETTER. GIVING THEM CONTENT AND LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES IS ANOTHER SCAFFOLD, A SUPPORT.

I WANT MY STUDENTS TO WALK IN AND KNOW WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THEM. NOTHING IS A SURPRISE.

SO THAT'S WHY WE SHOULD POST OUR CONTENT AND LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES. BUT TAKE IT ONE STEP FARTHER. I LEARNED THAT KIDS NEED TO READ THE OBJECTIVES OUT LOUD AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS. OTHERWISE, THE OBJECTIVES BECOME WALLPAPER AFTER TIME. KIDS NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE OBJECTIVES AND REFLECT ON THEM AT THE END OF THE CLASS PERIOD. "DID I HIT THE MARK?" "DO I STILL NEED TO WORK ON THIS OBJECTIVE?"

IF ANYONE EVER QUESTIONS WHY THEY SHOULD PUT UP OBJECTIVES-THERE IT IS! THEY ARE LIKE TARGETS. THEY GIVE STUDENTS SOMETHING TO AIM FOR DURING THE DAY.

RESOURCES:
Echevarria, J. (2007). Making content comprehensible for English language learners: the SIOP model. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

A friend created the vlog below. Feel free to view and share.

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Why do I have to write CONTENT & LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES?

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I HAD AN EPIPHANY! I HAVE TO SHARE IT WITH YOU. ESPECIALLY THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE EVER WONDERED... "WHY DO I HAVE TO WRITE MY CONTENT AND LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES ON THE BOARD?" I USED TO THINK IT WAS FOR ADMINISTRATORS TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON IN CLASSROOMS. THAT WAS EVEN A RUMOR IN THE BUILDING.

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Word Wall, Language Objectives, Sentence Stems 

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Tch Classroom Tour: come check out these great language supports in Math!  Confianza: Equity, Language & Literacy

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Language Objectives: The Key to Effective Content Area Instruction for English Learners | Colorín Colorado

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This article provides an overview of how to use language objectives in content-area instruction for English learners and offers classroom-based examples from different grade and subject levels.

This article written for Colorín Colorado provides an overview of how to use language objectives in content-area instruction for English learners and includes:

what a language objective is

steps that teachers can take to create language objectives

how to implement language objectives in a general education classroom

how to align objectives to content and language standards

ideas and resources on how to support teachers as they become familiar with this practice

how to use language objectives in distance learning environments.

Language Objectives: An Overview
Mrs. Shell has been teaching eighth grade math for twelve years. She has deep content area knowledge and wants to provide all of her students with authentic activities and tasks to relate the significance of the mathematical concepts that she teaches to their lives. Mrs. Shell has always felt successful at teaching her classes but this year has been different. Her sections include students with more diverse backgrounds than previous years, particularly more English learners. As Mrs. Shell was beginning to feel frustrated with her inability to reach all her students because of their needs, she learned about one way to make her content more comprehensible to all her students - creating and posting objectives that tell the students not just what content concepts they will learn in each lesson, but also the academic language they will need to learn and use to meet the state's math standards. With this knowledge, Mrs. Shell is now confident that she not only knows what to teach, but also how to teach it so that all her students can be successful.

Generally speaking, academic English is the language of schooling and the language that helps students acquire and use the content area knowledge taught in schools (Anstrom, DiCerbo, Butler, Katz, Millet, & Rivera, 2010).

Teaching content to ELs: The challenge

In my work supporting general education and ESL/bilingual teachers who provide sheltered instruction for English learners (ELs), I have met many teachers like Mrs. Shell. While these teachers want to provide effective instruction for their ELs, often they don't see themselves as language teachers and so they aren't sure where to begin with their students.

These teachers aren't alone, however, and they are facing a challenge shared by teachers across the country. We know that for school-age students, academic language is crucial for school success (Francis, Rivera, Lesaux, Kieffer, & Rivera, 2006). In addition, research allows us to state with a fair degree of confidence that English learners best acquire English when language forms are explicitly taught and when they have many opportunities to use the language in meaningful contexts (Goldenberg, 2008).

Yet while the explicit instructional support that ESL and bilingual teachers provide is essential to English learners' academic language development, English learners receive a majority of their instruction from general education and content area teachers who may not have experience teaching academic language development.

The question becomes then: What do general education classroom teachers need to do in order to support the academic English development of language learners in both face-to-face and virtual environments, especially when English learners are one of many types of students they serve?

Teaching content to ELs: The solution

One principle that teachers of English learners can begin to apply immediately is creating and posting language objectives for their lessons (whether in the classroom or online in a virtual space. Many teachers are familiar with using content objectives to identify what students will learn and be able to do in the lesson. However, they are less likely to include language objectives that support the linguistic development of their students.

Implementing language objectives can be a powerful first step in ensuring that English learners have equal access to the curriculum even though they may not be fully proficient in the language. This is because the second language acquisition process requires opportunities for the language learner to be exposed to, practice with, and then be assessed on their language skills (Echevarria, Short, & Vogt, 2008).

To this end, language objectives:

articulate for learners the academic language functions and skills that they need to master to fully participate in the lesson and meet the grade-level content standards (Echevarria, Short, & Vogt, 2008).

are beneficial not only for language learners but for all students in a class, as everyone can benefit from the clarity that comes with a teacher outlining the requisite academic language to be learned and mastered in each lesson.

Now let's take a closer look at some examples and how to write language objectives.

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Writing Language Objectives

What is a language objective?

Language objectives are lesson objectives that specifically outline the type of language that students will need to learn and use in order to accomplish the goals of the lesson. Quality language objectives complement the content knowledge and skills identified in content area standards and address the aspects of academic language that will be developed or reinforced during the teaching of grade-level content concepts (Echevarria & Short, 2010).

These objectives involve the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), but they can also include:

Below are examples of language objectives for different content areas and grade levels. They come from the Common Core State Standards for Math and English Language Arts (2012) and state standards in New York and California.
Sources:
How do I create effective language objectives?

Dr. Cindy Lundgren discusses the process of writing language objectives in this excerpt from her Meet the Expert interview.

Language objectives are directly correlated to content objectives. Once a teacher determines the lesson topic from the appropriate content standards, the teacher will want to begin thinking about the academic language necessary for English learners to complete the tasks that support the content objectives. This identification of the academic language embedded in the lesson's content will become the basis for the lesson's language objectives.

You can use the following guidelines to start thinking about appropriate language objectives for the lesson:

1. Decide what key vocabulary, concept words, and other academic words students will need to know in order to talk, read, and write about the topic of the lesson. Those words might be taught as a language objective. They should include technical terms, such as ecosystem, and terms like distribution that have different meanings across content areas. Other terms to highlight are those that language learners may know in one context, such as family (as in parents, siblings, etc.), but that have a different use in science (e.g., family of elements in the periodic table).

2. Consider the language functions related to the topic of the lesson (e.g, will the students describe, explain, compare, or chart information). See your state English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards for examples of these functions for English language arts, math, science, and social studies for all English proficiency levels and grade-level clusters.

3. Think about the language skills necessary for students to accomplish the lesson's activities. Will the students be reading a textbook passage to identify the stages of mitosis? Are they able to read a text passage to find specific information? Will they be reporting what they observe during a scientific demonstration to a peer? Do they know how to report observations orally? Acquiring the skills needed to carry out these tasks might be the focus of a language objective.

4. Identify grammar or language structures common to the content area. For example, many science textbooks use the passive voice to describe processes. Additionally, students may have to use comparative language to analyze two related concepts. Writing with the passive voice or using comparative phrases might be a language objective.

5. Consider the tasks that the students will complete and the language that will be embedded in those assignments. If students are working on a scientific investigation together, will they need to explain the steps of the procedure to one another? The language objective might focus on how to explain procedures aloud.

6. Explore language learning strategies that lend themselves to the topic of the lesson. For example, if students are starting a new chapter in the textbook, the strategy of previewing the text might be an appropriate language objective.

(Adapted from Short, Himmel, Gutierrez, & Hudec, 2012. Used with permission.)

Aligning Language Objectives and Standards

English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards

Developing appropriate language objectives for lessons involves becoming familiar with a state's content area and ELP standards. Whereas the content standards will provide the topic of the lesson and what exactly the students should be doing with that topic (e.g., solving problems, creating models, ranking ideas), the English language proficiency or development standards help to identify language skills and functions that students should be working on to achieve academic language fluency. These ELP standards can help to identify:

English Language Arts (ELA) standards

Other resources in addition to the ELP standards are a state's English Language Arts standards or the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History, Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (CCSS). The English Language Arts and Literacy CCSS might be especially useful to teachers of English learners due to its attention to literacy across the content areas.

Additional resources to consult, especially if a state is a member of the WIDA consortium, are the Model Proficiency Indicators (MPIs) outlined in their ELP standards. The MPIs outline what an English learner at a specific level of English language proficiency can do in a language domain (e.g., listening) by addressing the language functions embedded in an example topic for that content area with appropriate scaffolds or support (Gottlieb, Cranley, & Cammileri, 2007). Classroom texts and other materials (e.g., science investigations, primary source documents) are other good sources to consult when preparing a lesson.

Getting Started

How can I get started?

Careful lesson planning

In creating measureable and student-friendly language objectives that support the content objectives, it is important that learner tasks in the lesson are aligned with the objectives. It is not enough to have well-written objectives that promote language acquisition if the lesson is lacking in tasks that support the objectives. If the language objective for a middle school social studies lesson is for the students to orally retell the key characteristics in a historical event using sequential language, it is important that the teacher previews sequential language with the students, such as providing sentence stems or frames, and builds into the lesson some structured pair work so the students have an opportunity to retell the event to a peer. Therefore, careful lesson planning is another essential step in preparing effective language objectives.

Collaboration

It is also useful for content area and ESL/bilingual teachers to plan lessons together, as we saw with the 7th grade science lesson scenario involving Mr. Zhang and Mr. Lewis. In this co-planning scenario, each teacher used his expertise to better integrate content and language instruction for the language learners. This type of collaboration can help a teacher like Mr. Zhang learn more about the second language acquisition process of his students and can help a teacher like Mr. Lewis become more familiar with the grade-level content expectations that his English learners encounter in content area classes.

How do I know which language objectives are best for my students?

The language objective that the teacher selects will depend on what the English learners in the class need most at that point in the year and what language is most important to understanding the content concepts. If the students have already spent a good deal of time working with new vocabulary, then the teacher might consider having students use that vocabulary to develop their writing skill by writing a summary of the process they followed.

Conversely, the teacher might want to help students become more proficient with a particular type of graphic organizer in order to develop more strategic language learning. As all teachers know, teaching is a dynamic and complex process that requires a multitude of decisions to be made. However, the advance planning required in creating language objectives allows teachers to better anticipate the academic English needs of all students thus increasing the comprehensibility of the lessons.

It is important for teachers to realize that even though their lesson may include all four language skills (it is good if they do, since the language skills reinforce one another), they do not need to post a language objective for every language-related item addressed in the lesson. Teachers address many instructional needs in a 50- or 60-minute class period. Rather than highlighting all language uses in a particular lesson, it is important for the teacher to think about what is non-negotiable in that lesson.

In other words, the teacher should keep the perspective of the English learner in mind and ask, "Of all of the skills and functions addressed in my lesson, which is most important for helping students meet the grade-level standard and develop their language proficiency?" These objectives then must be measureable (i.e., can you see or assess the student's mastery of that objective?) and written in language that accounts for the linguistic and cognitive development of the students.

How can I make language objectives "student-friendly"?

Both of the above objectives are measurable, but both also take into account appropriate developmental stages of the students. Teachers of young students (e.g., PK or K) may even want to consider further adapting the objectives. For example, we have seen kindergarten teachers use symbols such as a pencil to symbolize "write" and a mouth to symbolize "talk" when they post their objectives for the children to see. We have also seen teachers of young learners rely on pictures to show the key terms they want the students to use or to convey the topic of the lesson (e.g., a picture of a ruler and of hands to discuss standard and non-standard measurement).

One way that teachers can ensure that their language objectives are measureable and student-friendly is by using appropriate verbs. Because language objectives should provide students with practice in the four language skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, verbs related to those skills might include, but are not limited to, the following:

List

Retell

Summarize in writing

Record

Read

It is also important to not equate low language proficiency with limited cognitive ability. Therefore, teachers will want to make sure that the language objectives they create also reflect tasks that fall on the higher end of Bloom's Taxonomy and use verbs (e.g., orally justify) accordingly.

As noted above in the guidelines to creating language objectives, language functions are also a potential source for language objectives. Verbs related to language functions might include:

When should I share language objectives with students?

To help students take ownership of their learning and provide explicit direction to students, especially the English learners who are processing content in a new language, it is important that objectives be stated at the beginning of the lesson and reviewed with the students at the end of the lesson to allow them to assess if they have met the objectives (Echevarria, Vogt & Short, 2008).

How this happens may differ according to the grade level and content area of the class. Some teachers like to have the students choral read the objectives, while teachers of older students sometimes have them record the language objectives in their journal in addition to asking an individual student to read them aloud. Some teachers, such as those who teach science, like to reveal the objectives later in the lesson, perhaps after the warm up or exploratory activity, so that they can maintain an inquiry-based approach (Echevarria & Colburn, 2006).

Should I differentiate language objectives based on my students' language proficiency?

Although all teachers have students of varying language proficiency and skill levels in their classes, it is not necessary to differentiate language objectives by creating and posting multiple language objectives that reflect these proficiency levels. Rather, teachers should have one language objective that is appropriate for all students to meet. To provide the appropriate differentiation, the teacher would provide different scaffolds (e.g., adapted text, visuals, sentence frames) for students to use in order to reach the objectives.

For example, an appropriate language objective for an upper elementary language arts class might be for the students to be able to orally list text features found in a non-fiction book. For lower proficiency language learners, the teacher may give them a word bank from which to choose the text features; therefore, the students are meeting the same objective but with the appropriate amount of linguistic support from the teacher.

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Using language objectives in a distance learning environment

While teachers like Ms. Shell understand that the characteristics of good teaching for English learners does not change in a virtual environment, they do understand that instruction will necessarily need to look different in order to account for the challenges that distance learning presents for many learners.

Accordingly, teachers will need to think through how to:

Presenting language objectives

Many different ways exist for teachers to present language objectives in remote learning. For example, teachers might:

begin every virtual class by orally reading and presenting the content and language objectives in their Google slides and then asking students to briefly summarize in the chat box the activities they will be doing in that lesson to meet those objectives.

post the objectives at the top of a shared digital document that serves as a capture sheet for the lesson. A teacher might then ask learners to self-assess their progress towards meeting those objectives at the end of the document.

use live or recorded videos, especially when working with English learners with lower English proficiency. These videos can include props, for example ears to signify a listening objective.

use realia, such as rocks, if one of the lesson's language aims is for students to orally describe different types of sedimentary rocks.

Monitoring student understanding and engagement

Teachers in distance learning environments must also carefully consider how they will assess learner understanding and engagement throughout the lesson. Given the challenges virtual learning platforms present towards capturing data on learner comprehension (e.g., paralinguistic cues such as facial expressions, gestures, posture) teachers working in virtual environments know that it is more important than ever to ensure that students clearly understand the content and linguistic aims for each lesson.

Using comprehension checks and assessing progress

It is also essential that students understand how teachers will measure their progress towards meeting each objective. Towards this aim, teachers must build in multiple comprehension checks throughout the lesson that align to the lesson's objectives. Teachers can:

At the conclusion of a lesson, teachers can assess student progress towards meeting objectives via:

tickets out that are submitted digitally

the recording of a Flipgrid or use of another video platform where learners respond to a prompt that requires learners to use the academic language highlighted in the lesson's objectives.

Teachers can respond to the submitted tickets out or video with feedback that explicitly targets the students use of the language. When appropriate, teacher can provide learners with additional resources and/or support towards mastering that particular language skill or function. Teachers might also use that linguistic data to inform mini-lessons conducted to small groups of English learners during office hours or intervention time.

Next Steps

How can I learn more?

For more information on the SIOP Model, see Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model (Echevarria, Short, & Vogt, 2008).

Although language objectives can be implemented in any lesson design approach, they are especially congruent with sheltered instruction and the SIOP Model. Since language objectives ensure that teachers meet the unique linguistic needs of English learners, they are sometimes easier to implement in the context of instructional practices espoused by the SIOP Model.

Practices that focus on explicit academic language teaching include:

Below are other resources that can help you learn more about creating language objectives and about integrating academic language into content area classes.

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Final Thoughts

We realize that it takes teachers some time to become very comfortable with creating language objectives, but our experience has shown that the implementation of language objectives can bring immediate benefits to instruction. Some immediate benefits include teachers understanding more concretely that they are both a content area and language teacher - as one teacher said in a CAL SIOP Model workshop, "I now see myself as a math teacher AND a language teacher".

We have also observed that when teachers consciously plan to meet the academic English needs of their learners, they end up with better planned learner tasks, and students begin to have more ownership of their content area and language learning. When it comes to building proficiency in academic English, as many teachers in our workshops remind us, "If you want to see it, you have to teach it." Therefore, if teachers want to see language development, language objectives are a great first step in helping teachers explicitly teach it.

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Recommended Resources

Further reading

Short, D., Himmel, J., Gutierrez, S., & Hudec, J. (2012). Using the SIOP Model: Professional development for sheltered instruction. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M.E., & Short, D. (2010). The SIOP Model for teaching mathematics to English learners. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Echevarria, J., & Short, D. (2011). The SIOP Model: A professional development framework for a comprehensive school-wide intervention. Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE) Brief. http://www.cal.org/create/resources/pubs/professional-development-framework.html

Himmel, J., Short, D., Richards, C., & Echevarria, J. (2009). Using the SIOP Model to improve middle school science instruction. Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE) Brief. http://www.cal.org/create/resources/pubs/siopscience.html

Short, D., Vogt, M., & Echevarria, J. (2010a). The SIOP Model for teaching history-social studies to English learners. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Short, D., Vogt, M., & Echevarria, J. (2010b). The SIOP Model for teaching science to English learners. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Vogt, M.E., Echevarria, J., & Short, D. (2010). The SIOP Model for teaching English language arts to English learners. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Jennifer Himmel is the Project Director for the National Center for English Language Acquisition at the Manhattan Strategy Group. She previously served as the SIOP Manager at the Center for Applied Linguistics, a non-profit organization for language education research, policy, and practice in Washington, DC. She has served as a curriculum developer and research associate for the U.S. Department of Education funded project, Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE) that is investigating academic achievement of ELLs in grades 4th-8th, and as a language testing specialist for the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs® language proficiency test. She currently manages the SIOP Model professional development service line and provides technical assistance and professional development in sheltered instruction to districts and schools.

Video Clips: Language Objectives

How to Write Language Objectives: Tips for ELL Educators

In this video from Syracuse, NY, Jesus Ortiz, a bilingual teacher, learns how to write a language objective from Areli Schermerhorn, a peer evaluator with expertise in ELL and bilingual education.

Dr. Cynthia Lundgren explains language objectives

In this excerpt from her Meet the Expert interview, Dr. Cynthia Lundgren explains the value of writing language objectives when teaching English learners.

Anstrom, K., DiCerbo, P., Butler, F., Katz, A., Millet, J., & Rivera, C. (2010). A review of the literature on academic English: Implications for K-12 English language learners. Arlington, VA: The George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence. Education.www.ceee.gwu.edu.

Echevarria, J., & Colburn, A. (2006). Designing lessons: Inquiry approach to science using the SIOP Model. In A. Lathman & D. Crowther (Eds.), Science for English language learners (pp.95-108). Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association Press.

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. (2008). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP Model. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Echevarria, J., & Short, D. ( 2010). Programs and practices for effective sheltered content instruction. In California Department of Education (Ed), Improving education for English learners: Research-based approaches. Sacramento, CA: CDE Press.

Francis, D., Rivera, M., Lesaux, N., Kieffer, M., & Rivera, H. (2006). Practical guidelines for the education of English language learners: Research-based recommendations for instruction and academic interventions. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction. www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ELL1-Interventions.pdf

Goldenberg, C. (2008). Teaching English language learners: What the research does-and does not-say. American Educator, Summer 2008, pp. 13-44.

Gottlieb, M., Cranley, E., & Cammilleri, A. (2007). Understanding the WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards: A resource guide. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, on behalf of the WIDA Consortium.

Short, D., Himmel, J., Gutierrez, S., & Hudec, J. (2012). Using the SIOP Model: Professional development for sheltered instruction. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (2007). WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, on behalf of the WIDA Consortium http://www.wida.us/standards/elp.asp

You are welcome to print copies or republish materials for non-commercial use as long as credit is given to Colorín Colorado and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact [email protected] .

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Language Objectives: The Key to Effective Content Area Instruction for English Learners

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This article provides an overview of how to use language objectives in content-area instruction for English learners and offers classroom-based examples from different grade and subject levels.

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3-read protocol with problems from GRADE 5 - CHAPTER 5 DIVISION OF DECIMALS.pdf - Google Drive

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3-read protocol with problems from GRADE 5 - CHAPTER 5 DIVISION OF DECIMALS.pdf

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Collection of speaking games

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Linguish, c'est l'anglais de 2 à 12 ans! De façon ludique et grâce à une pédagogie innovante, nous amenons les enfants à parler, échanger, s'amuser le tout e...

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Steve Wyborney free Resource

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Math Talks

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Introducing Esti-Mysteries! Each image invites students to wonder what number is represented by the image. As you click through the each Esti-Mystery, clues will appear that will allow the students to use math concepts to narrow the set of possibilities to a small set of numbers. In the end, the students will need to call upon their estimation skills to solve the mystery and find the missing number.

Here is an example:

Download the Esti-Mysteries, try them in your class, and let me know about your experience.

Update: Here are 4 printable charts you may enjoy using with Esti-Mysteries.

Update: Here is the full set of Esti-Mysteries clues (without images) to allow you to browse through the Esti-Mystery Concepts.

As always, you can find me on Twitter @stevewyborney

Esti-Mystery #1

Esti-Mystery #4 ***This is the one where the numbers on the dice are first used as a clue.

Esti-Mystery #6 ***The most challenging one yet!

Esti-Mystery #8 "Bright Beads"

Esti-Mystery #9 "Cupside Down"
***This one that may lead to the greatest debate and surprise at the end.

Esti-Mystery #10 "Yellow Yarn"

The Smaller Number Series

This next Esti-Mysteries was requested for a kindergarten class. Enjoy!

Esti-Mystery: The Smaller Numbers Request ***This is a great one to use with kindergarten students.

Sinker? (The Smaller Numbers Series)

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Splat! (50 downloadable, animated lessons)

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Splat! for Google Slides (This is the one you want if you don't have PowerPoint but do have Google Slides.)

Cube Conversations (80 downloadable, animated lessons)
Tiled Area Questions
Thank you for visiting my blog!

All my best,

Steve

P.S. Please feel free to post your reflections in the comments below.

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Introducing Esti-Mysteries! Each image invites students to wonder what number is represented by the image. As you click through the each Esti-Mystery, clues will appear that will allow the students to use math concepts to narrow the set of possibilities to a small set of numbers.

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