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Compare and Contrast: is a strategy that utilizes our natural abilities to compare.

When students are given too much information it can be easy to miss key concepts because the information is too abstract, confusing, or easy  to overlook.

If we give students an opportunity to visualize, organize, and synthesize the information, we can engage their innate ability to compare two items, and increase their achievement.

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STEPS:

1. Choose two items to compare and contrast. (Ex: Apples and oranges)

2. Choose two separate objects, concepts, or readings they will compare and contrast. (Ex: A picture of an apple, and an orange)

3. Explain why comparison is important.
(Ex: We need to know the difference between fruit to name them)

4. Make a criteria.
(Ex: What does the fruit look like? What is the size, what is the color?)

5. Have the students describe each item separately.
(Ex: Describe the apple, and then the orange)

6. Show students how to use the organizer.
(Ex: Explain how to distinguish between apples and oranges in the organizer)

7. Lead a Discussion.
(Ex: Ask why the apples and oranges are more alike or different)

8. Encourage Independence
(Ex: Allow students to make their own criteria, and follow the steps)

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Additional Organizers:

Y Organizer

Side by Side Diagram

Top Hat Organizer

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The compare and contrast strategy is a great way to utilize UDL strategies.

More specifically, the strategy provides multiple means of engagement because the nature of this strategy is to improve focus, and decrease distractions.

The strategy also increases engagement by fostering collaboration and community because the students are encouraged to reflect on their comparisons with others.

The strategy provides multiple means of representation because teachers have the option to vary how the diagrams are displayed and organized.

The strategy also provides multiple means of action and expression because the students are able to look at images, write down differences, and talk to their peers.

The strategy can also be adapted to other media in order to allow students to maximize the transfer of information.

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Direct instruction: is a four-phase strategy that increases skill acquisition.

Teachers who spend more time demonstrating and explaining the steps are more effective than teachers who do not explain the steps.

This strategy works for both general- education, and special education students.

The strategy helps foster independence from the teacher, and helps them learn how to analyze and create their own steps/questions.

The role of the teacher is to guide, instruct, and provide feedback to students.

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1. Select a skill and break it into steps.
(Ex: How to set up a microscope)

2. Model the skill by demonstrating steps, and explaining why each  step is necessary.
(Ex: Tell the students how to set up a microscope, and then show them how to set up a microscope).

3. Lead students through directed practice with procedural and conceptual questions to help them identify each step, by writing them down a sequence of steps.
(Ex: As they are writing the steps on an image or list; Ask: What is the next step?, or why is this step important?)

4. Have the students read over the sequence they wrote down, and visualize performing the steps.
(Ex: Students should read over their microscope list, and pretend to set up the microscope)

5. Encourage students to visualize the steps, and answer their own questions as they work through each step; feedback is important here.
(Ex: As the students are visualizing the microscope steps, encourage them to write down any questions they have, and provide feedback)

6. Assign other tasks and examples for more independent practice.
(Ex: provide students with another image, video, or article that talks about microscope steps)

7. Give students short term practice before the activity, and provide opportunities for students to practice steps over time.
(Ex: Allow students to practice the steps during the activity, as well as after the activity throughout the year)

8. Relate the skill to a performance or an assessment task, so the students can find meaning in the steps. (Ex: Provide a microscope performance assessment, or a written assessment at the end of the activity)

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Vary the way the information is given to the student: written, visual, verbal.

Allow students to write on the picture, or write down their own list.

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This strategy provides multiple means of engagement because the students are being given specific steps from the teacher, and are then tasked with a variety of demands that foster communication.

The students are also encouraged to ask questions, and analyze each step which helps the students internalize and comprehend the material.

The strategy also provides multiple means of action and expression because the students are encouraged to achieve a goal with graduated levels of support.

The strategy can also be adapted to other media in order to allow students to maximize the transfer of information.

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Graduated Difficulty: attempts to develop self-directed learners, within a wide array of students, through differentiated instruction.

The students are given the opportunity to perform tasks and analysis at varying levels of difficulty.

This strategy also helps teachers and students determine the steps required to achieve a variety of learning objectives of the students own choosing.

This strategy allows students to work at their optimum level of productivity, and gives them greater opportunities to succeed.

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1. Determine the content or skill to be reviewed at three or more levels of difficulty.
(Ex: Level 1: Compare and Contrast dominant and recessive alleles. Level 2: Draw a Punnett square, and fill in the squares. Level 3: Determine the phenotype based on the genotype of the Punnett square)

2. Develop a set of tasks around the selected levels of content, and create a rubric/example students can use to assess their progress.
(Ex: Use a graphic organizer that compares and contrasts the alleles, Draw a Punnett square and fill in the alleles, Write down the genotype of the organism based on the Punnett square)

3. Allow students to decide on task level, and make sure they understand their role. When letting students select their role use language like determine, examine, check, and identify.
(Ex: Create a progress sheet that allows students to determine the level that is best for them, and ask them if the choice will help them advance to the next level)

4. Develop questions that will help the students analyze all of the tasks on the list, and help them understand what skills and knowledge are necessary to succeed at each level.
(Ex: Ask student questions about what skills they will need before they can succeed at completing the selected task)

5. Remind students that they can work on any level, and that they can switch at any time, and ask questions for the students to complete self-reflection and analysis. (Ex: Tell the student that if task level 1 is too easy, they can jump to task level 2 or 3 at any time, and after each task is completed provide reflection questions to help them come to a conclusion)

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- Visual Images
- Graphic organizers
- Lists and Rubrics
- Reflective Writing

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This strategy provides multiple means of representation and comprehension because the students are given the opportunity to maximize their knowledge transfer and acquisition at their own pace.

The strategy also provides multiple means of expression and communication because the students can talk to the teacher, and shift their goals at any point in the activity.

The students are also given the opportunity to self regulate goals, assessments, and strategies.

The strategy can also be adapted to other media in order to allow students to maximize the transfer of information.

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Gamification strategy is when game elements such as point scoring, rules, interactive media, narratives, and social communication opportunities.

Adding video game elements to lessons can build team leadership and communication skills, improve short term memory, and help students make decisions faster.

We can increase motivation in students by making sure that the content is aligned with the learning objectives, and that the students have enough time to reflect on the material.

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1. Select a learning topic or objective.
(Ex: Bee communication)

2. Discover a game that is engaging and is aligned to the learning objective.
(Ex: Find an interactive game that lets students participate in bee communication strategies)

3. Give students the opportunity to play the game, and work with their peers to answer questions.
(Ex: Allow students to interact and help each other as they play the games, while also asking questions about bee communication)

4. Allow students to do a reflection at the end of the activity.
(Ex: Have students talk or write about the game experiences, and reflect on bee communication strategies)

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Independent or social games

Augmented reality games

Virtual reality games

Ranked or competitive games

Mobile device games

Narrative games

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Gamification strategies provide multiple means of engagement by heightening the objectives, and motivating students through relevant activities.

The strategies also foster collaboration and community through social aspects.

The  strategy also improves motivation though various interactive elements, while also improving coping skills and strategy skills.

Gamification also varies the demands and resources for the learner to optimize challenges.

Gamification can also be delivered on multiple devices, and can be accessible to a variety of learners.

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A strategy that allows students to explore critical concepts actively and deeply.

Students analyze examples and non-examples to obtain a better understanding of difficult concepts.

Humans tend to analyze common characteristics, and group them into categories.

This strategy has students look at various yes, and no examples to group them into a conceptual category, and create a set of critical attributes that define the concept they are learning.

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1. Select a concept with clear attributes.
(Ex: Ecosystems are comprised of Biotic and Abiotic components)

2. Provide students with yes, and no examples.
(Ex: Biotic will have images of living organisms, Abiotic will have images of non-living things)

3. Ask students to list what all the yes examples have in common, and how the yes examples differ from the no examples.
(Ex: Ask students how they would categorize the Biotic and Abiotic examples based on their observations)

4. Create a set of reflection questions that help the students understand the concept.
(Ex: Ask students how their initial list of attributes compares to their current understanding of environmental factors).

5. Create a synthesis activity that allows the students to apply their knowledge about the concept.
(Ex: Have students create their own ecosystem with the biotic and abiotic examples that they learned about).

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Writing on paper (Lists)

Using a graphic organizer

Using a concept definition map

Concept analysis map or matrix

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This strategy provides multiple means of expression and communication because the students are able to use various means of construction and communication.

The strategy also allows students to supply background knowledge for related concepts.

The  students are also actively creating patterns, big ideas, and relationships between characteristics in a concept.

Concept attainment also allows the students to make choices, which also increases the relevance of the concept being taught.

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In this strategy students are provided with statements that help them preview and predict the reading with prior knowledge.

The students are also encouraged to actively search for relevant evidence during the reading, and reflect on what they have learned after the reading.

This strategy helps students pay close attention to the readings, helps them develop their own critical analysis skills and arguments, and helps them find the difference between essential and non-essential information.

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1. Select a reading with four to eight statements that are related to the main ideas in a reading.
(Ex: Mammals have fur, mammals produce milk, mammals have three middle ear bones)

2. Have students find evidence within the text that corresponds to each statement, and organize the information in a graphic organizer/ column organizer.
(Ex: students can place evidence that supports the statement mammals have fur in one column, and evidence that is against the statement in the other column)

3. Students can then talk to other students about the evidence to find an agreement, or evidence that refutes the statement.
(Ex: Have students talk to each other about the evidence on each side about mammals)

4. The discussion can also allow the students to take positions on each statement with defending positions.
(Ex: Some students can defend the mammal statements and others can refute the statements)

5. The students can also use their evidence, and new knowledge to create a summary or complete a synthesis task.
(Ex: Have students reflect on their experience, and talk about how they can apply this activity to other readings)

6. Help students create statements of their own to help them find information of their choosing.
(Ex: The students can create statements about other parts of the reading to practice finding meaning in their own readings)

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Graphic Organizers

Evidence Columns

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Reading for meaning provides comprehension opportunities by activating background knowledge, and highlighting big ideas, patterns, and relationships.

The strategy also provides multiple means of engagement because students are able to communicate with their peers, and reflect on the information they collected.

Reading for meaning also gives students time to clarify vocabulary, decode text, and promote understanding of symbols and complex information.

Students can have the opportunity to vary their methods of response, and use various types of media to interact with the material.

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The inductive learning strategy helps students understand concepts by grouping terms, vocabulary words, or visual representations and classifying them with common attributes.

The students are also given the opportunity to create their own labels for the categories, and make predictions with various types of evidence through a lesson.

Through this strategy students can learn how to make associations, and categorize information in their own way to make generalizations about the content, and their own learning process.

The strategy also helps students become independent thinkers and learners.

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1. Identify and distribute key words, phrases, items, or images from a lesson.
(Ex: vocabulary words about the jungle ecosystem)

2. Show the students how to label and categorize the information.
(Ex: show students how to use a grouping organizer about jungle terms)

3. Have students form small groups to analyze the items and group them together.
(Ex: have students from diverse backgrounds analyze the categories they made about the jungle)

4. Have students create descriptive labels for their word groupings.
(Ex: have students label vocab words that have to do with temperature, animals, foliage, and rainfall)

5.  The students should use the categories they made to make predictions about what the content is about in a support/refute organizer.
(Ex: the students should be able to predict the ecosystem that is supported by the vocabulary in the unit)

6. The students should then go through the reading, lesson, or unit and search for evidence that supports or refutes their predictions.
(Ex: students read through a text about jungle ecosystems, and fill in evidence that supports or refutes their predictions)

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Grouping Organizers

Support and Refute Organizers

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The inductive learning strategy provides multiple means of engagement by allowing students to choose the categories, collaborate with each other, and discover the learning objectives for themselves.

The strategy also increases student comprehension because the students are actively finding patterns and relationships between the words.

The strategy also allows the students to manage their own information, and learn about their own learning styles through various organizational methods.

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Mystery strategy is when students are given a question with a set of clues or texts that will help them solve the mystery.

This strategy helps students learn how to collect evidence, organize the information, and make their own hypothesis.

The strategy does a great job of tapping into our natural curiosity, and increasing student motivation.

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1. Create a question that needs to be discovered, and solved.
(Ex: We all eat food to survive, but how does food break down in our bodies?)

2. Create or find clues that will help students discover the solution.
(Ex: Acids can break down materials into smaller parts, or our mouth can break large chunks of food into smaller pieces)

3. Present the students with the clues, and have the students organize the information into relevant groups with a label.
(Ex: if the clues have to do with the mouth, group the clues together and label the group “Mouth” or “breakdown via Mouth”)

4. Have the students use their labeled groups to create hypotheses, and gather evidence to defend and refine their hypothesis via a discussion.
(Ex: If the students decide that the mouth helps with digestion, have them write it as a hypothesis: The mouth helps the break down food before it gets to the  stomach)

5. Create a synthesis task that has the students apply what they have learned.
(Ex: The students can create a diagram that shows how food breaks down in the mouth, or they can write a short reflection about their hypothesis that contains all of their evidence)

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Multiple Document Learning

Sequencing Information

PBL Learning activities

Graphic Organizers

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The Mystery strategy provides multiple means of engagement because students are able to collaborate with their peers, and work with relevant examples that keep them focused on a learning objective.

The  strategy also allows students to highlight big ideas, and support a relationship using a variety of visual, and auditory strategies.

The strategy also provides multiple tools for construction, and various ways to manage information.

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The pattern maker strategy allows students to obtain a solid understanding of structure.

The strategy helps students see the patterns behind larger concepts by letting them closely examine known sources, take out key elements from the sources, and create a new structural framework in their brains.

The strategy helps students find patterns that can help inspire them to learn more about the concept, and clarify their ideas.

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1. Provide students with the purpose of the content, and discuss the value of obtaining information from various sources.
(Ex: Discuss the importance of mitosis, and how there are various sources to help us understand the process)

2. Have students review the source you have chosen.
(Ex: A scientific article about cells, and cell division)

3. Have students write down the structural elements of the source on a graphic organizer.
(Ex: Have students answer if the article is grabbing their attention, and answer what they think should be improved)

4. The students should be given time to discuss the assigned structural elements, and summarize their insights.
(Ex: students can talk about how the information they obtained related to each other)

5. Present another source, that students can relate to the old material. Or have the students create a new product.
(Ex: Have students create and article about mitosis, that improves upon the structural elements of the first article)

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Graphic Organizers

Articles

Books

Audio and Visual Media

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The pattern maker strategy provides multiple means of engagement because students can make their own choices about what they create, and the information becomes relevant to them.

The strategy also increases effort and persistence because the  students are given clear goals, and are able to talk about their findings with each other.

Students also have multiple means of representation because they can use the background knowledge to find patterns that will help them determine relationships between big ideas.

The strategy also provides multiple means of expression because students can discover information at their own pace and level.

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The mind's eye strategy teaches students how to use their minds for deep reading and comprehension.

The strategy builds the students capacity to create mental images from text.

The students create the images by looking for image-laden words in a text, making predictions about the text based on images they create, processing the images with other students, actively testing their predictions with the actual text, and making the images independently.

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1. Select keywords from the text.
(Ex: immunity, lymph, blood, pathogens, absorption, swelling, kill, bacteria, defend, cells, network, organs, skin, response)

2. Read the words out loud, slowly, with feeling, and have students picture or draw the words from their minds, and edit the image as you go.
(Ex: Read the words defend, bacteria, kill with strong feelings)

3. Have the students talk to each other about their images in groups.
(Ex: have students compare the images of the immune response in their minds)

4. Let the students read the text, and compare their ideas they discovered while they are reading.
(Ex: have students read a passage about the immune system, and let the students compare)

5. Have students reflect on the process, and what styles of thinking they are comfortable with: visualization, questioning, exploring feelings, or predicting.
(Ex: ask students to reflect on which style of thinking they like best when reading about the immune system)

6. Teach students how to use the strategy independently, and modeling how to use the key terms to make images, make predictions, and read the text to confirm their predictions.
(Ex: have the students create their own key words form a similar text, make images, and predict the text based on the words in the text)

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Words

Images

Text

Feelings

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The Mind's eye strategy provides multiple means of comprehension because the students are able to create their own background knowledge, patterns, relationships, and big ideas in their minds.

Students are also able to visualize the information, make predictions, and communicate with their peers to maximize transfer and generalization.

The strategy also provides multiple means of engagement because students can listen to emotion, create images that relate to the objectives, and collaborate with their peers.

Students can also use multiple means of expression while they make their predictions in the form of feelings, images, or words.