• 2 things I’m still wondering about

• 1 strategy I might actually try

During the pair sequence, the two learners “exchange written notes instead of verbalizing their ideas.” Then they share conclusions aloud to the class. This can encourage the full participation of a rowdy or shy class. Example: A history teacher can direct students to silently annotate each other’s perspectives on the causes of the Boston Tea Party. 

Centers

Skits

• Each student writes 10 words on cards (one word per card) that were important in the reading.

• Students get into small groups.

• Group sorts the words from all of the members into 3-4 categories.

• Group chooses the 5 most important words.

• Group writes one sentence using those 5 words.

• Arrange students into expert groups.

• Each group becomes experts on a particular topic.

• Rearrange students into mixed groups.  

• Each expert in the mixed group shares their expertise with the rest of the group.

Be explicit when sharing the “why” for small-group work. A simple, yet critical initial exercise is to facilitate a circle-time discussion about small-group work. As students share their ideas, record responses on chart paper so that you can refer back to their plan as needed throughout the year.

Students can create an empathy map as a helpful tool for being kind and connecting better with others by understanding how they may feel. 

Encourage students to focus on understanding and appreciating themselves through a personal narrative—doing so will make it easier for them to make better efforts to understand others. Emphasize that having knowledge of self means having insight into one’s identity, and self-awareness means comprehending the reasons for our actions. 

Students will compose an original personal narrative of about 250 words describing things they know about themselves or a particular event or hobby they enjoy (e.g., a sport they play, an artistic skill, or their special talent). They may also include aspects of their culture at home (e.g., music, food, holidays, languages they speak, religion, etc.) or a future goal. The narrative should also provide the following: 

• Adherence to good grammar and sentence structure.

• Clear organization with a start, middle, and end. 

• Takeaways on what they know better about themselves. 

Students need to be able to conceptualize whatever information we're giving them. The graphic organizer is student friendly. When they look at information that's organized, it's easier for them to retain and remember that information. And when they go home, it is less intimidating to look at that information as opposed to pulling out a notebook that has pages and pages of notes.

Present your students with at least three higher-order-thinking (“HOT”) questions during the lesson. This is proof that you are presenting all your students with challenging work.

Summarize to bring the lesson to a close. This is when you can assess your students' abilities to effectively answer the essential question, and you can find out whether you need to extend or refine the skill.

Students can rate their perceived understanding using a variety of gestures or indicators, most of which are probably familiar to you. One thing all these indicator systems have in common is that they allow you to survey the entire class, not just a few students who are called on. Another thing these indicators have in common is that they are ratings of an amount of understanding or confidence in understanding. Note: They don’t indicate what students are understanding. For that, students need to use words and explain their thinking.