English

Talking Circle/Sharing Circle Description:  The Talking Circle as known as Sharing Circle, when used as part of classroom instruction provides a safe environment where students can express their point of view with others. In a Talking Circle, each students is equal, and each student belongs. Students learn to listen and respect the views of others. […]

5W’s and H Description:  The five Ws (what, when, where, why, who) plus an H (how) strategy can be used in a variety of ways. It is often used to help students summarize an article they read. It also helps them to organize their thinking and it can lead students to use a range of

Helping Students Exercise Their Critical Thinking using the SEE-I Description:  Promoting critical thinking and moving past rote memorization is essential to students learning process. This skill will help them gain confidence talking about and working with novel topics within and beyond the classroom. The SEE-I is a really helpful tool to use that will support

Inside/Outside Circles Description:  This discussion technique gives students the opportunity to respond to questions and/or discuss information with a variety of peers in a structured manner. Students form two concentric circles and exchange information with a partner until the teacher signals the outer circle to move in one direction, giving each student a new peer

2 stray, 1 stay Description:  This collaborative strategy gets students moving around the room while working with classmates to solve problems and answer questions. This also allows all students the opportunity to “be the teacher,” which students love to do. As students talk about their ideas and thinking process with others, it helps them develop

5-3-1 Description:  This summarizing technique is a quick and useful tool to assess students’ background knowledge or their level of understanding. Asking students to determine the most important concepts, facts and points is a valuable skill. Intermediate students can use their responses as a note taking device and the teacher can quickly check for understanding.

Jigsaw Description:  The strategy involves the formation of Home Groups to resolve a task. The Home Groups allocate one member to each Expert or Research Group to gather data to bring back to the Home Group. For example, students are divided into small groups of five or six students each. Each member of the group

Teaching Children to Ask and Answer Questions Description:  A critical skill in maintaining conversations is answering questions and asking related questions. This article includes games and activities for teaching children to ask and answer Wh- questions, stay on topic during conversations, and ask relevant questions. Learn More

Card Sort Description:  This strategy gives students the opportunity to work with vocabulary, terms, and concepts. Students sort cards with the terms and concepts into categories based on meaning. Sorting the cards gives students a structure to talk meaningfully with one another about content and helps teachers check for understanding. Learn More

Name, Describe, Act Description:  This routine can be used to enhance close looking, develop descriptive language, and develop working memory. Depending on the stimulus/context, it can also be used to facilitate analysis of a topic. Learn More