Strategy

Purpose

Procedure

1. Line up
(Sharron
Bassano)

*To reinforce
an
understanding
of sequence.

1. Create an equal
distance between the
person behind and in
front of you.
2. Each person shares
their response.

2. Sprinting
(Natalie
Goldberg)

* Use as a
quick write
* Writing as a
way to channel
thoughts and
express
oneself.

1. Teacher says one

word.
2. Students write
anything that comes to
mind.
3. Students share with
their partner.

3. Morning
Pages
(Julia
Cameron)

*To begin to
clear the
clutter of the
mind.

1. Write for 10 minutes

every morning
2. Write 3-5 times per
week.

* This strategy can be

during the morning
routine.

4. Writing from
Both Sides of
the Rock
(Natalie
Goldberg)

* To write from
what you
see/remember
as well as
serving as
writing
practice.

1. Start writing from

one perspective on any
topic.
2. Then switch and
write about the
opposite perspective.

5. Writers
Notebook
(Ralph
Fletcher)

* To incubate
ideas for
writing.

6. Writing from
genre to
genre
(Natalie
Goldberg)

*Students
learn to use a
variety of
writing genres.
*Sets purpose
for writing.

1. Write in your
notebook any chance
you get.
2. Title and date it.
3. Divide it into
different sections
(optional).
1. Begin writing using
one genre structure.
2. Transition writing
using another genre.
3. Keep subject,
transition using a
different genre.

* Students can write

about a memory they
have about someone/or
something. Students
then switch and write
about the memories
they dont recall about
someone or something.
Example:
I remember
I dont remember
* Keep a notebook of
writings based on
family life, traditions,
thoughts, and musings.

7. Proverb of
the Day

*Students
discover that
there may be

1. Teacher display a
saying
2. Students use their

Application in the
classroom
* Create an ordered
group.
* Get to know one
another/Ice breaker
* Create ties with each
other (ex. same
hometown)
*Use as assessment
after unit.
*Use as a warm up.
*Use to channel out
ideas.

* Have students think

of a special place. Write
a letter telling a friend
about this place. Then
write directions on how
to get to this special
place. Begin to write a
fairytale that includes
your special place.
* Can be used as a
morning activity.
* Students share what

more than one

meaning for
anything.
8. Reciprocal
Reading with
a buddy
(Palinscar &
Brown)

*Reading
comprehension
.

9. Thinking
NotesMetacognate
Markers

*Reading for
comprehension
as well as
addressing
confusion or
good ideas.

10.
Zooming
In

*The author
wants you to
feel, see, and
hear though
the
illustrations.
*Students use
it when
revising their
work.

11.
Save the
Last Word for

* Encourages
meaningful

think time.
3. Students share what
they think the saying
means
1. With a classmate,
decide who will begin.
2. Each person will
take turns reading a
paragraph.
Student A reads the
first paragraph.
Student B listens to
student A read then
summarizes what was
read. Student B asks
student A a question to
clarify reading.
Students B reads next
paragraph while
student A listens.
Repeat process.

the phrase means to

them.

As you read, label

certain parts.
!- I love this part
?- Raises a question/
possible discussion
point for class.
?? Something is
unclear or I need to
ask about this.
The author begins with
a birds eye view
(scans) then focuses
on the thing or person.

* Assign students a text

to read. As they read,
have them use these
labels. As a class or in a
small group, review the
labels students
addressed in the text.

1. Highlight 3
important points.

Given a text to read,

students work
collaboratively to
develop reading
comprehension.
Students can make
meaning of the text
using their experiential
background or prior
knowledge.
Example text: Casa on
Mango Street by Sandra
Cisneros

* Start as mini lesson

(no more than 10
minutes).
1. Day 1 Students zoom
into books participate
in class discussion.
2. Day 2 Students write
about what they see.
3. Day 3 Students
select one piece of their
own writing. As they
read it, they are asked
to keep in mind a place
where they can insert
more detail/description.
Then, zoom in to that
place and add more
detail to the
description.
* While reading a story,
novel, professional

Me

12.
Literature
Circles
(Karen
Smith)

classroom
conversations
by prompting
different
opinions and
interpretations
of the text.
* Stimulates
reflection and
helps to
develop active
and thoughtful
readers.
* Prompts
classroom
interaction and
cooperative
group
discussion.
*Develop
comprehension
through
assignments

2. Reader reads.
3. Everyone takes
turns and states why
they think that point is
important.
4. Reader shares why
s/he selected that
passage.

article, or chapter of
text
* After completing a
reading selection that
could be debatable or
thought-provoking
* Before students
debate a topic
* When teaching fact
vs. opinion and how to
support an opinion
As a researching or
note-taking tool before
writing a paper

Each group member is

assigned a role.
1. Summarizer prepare summary of
reading
2. Questioner
/Discussion Director
Develop a list of
questions that your
group might want to
discuss about this part
of the book.
3. Connector Find a
connection between
the text and yourself,
and between the text
and the world.
4. Illustrator Draw
some kind of picture
related to the reading
you have just done.
5. Travel Tracer
Carefully track where
the action takes place
during todays reading.
6. Word Wizard Be on
the lookout for a few
words that have
special meaning in
todays reading
selection.
7. Literacy Luminary
Locate a few special

* Provided with an
informational text,
students will decide
what role each will use
to interpret the section
of the text.
* A suggested activity
can be to have students
complete a visual chart
and engage in a gallery
walk.

13.
Gallery
Walk
(Frank
Francek)

* Discussion
technique used
to actively
engage
students as
they walk
around the
classroom.

sections or quotations
in the text for your
group to talk over.
1. Teacher creates
posters with images,
questions, or prompts
and hangs them
around the room
(stations).
2. Students are
grouped (3-5 students
per group). Each group
starts at a different
station.
3. At their first station,
groups will read what
is posted and one
recorder should write
the groups responses,
thoughts, and
comments on the chart
paper.
4. After three to five
minutes, have the
groups rotate to the
next station. Students
read and discuss the
previous groups
response and add
content of their own.
Repeat until all groups
have visited each
station.
5. As the teacher, it is
important to monitor
the stations while the
students participate.
You may also need to
clarify or provide hints
if students don't
understand or
misinterpret what is
posted at their station.
6. Have students go
back to their first
station to read all that
was added to their first
response. Bring the
class back together to
discuss what was
learned and make final
conclusions about what

* After reading a story

to discuss ideas,
themes, and characters
* After completing a lab
to discuss findings and
implications
* To examine historical
documents or images
* Before introducing a
new topic to determine
students prior
knowledge
* After students have
created a poster or any
other type of display
project, or even before
they submit it for a
grade, use I Like, I
Wonder, Next Steps
(see below)
* To solve a math
problem using UPS
* To generate ideas or
pre-writes

14.
Travelers
and Talkers

*Engage in
cooperative
learning.
* Students use
sentence
frames to
practice
academic
discourse and
to talk about
content

15.
Collaborat
ive Clocks

An easy way to
put students in
partnerships
with different
students.

16.
Cornell
Notes
(Walter Pauk)

Helps students
take organized
notes.

they saw and

discussed.
1. Divide group in half.
Decide who will be
travelers and who
will be talkers.
2. Travelers move
clockwise to next
group.
3. Travelers begin to
share lesson.
Talkers share lesson.
4. Travelers move to
next group. Repeat
procedure.

1. Provide students
with a clock template.
2. Students will write
in another persons
name for each of the
hours on the clock,
while writing their own
name on the other
persons clock.
1. Dive paper into
three sections

2. At the top of each

page, write
subject/unit, date, and
topic.
3. Begin writing notes
on the right side
making sure you skip a
line between ideas and
topics.
3. Use shorthand
writing (ex.
abbreviations)
4. Review and clarify
any ideas.
5. At the bottom of the
page, write a summary

* Each group receives

an article about an
American hero. After
reading the article,
students discuss and
come up with the main
points. Given, a large
and small poster,
students will draw the
same pictures on both
posters to illustrate
these main points. The
group will then
continue with the
procedure to the left.
* Teacher will have
students meet with
their 1 o clock, for
example, and address
the prompt or
discussion topic.

* Students can use

Cornell Notes when
studying for a test or to
organize their notes on
different topics.

17.
Read
Around
Groups

*Each person
in a group is
assigned a task
for editing
drafts.

18.
Say,
Mean, Matter
Chart

* Develop
comprehension
of assigned
text.

19.

Engage in
cooperative
learning and
develop
comprehension
.

Jigzaw

of the main ideas.

1. Assign a role to each
group member.

1. Students will create

a chart with three
columns. The columns
will be titled Say,
Mean, Matter
2. Student will write an
important idea that the
author says in column
1. In column 2,
students will write
what that idea means.
In the last column,
students will write why
that idea matters.
1. Divide students into
groups.
2. Students will be
divided into groups
and become resident
experts on the
particular subject or
topic assigned to that
group.
2. The
groups must study and
discuss what the
important take away
ideas are of their topic
and how to teach that
information to their
peers later.
3. After each group has
had the time to
become an expert over
their topic, the teacher
now creates new
groups of students so
that their is one expert
for each of the

1. Students establish a
rotation with each
person focusing on
their role.
Roles:
1. Focus on word choice
(verbs, dialogue,
details).
2. Focus on sentence
structure/punctuation
3. Focus on
spelling/accents
* After reading an
assigned text, students
complete chart.
Students can lead
discussion of what they
wrote in each column in
small groups.

Each student becomes

an expert on a given
topic and is responsible
for teaching other
group members about
this topic.
* Building background
knowledge on a unit of
study
* Conducting an author
study before beginning
a new novel
* Learning about
different viewpoints on
a historical event or
discovery
* Focusing on
complementary or
divergent concepts in
a unit of study
* Reviewing different
aspects of a unit of
study to prepare for an

20.
Personal
Word
Dictionaries
& Word
Study Books

21.
Anticipati
on Guide

* A resource
that can be
used by
students,
especially ELL
students, while
writing,
reading and
discussing
content topics.
* Develops
comprehension
by activating
students prior
knowledge
* Topic
engagement
* Structure
meaningful
conversations.

22.
Text Talk
(Dr. Beck and
Dr. McKeown)

A read aloud
approach used
to increase
students
comprehension
and vocabulary
acquisition.

23.
I used to
think Now I
think

*A selfreflection
focusing on
students
thinking of a
topic and how

assigned topics in each

group.
4. Now, the new group
relies on the expertise
of each student to
teach and help the rest
of the group know and
understand the
important concepts
and information
needed to know from
each of the assigned
topics.
Students will write
vocabulary and chosen
words in their books
along with a picture.

assessment

1. Present students
with a word or prompt.
2. Present how they
are to respond.
Response options:
3: I know the
word/topic It
means/is about
2: Im not sure but I
think the word/topic
means/is about
1: Ive never heard the
word/topic
1. Introduce the story
2. Stop and ask open
ended questions
3. Follow up on
students responses
(ex. reread section)
4. Strategically use
pictures
5. Wrap up
6. Vocabulary
1. At the end of a
lesson have students
fill out the first box I
used to think. Then
have them fill out the
second box Now I

* Before/after
introducing new
material to tap into
prior knowledge
* Before/after watching
a film clip to gauge a
reaction
* Before/after reading a
short text to begin a
discussion

*While completing task

or engaging in a
discussion, students
can be encourage to
use their dictionary
books.

* Assess prior
knowledge
* Ask students a
question using the
vocabulary word. Point
it out in the text. At the
end of the

*Use as an assessment
* Self-Reflection

24.
Academic
Language
Corners

25.
Open
Word Sort

through
exploration,
their thinking
changed.
*Develops
metacognitive
skills.
* Taps into
students prior
knowledge
Promotes
language
development
through
student
interactions
with
illustrations
from the story
and each other.

*To build on
the prior
experience of
students and
their language
proficiency as
they sort
through words
from a story
that will be
read to them.

think

1. Teacher posts
different illustrations
(no text) from a story
in corners (or different
areas around the
room).
2. Using post its,
students write/label as
many words,
describing the what
they see, as they can.
3. Teacher facilitates
language or challenges
students to come up
with synonyms or more
sophisticated labels.
4. Then, students are
directed to use a
specific language
function and structure
within which to frame
their vocabulary.
5. Using that function,
students share out.
6. Based on students
response, the class
makes predictions
about the story.
1. Teacher selects key
words from the story
that may challenge
students
understanding.
2. Teacher makes word
cards. In partners,
students work
together to sort words
according to different
categories.
3. Teacher challenges
students to describe
how they are sorting
(How are you sorting
your words?) and to
clarify or explain what

* Use to activate prior

knowledge and engage
students through
predictions.

* Students are given a

set of words. With a
partner, students sort
the words falling a rule
that each word needs
to meet in order to be
in that group. Students
discuss what other
ways these words can
be sorted. Word
patterns are explored.

the words mean (Are

there words you want
to know more about?).
4. Class makes a
prediction of the story.
26.
Pictorial
Conversation
s

* Builds on the
prior
experience of
students and
their language
proficiency to
describe or
talk about
illustrations
from a story
that will be
read aloud to
them.

1. Cut up illustrations
into 3 or 4 puzzle
pieces.
2. Distribute pieces
randomly to students.
3. Direct students to
find the pieces that go
together.
4. As a group, students
describe the picture
using a frame (include
expanded vocabulary
and descriptive
words).
5. Share out
descriptions. 6.
Students are
challenged to make a
prediction about the
story that will be read
to them.

* Students discuss their

predictions of the
illustrations. Then they
predict the sequence of
events. The teacher
then proceeds to read
the book.

27.
Read Like
a Writer
(Katie Wood
Ray)

*Sets purpose
for reading.
* Strengthens
writing skills.

1. Reread the text.

2. Notice something
that stands out about
the text.
3. Talk about what you
notice and make a
theory about why the
author used this in

* Provide students with

a descriptive text.
Using what they
noticed, have them
write a piece that
includes that
technique.

their writing.
4. Name the specific
thing you noticed.
5. Think about texts
you have read in the
past. Have you seen
what you chose in
other texts?
6. Imagine using this
technique in your
own writing.