Quick

Writes

Description: Quick writes are short writing activities that stem from prompts
created by the instructor. The instructor provides a prompt for the students, gives
them a few moments to brainstorm some ideas, and then the students write quietly by
themselves for a given amount of time. This can last anywhere from 1-2 minutes to 7-
10minutes, depending on the purpose and time constraints in the classroom. This
strategy helps develop writing fluency, critical thinking, and reflection skills.

How does it help readers?

Reading Reflection:
Writing after reading
gives students a chance
to think through what
theyve read and create
their own thoughts on
the text. Reflection is a
key part of
comprehension, and
quick writes give
students a chance to
focus solely on that.

Reading Comprehension:

In order to solidify
comprehension of a text,
students need to do
something with it after
theyre finished reading.
Quick writes give
students time and
opportunity to sort
through what theyve
read and respond to it in
a given way, furthering
comprehension.

Making Connections: By

writing about what they

read, students can make
connections to other
texts or concepts. When
we write, we have to
think critically about a
topic, and thinking
critically is a skill all
students need to
develop.

How does it work?
Since quick writes are so versatile, they can be used virtually anytime in any
content area. Before the lesson, the teacher should create a writing topic for
students to write about. Then, when the time comes in the lesson, show the
students in a place that everyone can easily see and read. You can even include a
few key vocabulary words or sentence frames that you would like to see them
use in the quick write. Give students a minute to think of their response, and
then ask them to begin writing. Allow as much time as you think necessary, and
then ask them to share what they wrote about with a partner or small group.

Double-Entry Journals (DEJ)

Description: A double-entry journal is a note-taking technique used to encourage
critical thinking in students by asking them not only to take notes on what they read
or hear, but also to make connections and apply that information to another area.
They can be used for readings both in and outside of class.

How does it help readers?

Synthesizing: By taking
notes and making
connections while
reading, students have a
summary of the text.
After this, they can then
practice synthesizing by
writing a short
paragraph synthesizing
the reading.

Reading Comprehension:

A student who takes

notes while reading
will retain and
comprehend far
more than a student
who reads without
taking notes. It also
helps readers locate
key points of the
reading.

Making Connections:
What distinguishes DEJs
from traditional note-
taking techniques is the
reflective second
column. Students can be
asked to make textual
connections to
themselves, other texts,
or the world around
them.

How does it work?
Teachers can either create a standard worksheet to hand out to students before
reading, or students can create their own T-chart in their journals. The left-hand
column is labeled as What I read and the right-hand column is labeled
Connections I can make to this/Applying this knowledge. While students read,
they take notes in both sides of the chart to maximize comprehension.

Word Sorts
Description: Word sorts can function as an anticipatory activity or as a
formative assessment to gather data on how students conceptualize and
understand various vocabulary terms. Word sorts can be openmeaning
students create their own categoriesor closed, where categories are
previously established and students must manipulate the words to fit them.

How does it help readers?

Vocabulary Introduction:

When introducing a new

units vocabulary,
students can
demonstrate not only
their current
understanding of the
terms through an open
sort, but also how well
that understanding
allows them to
manipulate the words in
a closed sort.

Making Connections:
In order to complete a
word sort, students have
to connect various
concepts, as well as
determine what makes
them different. Through
this, students must think
critically about
vocabulary and develop
a deeper understanding
of it.

Good for all readers:

Many reading activities
may seem to target only
specific groups of readers,
but word sorts are
beneficial for all readers
from the strongest readers
in the class to an English
langue learner. They
encourage creative
thinking and give valuable
information to instructors

How does it work?
To begin, students are given a baggie or envelope filled with various vocabulary
terms and asked to lay them out on their desks. In an open sort, students can
sort the terms however they like, or what they think makes the most sense. In a
closed sort, the teacher has already created the categories into which the
students must sort the terms. Students can either do this activity individually, in
partners, or in small groups. There is also opportunity to discuss how some
students grouped their words after the initial sort, and words can be sorted
multiple times.

Frayer Model
Description: The Frayer Model is an instructional technique specific to
vocabulary and key concepts to help students conceptualize and add context to
new terms. Students may use them to take notes on main concepts of a unit
throughout the unit, or as an anticipatory/reflection activity at the beginning
and end of a unit.

How does it help readers?

Word Knowledge:
The Frayer Model forces students to go
beyond a basic understanding of a word
and leads them to a deeper
understanding of its meaning. With such
an understanding, students wont just be
memorizing ittheyll be learning it.
Vocabulary is the greatest predictor of
academic success in students, and by
introducing them to new vocabulary in
ways that allow them to truly learn it
and carry that knowledge onward.

Making Connections:
When students know the definition of a
word, they can recite it to you. But when
they truly know it, they can make
connections to other words and
concepts, which the Frayer Model
encourages. Because students must
describe the word in four different ways,
including synonyms and antonyms, they
must connect their learning to other
tops and vocabulary.

How does it work?

Students are given a worksheet with a large square or rectangle printed on. The
Rectangle is divided into four quadrants with a place for the term in the middle
of them. The quadrants stand for: Definition, example, non-example, and
picture, although they can be changed to fit students needs if necessary.
Students can begin by filling it out to the best of their ability, and then returning
to it later to add or change to what they had in the beginning. This can give
serve as a formative assessment or exit slip as well, to show teachers what holes
they may still need to fill.

Read Alouds
Description: Read alouds are times for the teacher to read a selected text to the
students, so that they may receive the information without going through the
more difficult task of doing the actual reading. Teachers model good fluency
skills, and give students a time to enjoy the story or text, without the frustration
that may come with reading for some readers.

How does it help readers?

Fluency:
In order to become a fluent reader,
students need to see fluency in action.
Readers can see how a fluent reader
incorporates expression, volume, pacing
and phrasing, as well as accuracy into
their reading, which can be extremely
beneficial to students. Its vital that
teachers practice reading a text aloud
before the read aloud, so that modeling
is effective.

Comprehension:
If a reader is struggling to decipher the
words on the page before him/her, they
do likely not understand anything they
are successful in reading, either. During
a read aloud, students are able to simply
soak up the text, and have a chance to
find meaning within it that they
otherwise would have missed if being
left to read it all on their own. This
raises their overall confidence while
working with the text in other areas.

How does it work?
During a read aloud, the teacher selects a text or passage from a text and reads
it out loud to the class. As stated above, it is imperative that teachers models
strong, fluent reading to truly help students get something out of the activity.
During this, the class can either be instructed to take written notes, or be
thinking about a question posed prior to the reading. Afterwards, teachers
should give students time to think or jot down their thoughts before asking
them to share or discuss the reading.

Think-Write-Pair-Share
Description: This activity can be used throughout lessons, and is an effective
way to eliminate Initiate-Response-Evaluate (IRE) questions from the
classroom. By giving students time to think about their responses and talk
about them before sharing out to the entire class, the fear associated with being
called on in class is removed, and all students must participate.

How does it help readers?

Writing to Learn: TWPS
gives student the
opportunity to write about
what their thinking and
learning in a way that
promotes more thinking.
Teachers may even want
to encourage more writing
after sharing to allow
students to add to their
thoughts after hearing
different ideas from their
peers.

Making Connections:
By getting a chance to
talk with their peers,
students are exposed to
more ways of thinking,
and are more likely to
make a new connection
than if they were to only
work individually.

Comprehension:
Students learn by
working together, and
by sharing ideas with a
partner, they are able to
understand the content
more concretely than if
they were simply asked
to answer a question out
of the blue.

How does it work?
At any time during a lesson, teachers can stop to ask the class a question. They
do not ask for an answer straightaway, but instead turn to the students and ask
them to think about their answer to the question for a few moments. Then, once
the teacher has given the signal, they are asked to write it down. After this, the
students turn to a designated partner and share what they wrote down. The
students discuss for a few moments, and then share out to the class when
prompted. It can be used as formative assessment to assess understanding.

Text-Tagging
Description: Text-tags are used mark up a text to show important phrases,
questions, or any other type of annotation that teachers might want students to
document while reading. It encourages students to show their thinking during
reading, so that after reading they can leave with a more thorough
understanding of what they have read.

How does it help readers?

Comprehension: When students use
text tags, they are forced to remain
active and engaged in their reading,
especially with informational texts. Text
tags ask students to stay vigilant while
reading, and because of that, they
comprehend more of what they read.
When looking back on the text later,
students will be able to see their
thinking visible on the page, and revisit
that same thinking they had the first
time.

Making Connections: Depending on

what tags the students use, they can be
made to make great connections while
reading. A star next to a sentence could
identify a place in the text that reminded
them of another text, or perhaps even an
event going on in the world around
them. These connections are invaluable
towards comprehension, as well as
moving past the stage of just
memorizing information and towards
true understanding.

How does it work?
Before the reading is handed out or assigned, teachers write a few symbols on
the board for all students to see. Its best to use only three or so, so as to not
overwhelm students and keep them focused instead. Then, assign meaning to
the symbols. Perhaps an exclamation point signals an aha! moment in the
reading, or a star is something they found to be most important in the text. Ask
the students to then read the text using these symbols.

Sentence/Paragraph Frames
Description: Sentence/paragraph frames are starters provided for students to
use to begin their writing. They often frame the main ideas of what teachers
want students to write, and provide support and scaffolding to students who
may have trouble starting their writing, or are not English language proficient.

How does it help readers?

Writing to Learn: WTL is an
extremely effective instructional
strategy, but for some students it
can be very difficult to get their
thoughts onto paper. Sentence
frames still allow them to show
and explain their thinking, but
with the scaffolding and support
to make sure it is syntactically
correct and organized in a way
that makes sense.

Builds Language Proficiency: For

students who are not English language
proficient and struggle particularly with
academic language (as most do) writing
out their thoughts can be a very
daunting task. Through sentence frames,
correct, clear English is modeled for
them at the beginning of the paragraph,
or sentence, and they have a jumping-off
point that shows them the right
direction.

How does it work?
During a writing assignment, teachers can pass out a worksheet with the
paragraph frame on it. To be discreet and prevent students from feeling singled-
out, the actual text students are to read or instructions for the activity can also
be on the worksheet. Each sentence has only a few starter words, and then
blank lines for the students to fill in themselves, with guiding words along the
way (such as because, also, or any conjunction) to further the thought. Sentence
frames can also come in the form of a running list of sentence beginners or
common phrases for students to keep as a resource throughout the year.