Teaching Strategies

1. Teaching Strategies Taken from a meeting with Barbara Preston (Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education #39)

2. Vocabulary • Paint Chips: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/build-student-vocabulary • Bumper sticker activity. These could be posted on a cutout of a car on the wall (if applicable).

3. Vocabulary • “College talk” sessions where you introduce academic vocabulary. • Folded vocabulary activity: fold a sheet of paper into thirds. One one side put a drawing that depicts a word. On the inside give a synonym. Then, write a sentence using the synonym. Finally, on the back, write the word. Students should try to guess first by the picture, then by the synonym, then the sentence as they unfold the paper.

4. Differentiation • Hand out different worksheets (not as packet) and explain who does what to students. Kids can vocalize to you whether to go up a level or down a level. • This could work in group activities. Set up stations around the room and let students pick based on what they need to work on most. (Example: with paper writing, there could be stations on thesis statements, introducing quotes, avoiding repetition, overall structure, transitions, etc).

5. Group Work • Every group puts their “Main Idea” on a big sheet. However, have each student put a post-it note on it with how they came up with the idea/how they individually thought about it.

6. If students are forgetting about HW assignments… • Write assignments on index cards and let students take it to their desk to copy it down if they need to.

7. Positive Reinforcement • Every 15-20 minutes or 2-3 times in HS, catch a student on task. Speak softly into their ear and praise them for something they have done right that day.