Effective Strategies for Student Engagement and

InquiryQuestions for quiet personal reflection:

• How do your students enter your room?• What are their body language/facial

expressions saying?• Are you confident they are all with you all

class period? • OR do they look like this? One

of the classics…

Anticipatory Set• Read the quote from David McCullough – mark

any phrases or words that stand out for you• Think about what is important about what he

says – write down your thinking about what he said on the first page of your note-taking tool.

• Author Says/I Say group processing in a Line-up Review

• Three pairings.

Historical Thinking• Brochure• Events can be viewed from the perspectives of a

Historian, an Economist, a Geographer, or a Political Scientist (others, too)

• Each asks specific kinds of questions. Consider these questions when developing your units.

• Other content areas: How might the readings or tasks you do in class be perceived by various professionals in your field(s)? Painter v. Sculptor; Chemist v. Biologist, Pianist v. Flutist, Writer v. Public speaker, etc.

Log-On!• A tried and true method for getting student engagement as

soon as they hit your classroom…• The question/task for the day is on the board.• Students retrieve their log-on folders before taking their

seats. Students with excused absences do not have to make up log-ons! This is not about excessive record-keeping on your part…

• Students title and date the next available space in the folder or notebook and begin the task as attendance, announcements, etc., are accomplished.

• Log-Ons take 3-5 minutes and focus students’ thinking on the day before or the day ahead (re-view or pre-view).

Log-On Tasks• A drawing (Visual representation)• A definition• A reflection• A quick 3 question quiz/review• A prediction• A question to answer• A reading or a re-reading of an important

concept

Log-On (continued)• Immediate discussion/feedback before class work

begins for that day allows students to fill in where they have gaps in understanding from the day before.

• Notebooks go back in class storage as students leave.• Teacher checks these notebooks before a test, end of a

unit, quarterly, etc. Grading is about looking for completion, understanding and sincere attempt. Count the notebook entries. That’s the score.

• May make comments such as, “Needs more effort” or “I really do read these!”, etc.

• Make it work for you…any way you can or want to.

Log-On (continued)• To set these up, consider:

• Standard being taught (task should mirror and support – think about the verb)

• Purpose (are you reviewing [2-2-2] or introducing?)

• Type of task (does it match the standard? Is it a drawing, a reflection, an interpretation of a graph, or a direct question?)

• Time (is the task/question quick?)

• Ease of correcting (is the notebook organized: titled and dated?)

Log-On (continued)• Turn to your neighbor. Stand if you’d like a

stretch while you converse…• How would this work for your content area? • What modifications might you make to allow it

to work for you?• How does this engage students in your

content?

• Share with the whole group.

QARQuestion/Answer Relationship

Strategy for Reading Informational Text

Why use QAR? Helps students relate prior knowledge to

new textual information. Helps students to become aware of the

relationship between questions and their answers.

Helps students know the different types of questions.

Helps students to analyze, comprehend, and respond to text concepts.

Types of Questions/Answers

In the Book Right There! answers may be one word, one

phrase, one sentence (text explicit - literal) In what years did Lewis and Clark travel

in the west? Think and Search answers will be found in

more than one place and will be combined to form the final answer. (text implicit) Why would it be a difficult task to study

a snow leopard?

Types of Questions/Answers

In My Head Author and Me answers will will use what the

author has said in the text along with the reader’s prior knowledge and experiences Why might enslaved people in the

South be excited by the stories about Tice Davis?

On My Own answers will be based on the reader’s understandings, opinions, values, experiences. I may not need to read to answer. (script implicit) What qualities might a school district

look for in a new teacher?

York, A Little Known Black Hero

York, A Little Known Black Hero. By Ann Keefe

Cobblestone Magazine, "The Lewis & Clark Expedition, 1804 - 1806"

  Read the article, York, A Little Known Black

Hero. By Ann Keefe, and answer the following questions. Remember to consider the Question and Answer Relationships.

What kinds of questions are these?

1. From what document do we find out about York?

2. Who do you think was the author of York's adventures in this original document?

3. What were some of the hardships that the explorers suffered on their journey?

4. Why is it important to share the stories of men like York with modern Americans?

5. What modern hardships do people have to endure?

What kinds of questions are these?

1. From what document do we find out about York? RT

2. Who do you think was the author of York's adventures in this original document? AM

3. What were some of the hardships that the explorers suffered on their journey? TS

4. Why is it important to share the stories of men like York with modern Americans? OO

5. What modern hardships do people have to endure? OO

What kinds of questions are these?

6. What made York a valuable member of the Lewis & Clark journey?

7. "We can tell a lot about a person by what is not said." This is a statement from the story. What does it mean?

8. What items did York use to trade for food to get the expedition over the Rockies?

9. Would a journey like this interest you if you were a slave and you knew you could earn your freedom at the end? Why or why not?

10. What incident in the story shows that even a hero can make mistakes?

What kinds of questions are these?

6. What made York a valuable member of the Lewis & Clark journey? TS

7. "We can tell a lot about a person by what is not said." This is a statement from the story. What does it mean? AM/OO

8. What items did York use to trade for food to get the expedition over the Rockies? TS

9. Would a journey like this interest you if you were a slave and you knew you could earn your freedom at the end? Why or why not? OO

10. What incident in the story shows that even a hero can make mistakes? RT

How to implement Students need to be taught the four types of questions in a

structured teacher-led session. Students need to be “gradually released” to do this kind of

work. (What is Gradual Release?? – see next slide) After reading, viewing, or listening to text, students will answer

teacher-prepared questionsOR

Students may work in small groups to write questions about the material, then trade with another group, who will answer their questions.

Gradual Release

Possible use in your units…

Find and print an article as part of a unit you teach. These can be from a magazine (Cobblestone, MI History for Kids, Faces), textbook (History Alive), OR from a reliable internet site (PBS, Library of Congress www.loc.gov, a museum, etc.)

Write questions: Right There, Think and Search, Author and Me, and On your Own

Use to teach the content of your unit. What are some texts you use that might be

useful in order to implement this strategy?

Write a RAFT R = Role: William Clark or York

A = Audience: Folks back East

F = Format: Newspaper Headline

T = Topic: Conditions on the Expedition

What’s new with Literature Circles for Informational Text?

• When you think about literature circles, what words / phrases come to mind?

What’s New with Literature Circles?Harvey Daniels, 2008

1. De-emphasis on role sheets. Instead, capturing kids’ responses using post-it notes, text annotation, bookmarks, journals.

2. More use of drawn or graphic responses to text.

3. More explicit teaching of social skills (Minilessons for Literature Circles, Daniels and Steineke, 2004).

4. Not just novels. More use of short text – stories, poems, articles, charts, graphs, cartoons.

5. More nonfiction text, from articles through adult trade books.

What’s New with Literature Circles?Harvey Daniels, 2008

6. Reaching out across the curriculum: book clubs in science, social studies, etc.

7. Sparking or supplementing out-loud discussion with written conversations.

8. Multi-text Literature Circles (jigsawed text sets, theme sets (Richison et al, 2004), multigenre inquiries).

9. New forms of assessment. Fewer reports and book talks. More performances (reader’s theater, tableaux, found poetry, song lyrics, etc).

10. Moving from books to topics. From Literature Circles to broader Inquiry Groups (see Stephanie Harvey’s Nonfiction Matters (Stenhouse, 2000) and the forthcoming Kids Want to Know: From Literature Circles to Inquiry Groups by Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels (Heinemann, Fall 2008).

An additional benefit•One can use short articles of

informational text to begin the learning.

•Students can use this quick base of knowledge and information to develop questions for subsequent inquiry into the topic.

•Teachers can use the results of these groups to determine the topical interest level of the students and encourage further study.

Nonfiction “Literature Circle”

• Groups of Four (or Five) - Talk briefly about “Ancient Egypt” What do you know? (Your depth of knowledge will likely be deeper than that of your middle and high school students.

Procedure• Reading: Each person in your group is

reading something different, but related.• Silently read your article, and mark

words, lines, or sections of the text that “stick out” for you. Consider: thoughts and responses to this article, reminders of your past experiences, people, or events in your own education, other materials you have read, or events currently in the news. (t-s, t-t, t-w)

• What did you learn that was new to you?

Sharing your Thinking

• Each person takes one to two minutes (no more) to give the group a brief summary and a personal reaction to their article.

Reactions / Connections• What were your thoughts and

responses to this article?• Did you learn something? Would your

students?• Did it remind you of past experiences,

people, or events in your classroom/your education?

• Did it make you think of anything happening in the news, or in other materials you have read?

Inquiry tie-in• As a student, what Questions about

Egypt do you have?• How would you go about getting

your questions answered?• As a teacher, how would you use

your students’ questions as a springboard for your instruction?

Writing response: What is the value of non-

fiction literature circles in building inquiryskills?

Taking it Forward• What is a benefit of using Literature

Circles for content dissemination?• Can you see how it might be used in

content areas other than Social Studies?

• How will you use this technique in your classroom?

• Share…

RE-ENTRY

Robert Garmston of Adaptive Schools says that we get better discussion on items of importance if there is an opportunity to speak on informal topics first.

We will do a Mix, Freeze, Pair to loosen and prepare our minds.

Stand and find someone at another building to speak with. We will do this 3 times.

MIX-FREEZE-PAIR

Topic #1: Now that we’re immersed in this winter season, how have you fared? Have you had any automobile adventures? Any fun?

Talk for 2 minutes. I’ll raise my hand at the end of the time.

Move and find another person to speak with.

MIX-FREEZE-PAIR

Topic #2: What is something you’re looking forward to with students in your classroom in the next few weeks?

Talk for 2 minutes. I’ll raise my hand at the end of the time

Move and find another person to speak with.

MIX-FREEZE-PAIR

Topic #3: What strategies from November have you used in your classroom? Were you able to adapt ideas for other content areas? How?

Talk for 2 minutes. I’ll raise my hand at the end of the time.

We will then share as a whole group.

Art and HistoryHistorical Perspective

through

Artistic Representation

Let’s do a quick review of the last strategy we did back in November!

Proc

edur

eProvide a variety of art From the Era or event you are studying toencourage inquiry about the topic of study.

Boston Massacre

10 b

y 10

In small groups of 3 or 4, students will look carefully at the artwork or photo. They will write down 10

observations of the piece,

answering the question, “What do you see?”

They will then write 10 questions that they would

want answered about the

work.

Ques

tions

you

m

ay C

onsid

er

Something about:The event The perspective or viewpoint The moodThe people The eraThe weather The … what else?

Grad

ual R

elea

se

So, that was the teacher giving the procedureLet’s do one together:5 observations of the

piece, answering the question, “What do you see?”5 questions that you

would want answered about the work.

10 b

y 10

Painting

Proc

essin

g

OK, so what can you say about this painting, solely

based on your observations

and questions?What can you say about this

method of inquiry for beginning the study of a historical event? …a concept

you teach in another content

area?Write your ideas on paper…

Stand and deliver…

PRIMARY V. SECONDARY

SOURCES

Ways we study history

PRIMARY SOURCES

First-hand accounts

Journals, diaries, letters, calendars

Photographs of the event (untouched!)

Autobiography (perspective)

Artifacts/Realia

Fossils

Artwork, music from an era

Speech scripts

SECONDARY SOURCES

Interviews

Artistic depiction

Texts

Scholarly works

Timelines

Encyclopaedic volumes/sites

ARTIFACTS ACTIVITY

You will receive a bag and in this bag are 3-4 ‘primary source’ artifacts.

These are the kinds of things that might be uncovered in an archaeological dig in North America.

Archaeologists and other historians would use these artifacts to tell a story about the person or culture who may have used them.

As you CAREFULLY remove the items from the bag, consider the following questions…

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Look at this artifact from every angle.

From what material is this object made?

How do you think it was used?

Does it look like anything used today?

Who might have used this artifact?

What do you think it is? Why do you think that?

WHERE DO WE GET PRIMARY SOURCE

MATERIALS?

Library of Congress

National Archives

Public Museum of Grand Rapids: (Rob Schuitema)

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum

Hauenstein Center at GVSU

PRIMARY SOURCE QUESTIONING

Consider how you could use this inquiry strategy. What unit do you now teach that you could add artifacts or realia?

Start with a Focus Question on the topic at hand – what is the Essential Learning? What is the Enduring Understanding?

Collect primary sources that would lead students to answer this focus question by the end of the discovery. What might that be?

Talk to someone in your grade or content area. Share out to the group.

The DBQ Project: Thinking + Content + Writing =

Student Success(An Overview of an Effective

Inquiry Process)

Susan LaningaSST309

What in the heck is a DBQ?

• DBQ stands for “Document-Based Question.”

• Typically when we refer to a “DBQ” we’re referring to a series of documents that students analyze in order to answer an essential inquiry question in a persuasive writing format.

For Example…

• What Was Harriet Tubman’s Greatest Achievement?

• How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny?

• What Was the Most Important Consequence of the Printing Press?

• Would YOU have stayed at Valley Forge?

What is the DBQ Project?

• The DBQ Project is dedicated to teaching students to become better analytical thinkers without losing creativity in the process.

• The target is not the “right” answer, but a thoughtful one.

How is analytical thinking taught?

• It takes TIME! Yes, time.• It is a combination of content +

process.• The content is taught THROUGH the

process. When this model is used, time is saved elsewhere thus allowing students more time to understand content, to practice the process, and to engage in greater amounts and levels of meta-cognition.

5 Bottom-Line Beliefs

1. Students need to LEARN how to think.2. LEARNING to think requires PRACTICE.3. Thinking is hard work. Students must

confront that fact—teachers must acknowledge it.

4. Thinking is for everyone.5. Thinking is clarified by writing.

(Clarification becomes the ELA teacher’s biggest tool.)

Why a DBQ?

1. The DBQ is one of the MOST EFFECTIVE ways to get students engaged in thinking and thinking about thinking (meta-cognition). Again and again students need to define key terms in an analytical question, identify sources and determine if they are primary or secondary, read for general meaning, group documents into analytical categories, support ideas with specific data, and in an essay, articulate an argument.

Why a DBQ? cont.

2. The DBQ is a great TOOL for developing writing skills. For students with poor writing skills, it provides a framework for learning to write classic 5-paragraph essays. For good writers it provides enough substance to spark thoughtful and tightly argued pieces.

Why a DBQ? cont.

3. The DBQ is well suited for group work, especially document analysis and peer editing.

4. The DBQ is also an ego booster and a democratizer. High school students know that they are doing an exercise similar to that done in an AP class. It feels good to be playing on the same field. Elementary students build skills for future learning and accomplishment.

EXIT

How effective will these strategies be for you in your classroom?

What ideas for engagement and inquiry have YOU tried and found successful?