Enhancing Tier I Instruction

Pre-KAugust 21, 2013

Exploring Routinesa.k.a. Strategies

Introducing and Exploring Ideas Think-Puzzle-Explore

STEPS Use anchor charts for documenting the

student responses. Ask, “What do you think you know

about…?” Record student responses. Ask, “What questions or puzzles do you

have?” Record student responses. Ask, “How can we explore these puzzles?”

Record student responses. Share the thinking.

Introducing and Exploring Ideas Think-Puzzle-Explore

Pre-K ApplicationWeek 1 Theme: My School and Me Predict: What do you know about

school? Questions: What questions or puzzles

do you have about school? Explore: How can we explore what

puzzles we have about school? Share your thoughts

OTHER PRE-K APPLICATIONS

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Introducing and Exploring Ideas The Explanation Game

STEPS Take a close look at an object you are trying to

understand. Name a feature of the object that you notice. Explain it. What role does the feature serve? Why is

it there? Generate as many explanations as possible. Give reasons. What makes you say that? Press for

evidence. Generate alternatives. Press for alternative

explanations. Keep students attention on the relationship between the features and why they are that way.

Introducing and Exploring Ideas The Explanation Game

Pre-K ApplicationWeek 1 Theme: My School and Me Take a close look at the US flag. Name the parts of the flag you notice. Why do you think the flag has stripes? A pole? The

color red? Generate as many explanations as possible.

Give reasons. What makes you say that? Press for evidence.

Press for alternative explanations for each feature of the flag. Focus on the relationship between the features and why they are that way.

OTHER PRE-K APPLICATIONS

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Synthesizing and Organizing Ideas Headlines

STEPS Ask the students to think about what they have

been learning. Ask students, “Write a headline for this topic that

captures the core idea you want to remember.” Students share their headlines and reasoning as

appropriate for age of student. Create a class collection of the headlines that

document the group’s thinking.

Synthesizing and Organizing Ideas Headlines

Pre-K ApplicationWeek 2 Theme: My School and Me Use the morning message one day a week

to create headlines and summarize the message.

Document the headlines created by students on sentence strips. Use the sentence strips to create a bulletin board with the various headlines and include the morning message.

OTHER PRE-K APPLICATIONS SYNT

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Synthesizing and Organizing Ideas I Used To Think…Now I Think

STEPS Explain to students that this routine is to help

them reflect on their thinking about a topic and to identify how their ideas have developed over time.

Have students verbalize what it was they used to think about the topic…”I used to think…” Then have the students verbalize how their thinking has changed as a result of what they have been studying.

Share the thinking.

Pre-K ApplicationWeek 1 Theme: My School and Me At the end of the first week, ask

students, “What did you used to think about school.” Record their responses.

Then ask students to respond to the question, “Now I think …. about school.” Record their responses.

Synthesizing and Organizing Ideas I Used To Think…Now I Think

OTHER PRE-K APPLICATIONS

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Digging Deeper Into Ideas What Makes You Say That?

STEPS Look for moments when students

give explanations or offer opinions. Push for elaboration and evidence by

asking, “What makes you say that?” Share the thinking.

Digging Deeper Into Ideas What Makes You Say That?

Pre-K ApplicationWeek 1 Theme: My School and Me As students share their thoughts and

opinions about school, ask them to elaborate their thinking by asking, “What makes you say that?”

Support students’ attempt at justification.

OTHER PRE-K APPLICATIONS

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S STOPT Take a Deep

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S STOPT Take a Deep

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S STOPT Take a Deep

BreathA AndR Relax

Commitments