Ice Breaker

Two truths and a lieExplain that in this activity each person writes

two truths and a lie about themselves and then we will try to guess each other's lie. The goal is to: a) convince others that your lie is truth (and that one of your truths is the lie) and b) to correctly guess other people's lies.

Quote and Comment (before-reading strategy)

The teacher chooses 5-8 pictures, sentences from the reading, diagrams, equations, famous quotes, or graphs to post around the room. The students then walk around, responding with a comment, reaction, or question about each of the figures or words on the walls. The teacher can next facilitate a discussion about the items, or allow students to discuss their reactions and questions in small groups. For management reasons, the teacher will want to number each sheet and may want to post more than one of each item so students do not crowd around one paper on the wall.

Marking in Text (during-reading strategy)

As students read, they can mark in the text using a variety of different strategies. They might write questions they have as they read, highlight four main ideas, circle key vocabulary words, mark areas in which they are confused, write one key word that sums up every paragraph, or write connections they have to the text. This strategy can be adapted to best fit any text the students are reading for class.

Marking in Text symbols

While reading the article…

Where you have a question — put a ?Where you identify an important point —put a !Where you have a connection—put a Where you identify key vocabulary terms —

put a

SAVE THE LAST WORD FOR ME(post-reading strategy)

This activity facilitates post-reading

contemplation and reflection. It provides a framework for class

discussion of a text, either narrative or expository.

Save the Last Word for MePROCEDURE:

• While reading a piece of text, students are asked to find a quote that they feel is particularly interesting or worthy of comment.

• Each student writes the quotation down on an index card, making sure to include the page number and paragraph.

• On the reverse side of the index card, the student writes a commentary on the quotation. He/she may also simply elaborate on it.

• In class, the teacher calls on a student to read his/her quotation (only) aloud. It is helpful if the student cites the page and paragraph so that everyone can follow along.

• After the quotation has been read, the teacher calls for comments and reactions from several other class members.

• To conclude the discussion of this particular quotation, the teacher asks the student who chose it to read his/her commentary aloud. There can be no further discussion. The student who chose the quote gets to have the last word. Not even the teacher can interject a final comment.

Save the Last Word for MeVariation:

This can occur in small groups once students have engaged in the activity and understand it. Students take turns sharing their quotations and monitor the discussion themselves. They may allow a certain amount of time for each student’s quotation to be discussed, for example. The leadership of the group can be assigned by the teacher, or it can pass from one student to the next as each shares his/her quotation.

Frayer Model

DEFINITION CHARACTERISTICS

EXAMPLES NON-EXAMPLES

AMERICANCULTURAL

NORMS

Exit Ticket

Write 1-3 sentences about what you have learned about American culture in class today.