Module 4: Identifying Critical-Input Experiences and Using Previewing Strategies (pgs. 47-56)
*Any activity that starts students thinking about the content they will encounter in a critical input experience is called previewing.
*Our text lists several types of previewing including "What Do You Think You Know?"; "Overt Linkages;" "Preview Questions;" "Brief Teacher Summary;" "Skimming;" and "Teacher-Prepared Notes.
*(from pg. 52) Describe how you have used at least two of the previewing strategies listed.
*Reflect on how you could use one of the strategies differently or a new-to-you strategy that you would like to try in your classroom.
I love the idea of using stories as a way to introduce new content. I know when a pastor or speaker tells a story, I stay with them! I think that kids work this way, too--and storytelling is a powerful tool to use.
ReplyDeleteThe "What Do You Think You Know" previewing strategy reminds me of the KWL charts we used to use. Does anyone use those anymore? I think the last I had heard, the district didn't like the idea anymore. Was it that we don't want kids to get the wrong ideas in their heads before learning about something? Like when we introduce new vocabulary words, we're not supposed to ask what students think the words mean because then they will have the wrong meaning in their heads? What do you think about this strategy? I think it can be helpful to have students share with a partner what they think they know, and then find out if they were right...
I also thought of KWLs. I don't use them frequently... I used to use them more often. I guess I'm too new to district to know about their "rules" for specific ok to use - not ok to use. I will say that during my ESOL courses with Nancy, KWLs were mentioned more than once as a good strategy for ELLs.
DeleteAlso, during our AVID training, we used a KWL chart. It's in the book as a before/during/after reading strategy.
DeleteI have gotten the idea at times that the district didn't like KWL charts, but we did use them in kinder and some were provided in the material the district curriculum people sent us to use.
DeleteWith AVID, we were talking about how getting students to ask questions about what they are reading is key to their understanding. One way I thought about incorporating this is on the "W", they have to write their "wants" in a question format. We usually have them just list the things, but I'm going to try to shift to questions this year.
DeleteI have used a form of the preview questions called an anticipation guide. The students had to decide true or false about a statement concerning the reading. They LOVED to be right! I always tried to make sure it went in order of the story and we were able to use it as a way to check their understanding as we went along. However most of the statements were pretty general, not a whole lot of thinking involved. So I might try to have a question ready to extend their thinking after they find out if the statement was true or false, to add defending the reason and to show logic behind it.
ReplyDeleteI've also done a lot of the skimming, but we called it picture walks, that way the students could see what was coming. I think they like to know how long the material is going to be, it helps them pace themselves. It's a good time to bring in the text features, reading the captions and the headings. Again a good oportunity to make some predictions, defending why. Or asking questions about what's coming and then checking to see if their question is answered in the end.
Question 2 Module 4:
ReplyDeleteI use the skimming technique when previewing Social Studies text. I first give them a brief teacher summary of the chapter before we read. We examine the guiding question provided in the sidebar of the text. We read the chapter titles and subtitles while copying them into our spiral notebooks, skipping several lines leaving room to write notes in later. After we examine the subtitles, we go back and write on our whiteboards predictions and inferences about the text. We then pair share this in small groups. After reading the text in small groups with an adult, we stop frequently and take notes in our spirals. Students then use chart paper to summarize a particular section ad share that with the class. For special ed or ELL students I'd like to try to prepare teacher notes in advance to aid their note taking. This requires lots of advance planning.
One idea to help with the planning of the prepared notes is to share with your teammates. Each person takes a text and makes the notes for the team. That way you all have a break and aren't doing it continuously. You can also see if Jessi, can help with the SPED kiddo's notes.
DeleteI have used the techniques of "what do you think you know," (KWL chart), "teacher prepared notes," and "preview questions" with my students. I connected with the text when it said teachers should use a variety of these techniques in one lesson. I think I will try that next year. Usually, I just use one technique at a time to preview and gain students' attention. I think I'd also like to try using more pictures and videos in this part of my lesson, too.
ReplyDeletePreview questions: In social studies I will ask preview questions as a way to find out what they know, connect prior learning, as away to help them predict, and/or to anchor them to the reading and be thinking about it as we're going through the text.
ReplyDeleteSkimming: I prefer a picture walk, but I have tried to teach them to skim when I want them to find something quickly. It is an important skill, especially when they get into longer and more difficult texts.
Teacher-prepared notes: This is where I would strive for my kids to be. I prefer a student centered approach and just being able to give them notes to refer to would be a type of scaffolding in place to help prepare them for future grade levels when they're expected to teach themselves sometimes.
Anyone else notice all high school related examples for this? Ugh
We've used teacher-prepared notes in my class this year. Elizabeth did most of it, but I found that the kids really enjoyed them. We used them mostly for the Social Science texts. One thing we did was to leave spaces for them to add their own notes if they found any that they felt needed to be noted. For our kiddos who were quite ready to take their own notes, we had them highlight our notes that they thought were the key ideas and details for them to focus on. It helped make the teacher-prepared notes their own, which we found made them more likely to use as a reference.
DeleteAs I'm revisiting this... Typically when I give input, it's in the form of a PPT or SNB. I could easily print or copy that information into an outline format so that they could add notes throughout...
DeleteQuestion 2, Module 4:
ReplyDeleteI love using books, realia or short video clips to introduce new content in kinder. Anything that can engage them and help them make a connection works well. Letting them get their hands on something is huge as well.
Of the previewing strategies listed in the text, the main one I use is "What Do You Think You Know." This is mostly in the form of KWL charts or just making a list of what we know. When we had a unit on octopus we had chart that was titled, "The Octopus..." It had the four following sections: The Octopus...have, The Octopus...can, The Octopus looks and The Octopus...is. We used this as a previewing strategy, but we also added to it as we went along with our unit. It was also used at the end as a form of assessment for the students to list what they had learned about octopus. At this time of the year, some students used words and others used pictures.
I do regularly link previous content to new content. We might begin with a known math game, then I may add a new skill or twist to it that connects it with the new content.
I also use preview questions and we do a lot of sharing with shoulder partners. You never quite now where these type of questions will go in kinder, but it can help to see what their prior knowledge/experience is. Many times they have a very different connection that you never thought of.
Of course, in kindergarten these strategies look much different than what is listed in the book. It is in a much simpler form. We don't use strategies such as skimming since we are not using text books for information. I am also not sure about using the brief teacher summary and the teacher-prepared notes in kinder. Those are ones I will have to think on.
Thinking back to my lessons last year with implementing Common Core, we changed up what we did as introductions to different content. Between my student teacher and I, we've done all of these strategies.
ReplyDeleteI find that these strategies lend more to ELA or Social Sciences. I find it difficult to incorporate these with Math. I'm a natural story telling, with my 3 boys (yes James is totally included in with my boys) I have plenty of stories to share and they oddly enough fit with a lot of what we're working on in class. My students love it and I think it helps us make that connection with the lesson and each other. I also like to have students share out any stories that they have which relates to the topic.
I like to use United Streaming to provide a visual for students. They need that visual to understand some of the concepts or what exactly it is we're discussing. They get a kick out of it and they find even more connections to the text while we're reading.
We try to connect to prior learning as much as possible. With some of my students, reminding them that they already have a slight foundation helps give them a confidence boost with new learning. With this strategy I use guided notes so they know what parts I believe are important to pay attention too, but I also leave room for them to add their own thoughts and points that they feel are necessary.
With compartmentalizing this year, I would love to try to incorporate some strategies that fit more with previewing math content. Sometimes I find it difficult with time constraints and the material itself that I fall back on just introducing vocabulary as my entire previewing process. Any ideas?
I don't know if this is what you're thinking or not, but I started making anchor charts for new math content and the kids copied or helped make them in their own interactive math notebook. Our math lessons often built on each other so having them refer back to their notes and/or the anchor charts helped a lot.
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