Instructional Strategies

High Quality Instructional Strategies

·         Act It Out

o   Description – Kids use their bodies to explain the lesson that they are learning.

o   I used Act It Out to teach vocabulary words this week.

§  The kids enjoyed using their bodies to explain the meanings to their friends. I even had one child pull others together to explain the meaning of flock. This strategy paired with visual and audio strategies works well. I can definitely see if the students understand the meaning through their actions.

o   Math

§  We also used this strategy during math to demonstrate the understanding of symmetry and 3D/2D shapes. The kids enjoy this strategy. They must make connections with prior knowledge to be able to form representations with their bodies.

·         Readers Theatre

o   We use this strategy regularly in class. I feel that it is a great way for the kids to express themselves or the characters through reading. This strategy helps with fluency and voice. I don’t think it directly teaches comprehension, but through using different voices, the students might get to know each character a little better.

o   I found that when I have them write their own readers theatre skits, I expose them to so much more. They have to think about each character and how they will react. They usually write skits during social studies or health. It helps them dig deeper into the themes that we are learning about.

·         Word Wall

o   I don’t find word walls to be very impacting. I might not be using my correctly. I do believe that kids should be surrounded with print, but I don’t think that the format matters. Once vocabulary words are introduced, they go on the word wall. I always wonder if the kids actually take the time to read the words and remember their meanings. I might need to find some additional tools to make my word wall more meaningful. I do have a word wall in my 4-year olds room. He reads the words as he is trying to fall asleep. I feel like I do not give my 2^nd graders anytime to relax (maybe this is a problem) we are constantly working on something. They are very busy!