Cubing

Purpose: to prepare students for reading or writing, increase comprehension, extend understanding of a topic/concept, character, or text from various perspectives. May also be used as a pot-reading activity to encourage students to think critically about the topic at hand.

Procedure:

1. The teacher or students must select a topic to be cubed.

2. If being used as a whole-class activity, the class may be divided into 6 groups and each group will be assigned a perspective to consider and discuss.

3. Each group writes a summary or their discussion and shares it with the class. These perspectives may be taped to the cube for reference and access.

Benefits and Limitations:

· May be used as whole-class, cooperative group, pairs, or independent activity.

· Almost any topic may be cubed including math concepts, science theories, and events in history.

· When used as a post-reading strategy, students are required to apply the information they have learned.

· May be modified according to desired outcomes and lesson objectives.

· This strategy should be modeled and the teacher should explain why this strategy is being used.

Possible Cube Perspectives:

Describe: what does it look like? What are some traits/characteristics? What size, shape, or color?

Compare: What does it remind you of? How is it like something else? What is it different/opposite from?

Associate: What does it make you think of? How is it related to other topics or people? How does it connect to other things/concepts?

Analyze: What is it made of? How can you break it down into smaller parts?

Apply: What can be done? How is it used?

Argue for/against: make a list of supporting reasons

This is one of my favorite strategies because it is engaging, easily adaptable, and a great concept attainment tool for all grades!

I created this cube (with detachable parts) for a Pre-Kindergarten lesson on food/nutrition. The student's enthusiasm and participation was fantastic! By the end of the unit their discussion and thought processes became observably more detailed and sophisticated.

Analogy Charting

Purpose: to create a visual framework of text-to-self connection and note differences and similarities between a new familiar concept. “Analogies are based on the compare/contrast text frame, and as students explore relationships by connecting to already known ideas, they broaden their understanding of important concepts or vocabulary.” (Buehl 2009)

Procedure:

1. Select a familiar concept that can serve as an analogy for a new concept. The familiar concept should be well understood by all students and have characteristics which are analogous to those of the new concept.

2. Introduce analogy and have students brainstorm characteristics of both concepts to put under the “similarities” column.

3. Have students brainstorm differences between the two concepts and fill out the other side of the analogy chart.

4. Discuss relationship categories and “what you understand now” (summary statement).

Benefits:

· Provides students a foundation (outline) for developing organized compare/contrast summaries

· Allows students to relate to the new concepts by making connections to their background knowledge

Limitations:

· The “familiar concept” must truly be familiar to the students and directly comparable to the new concept

Content Area Literacy

I will soon post a variety of CAL strategies. This is my personal favorite.

Topic/Book Box
-A primary level approach-
Purpose: to introduce students to a new book or topic (unit of study). Tangible objects are provided to activate students’ background knowledge and prompt students’ thinking about major topics or concepts prior to reading.
Procedure:
1. The teacher prepares a container (box, basket, suitcase, treasure chest, jewelry box etc.) that represents some aspect of the book or topic being studied. For example, an athletic bag may be used to carry items before reading a book on the biography of a sports figure. A shoebox may be decorated with images and/or words related to a geometric figure (cube, or rectangular prism, etc.).
2. The teacher then collects items to fill the box that relates to the book or theme. These objects should stimulate conversation among the students and provide them opportunities to discuss previous experiences/knowledge. The objects may come directly from the reading or represent a more profound theme or idea. The box may also include other books related to the topic, words, or pictures/images.
3. There are a variety of ways to use a book box. Teachers may choose to show the items to the entire class and have them discuss what they think the items represent and brainstorm what topic or book they are going to read (concept attainment method). Students may be asked to create an inventory of the items and list what is in the box, ideas about what the items may represent, and previous experiences with the items. After reading the book, the students may complete the inventory to include “purpose of the item.” It is up to the teacher to decide when they will tell the students the topic or book that is going to be studied or read.
-OR-
Purpose: to help students summarize and communicate their understanding by creating a book box. This allows students the opportunity to create a box that symbolizes concepts and share what they have learned with their classmates. This is a hands-on/minds-on activity that can be used as an extension of learning that allows students the freedom to explore interesting facts or ideas. Book boxes are also useful tools for assessment of the student’s ability to summarize main ideas and identify important aspects of a topic. The teacher must explicitly state the purpose of the book box to the students.
Procedure:
1. Students collect 3-5 items related to a topic or theme and place them in a chosen
(perhaps decorated) container.
2. The students may be asked to create an inventory sheet or write up that states the contents of the box and reasons for inclusion (how they relate to the topic or book).
3. The students will be expected to share their boxes with the class and explain the significance of the items in their box in relation to the topic or book.
4. Student may also have the opportunity to answer questions from their classmates about their book or topic.
Benefits:
• There are a variety of ways in which this strategy may be used in a classroom (teacher-created or student-created, as an introduction or assessment, multiple boxes for further study…)
• The book boxes allow students the opportunity to explore concepts in a tangible and concrete way.
• Topic boxes may be used in all content areas including math, science, music, and social studies.
• Student-created book boxes provide students more choice and therefore engagement in their learning.
• Technology and creativity (art) may be incorporated in the use of this strategy.
• Students are given the opportunity to read, write, listen, and verbally communicate their ideas.
Limitations:
• If book boxes are created in the classroom, the teacher and students must supply or create the items relevant to the topic.
• Teacher-created book boxes may require some additional planning.
Teacher Concerns:
• What if my students are not getting the main idea of my book box?
• What if my students do not treat the book boxes of other students with care and respect?
• How will I find room in my classroom to display (store) all these boxes?
References:
Tompkins, Gail E. (1997) Literacy for the twenty-first century: A balanced approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall

Inventory Sheet
Topic:
Book:
What is it?
What could this represent?
What does this make me think of?
What did I learn from the book?


Example:
Book: The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaolo
What is it? Basket
What could this represent? Something people use to put their things in
What does this make me think of? My Easter basket that I use to put eggs in during the Easter egg hunt
What did I learn from the book? (implicit) Native Americans use things from the Earth to make tools and toys (like the buckskin doll).

Comprehension Strategies

Clusters, Maps, and Webs
Text: Abe Lincoln Goes To Washington by: Cheryl Harness

Purpose: Clusters are weblike diagrams with the topic written in a circle centered on a sheet of paper. Main ideas are written on rays drawn out from the circle, and branches with details and examples are added to complete each main idea (Rico, 1983).

Students use maps when reading to organize the information they are learning.

Students use clusters when writing to organize ideas before beginning a composition.

This strategy may be done individually, in small groups, or as a class with the teacher as a facilitator.

Procedure:

1. Draw center circle which represents the topic

2. Brainstorm a list of words/phrases that are related to the topic. Then organize the words into categories.

3. Add main ideas and details. The main ideas are written on rays drawn from the central topic and the details are written on rays drawn out from the main ideas.

Brainstorm list:

Stovepipe hat, Lawyer, Married to Mary Todd, Village shoemaker, U.S. President, Battle of Bull Run, Naval Blockade, George McClellan, Son Willie died, Issued Emancipation Proclamation, North: wants to end slavery, South: legal to buy/sell slaves, West: shoving Indians, open land, California gold, thousands going…, Studied books about war/military strategies, Visited hospitals, Union victory at Gettysburg, Union soldiers captured the Confederate capital, Gen Lee surrendered –war over, John Wilkes Booth, Ford Theatre, Died April 15, 1865

Craft Lesson #2: Nonfiction Literature

Materials: Getting Away With Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe

Discussion: Students will gain an understanding of the purposes and types of nonfiction literature. They will also be able to identify several access features in nonfiction books.

How to Teach It: We would define the term nonfiction as a class and discuss the types of nonfiction including essays, journals, documentaries, scientific papers, biographies, textbooks, etc.I would have the students fill out a Civil Rights KWLL. First listing what they know, what they would like to know, then after reading the text they would write what they learned from the book and then what they learned from outside research (or information from class). I would ask them to look through the book and point out anything that is different from a nonfiction book compared to a fiction novel. They hopefully would mention several access features like the glossary or time line. Then I would show them examples and discuss the purposes of several other access features common to nonfiction literature. In Getting Away With Murder we would find a Table of Contents, Introduction, Chapter Titles, Photographs and labels, Time line, Bibliography, Additional Resources, and Further Reading. To assess their learning and give them practice writing, I might even have them create a page or two of their own nonfiction book (in any of the formats we discussed), including a couple access features. They would research a little about other significant people, places, or events realted to Civil Rights in the United States.

Bibliographic Information of Resource Text:
http://www.homeofbob.com/literature/genre/nonfiction/elements.html