Here's an effective teaching strategy to use with students before they read. This strategy is great for any subject and any grade level, and gets students thinking about what they read as they begin. There is a link on the video page to use the Wordle software.
13:15 This video shows a Teacher of the Year demonstrate how to provide academic choice to students based on her knowledge of student needs and learning styles.
2:05 The teacher uses probing questions when circulating to elicit evidence of student understanding. This video mostly supports quality of questions and probing student thought.
1:39 This teacher leads students in creating "Be sure to..." statements in order to communicate clear criteria, set goals for learning tasks, and involve students in committing to high-quality work.
4:00 This clip presents an idea for planning the teaching of complex topics through a "snowball technique." The teacher and other educators talk about how this particular lesson was designed with learning tasks that scaffold in complexity and the level of support provided to students to help them learn. Teachers could incorporate these ideas in planning future learning tasks and activities for students.
6:28 This video shows students creating higher level questions and using those questions to lead a whole group discussion,using complex text and incorporating ELA Common Core Standards.
This is a solid strategy for engagement. Students who are reluctant to speak in groups still have a responsibility to another student and their own learning even if they do not speak within the group.
3:35 This video highlights developing essential questions that promote HOT while keeping in mind backwards design. This video highlights the relevance of planned questioning.