The activities below provide students with several content literacy strategies that may be done in a high school science classroom.
1. Data Chart: This activity allows students to fill in a data table by identifying key characteristics on the stages of mitosis. Students will be given three or four main ideas and be expected to fill in the table data. An example of this strategy is provided below.
Stages
Chromosomes
Centrosomes
Nuclear Envelope
Prophase
Details
Details
Details
Metaphase
Anaphase
Telophase
2. KWL Chart: This activity will be used to assess how much students already know about a concept, as well as allow them to think about what they would like to learn. In addition, the KWL chart provides students to work on note-taking strategies by filling in the "L" part of the chart, which also gives the teacher a chance to assess how well students are able to take notes.
3. Quick Write: The teacher in this activity will write a concept, such as cell division on the board that the class had previously studied in the class before. The students will then be expected to express their thoughts and ideas without concern of grammar, but purely on how much they can recall in about 5-7 minutes. Afterwards, the class will share what they were able to come up with.
4. Venn Diagram: The teacher will create a handout for a eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell. The handout will be a venn diagram of each cell. The students will be required to fill in any similarities or differences between the two types of cell.
5. Paired Guided Reading: In this activity the teacher directs the students to read a set amount of text, such as three or four paragraphs and tells the main idea they should be looking for. Once the students finish reading the set amount of text, the teacher then tells the students to turn their books over and write down what they remember from the reading.
6. Crossword Puzzle: This is a common activity that may help students with organizing definitions. For instance, it allows them to read a definition and have to place a word in the correct spot.
7. Think-Pair-Share: This activity is guided by three stages: think, pair, and share. First, the teacher provokes a question or observation for students to think about. Then, the students pair up with other students and share their ideas with each other. Finally, the class engages in a discussion and shares the ideas that they were able to come up with.
8. Annolighting: Students highlight key words and phrases within a reading assignment, while also taking notes in the margin describing why it is important.
9. Anticipation Guide: This strategy tries to engage readers before they begin a reading. For instance, guides are usually structured to give students a chance to disagree or agree with.
10. Annotating A Text: Students will read through a text and write what they think next to a section of the reading. The student should consider the writers rhetorical devices and elements of style.
11. Conversations Across Time: This learning strategy may be used either before beginning a reading, during or after. It allows students to condense or summarize ideas from texts, compare and contrast information and make real-world connections.
12. Collaborative Annotating: This learning strategy may be done during or after a reading. Students will recognize the features of different literary genres and draw conclusions about the text. Students share their ideas with their classmates and draw on many perspectives about the learning.
13. RAFT: This is a post-reading strategy that helps students reflect and analyze what they've read based on suggestions provided by the teacher or classmates.
14: Reciprocal Teaching: This allows students to enable four different comprehension strategies. For instance, students will predict, clarify, question and summarize.
15. Sociograms: This is a useful strategy for visual learners. The sociogram is a visual representation of the characters involved in a literary text. Students may use a variety of techniques to draw conclusions about figures in a text.
16. Think Aloud: Thin think aloud strategy makes readers formulate questions before reading, make predictions about the text before reading and then revise the questions and predictions after reading.
17. Questions Only: This strategy teaches students how to pose questions about the text they're reading and engage in active reading as they try and answer the questions they've posed.
18. Strategy Log: The Strategy Log is a simple note-taking tool designed to help students identify the strategies they use while reading. For instance, students will monitor their own reading habits and keep a "diary" of reading activities and the specific strategies they employ.
19. Jot-Chart: The Jot Chart organizes data in a two-dimensional matrix with topics/categories/items recorded horizontally and specific questions/characteristics recorded vertically This tool helps students gather and synthesize information from data-rich reading selections.
20. Four-Square Vocabulary Approach: The teacher has students divide their paper into four squares. The students will use one square for writing the key vocabulary terms. The second square will be used for students to write their personal experience of the term. The third square is used for students to write or discuss their own visual and verbal non-examples. Finally, the fourth square is used for the students to write their own definition of the word in their own words.
21. Brainstorming: The teacher will present students with a prompt and have them generate ideas about the subject. Responses will be recorded at the board for the students to read all of them. The teacher will then use then use the idea generated as a way to transition into a related subject.
22. I'm Curious...: The teacher introduces a new topic either through a name or visual image. The teacher then asks the students to think about what makes them curious. The students will then generate three responses to the statement "I'm curious..." Whatever the students come up with are used to springboard the topic or unit.
23. What-Why-How Chart: Students will divide their paper into three categories and answer questions the what? why? and how? to a prompt.
24. Discussion Continuum: This strategy may be set up as a time line. For instance, the teacher will start at one end with a question or prompt and have students fill it in through discussion.
25. Take a Stand: The students should hold a position on a controversial topic and list three sub-topics supporting their idea. Then, the student should also list at least two supporting details for their stand. Finally, the students should draw some conclusion as to why their position on a topic is true.
The activities below provide students with several content literacy strategies that may be done in a high school science classroom.
1. Data Chart: This activity allows students to fill in a data table by identifying key characteristics on the stages of mitosis. Students will be given three or four main ideas and be expected to fill in the table data. An example of this strategy is provided below.
3. Quick Write: The teacher in this activity will write a concept, such as cell division on the board that the class had previously studied in the class before. The students will then be expected to express their thoughts and ideas without concern of grammar, but purely on how much they can recall in about 5-7 minutes. Afterwards, the class will share what they were able to come up with.
4. Venn Diagram: The teacher will create a handout for a eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell. The handout will be a venn diagram of each cell. The students will be required to fill in any similarities or differences between the two types of cell.
5. Paired Guided Reading: In this activity the teacher directs the students to read a set amount of text, such as three or four paragraphs and tells the main idea they should be looking for. Once the students finish reading the set amount of text, the teacher then tells the students to turn their books over and write down what they remember from the reading.
6. Crossword Puzzle: This is a common activity that may help students with organizing definitions. For instance, it allows them to read a definition and have to place a word in the correct spot.
7. Think-Pair-Share: This activity is guided by three stages: think, pair, and share. First, the teacher provokes a question or observation for students to think about. Then, the students pair up with other students and share their ideas with each other. Finally, the class engages in a discussion and shares the ideas that they were able to come up with.
8. Annolighting: Students highlight key words and phrases within a reading assignment, while also taking notes in the margin describing why it is important.
9. Anticipation Guide: This strategy tries to engage readers before they begin a reading. For instance, guides are usually structured to give students a chance to disagree or agree with.
10. Annotating A Text: Students will read through a text and write what they think next to a section of the reading. The student should consider the writers rhetorical devices and elements of style.
11. Conversations Across Time: This learning strategy may be used either before beginning a reading, during or after. It allows students to condense or summarize ideas from texts, compare and contrast information and make real-world connections.
12. Collaborative Annotating: This learning strategy may be done during or after a reading. Students will recognize the features of different literary genres and draw conclusions about the text. Students share their ideas with their classmates and draw on many perspectives about the learning.
13. RAFT: This is a post-reading strategy that helps students reflect and analyze what they've read based on suggestions provided by the teacher or classmates.
14: Reciprocal Teaching: This allows students to enable four different comprehension strategies. For instance, students will predict, clarify, question and summarize.
15. Sociograms: This is a useful strategy for visual learners. The sociogram is a visual representation of the characters involved in a literary text. Students may use a variety of techniques to draw conclusions about figures in a text.
16. Think Aloud: Thin think aloud strategy makes readers formulate questions before reading, make predictions about the text before reading and then revise the questions and predictions after reading.
17. Questions Only: This strategy teaches students how to pose questions about the text they're reading and engage in active reading as they try and answer the questions they've posed.
18. Strategy Log: The Strategy Log is a simple note-taking tool designed to help students identify the strategies they use while reading. For instance, students will monitor their own reading habits and keep a "diary" of reading activities and the specific strategies they employ.
19. Jot-Chart: The Jot Chart organizes data in a two-dimensional matrix with topics/categories/items recorded horizontally and specific questions/characteristics recorded vertically This tool helps students gather and synthesize information from data-rich reading selections.
20. Four-Square Vocabulary Approach: The teacher has students divide their paper into four squares. The students will use one square for writing the key vocabulary terms. The second square will be used for students to write their personal experience of the term. The third square is used for students to write or discuss their own visual and verbal non-examples. Finally, the fourth square is used for the students to write their own definition of the word in their own words.
21. Brainstorming: The teacher will present students with a prompt and have them generate ideas about the subject. Responses will be recorded at the board for the students to read all of them. The teacher will then use then use the idea generated as a way to transition into a related subject.
22. I'm Curious...: The teacher introduces a new topic either through a name or visual image. The teacher then asks the students to think about what makes them curious. The students will then generate three responses to the statement "I'm curious..." Whatever the students come up with are used to springboard the topic or unit.
23. What-Why-How Chart: Students will divide their paper into three categories and answer questions the what? why? and how? to a prompt.
24. Discussion Continuum: This strategy may be set up as a time line. For instance, the teacher will start at one end with a question or prompt and have students fill it in through discussion.
25. Take a Stand: The students should hold a position on a controversial topic and list three sub-topics supporting their idea. Then, the student should also list at least two supporting details for their stand. Finally, the students should draw some conclusion as to why their position on a topic is true.