Predictable Routines and Signals
This is how students know what comes next in their school day...
What is a visible class schedule?
This strategy allows students to talk with the person next to them...
What is a turn and talk?
These give students a “running start” to their writing...
What are sentence stems?
These accompany words to help students better understand instructions...
What are pictures?
This strategy understands that once is never enough...
What is repeating things multiple time?
These are used when a child does not need to speak in order to communicate a need or comment...
What are hand signals?
This allows students to “ring” another classmate for help when they don’t know they answer...
What is "phone a friend"?
This helps remind students what snap words they’ve learned...
What is a word wall?
These hang around the room as reminders of strategies and content the class has learned...
What are anchor charts?
This allows students to continue working on an in-school assessment...
What is extended time?
This helps students stay on task without having to ask someone for a reminder...
What is a checklist?
This activity allows students to give each other written feedback on assignments, but only when the music stops...
What is the musical chairs activity?
This activity helps students see patterns between words...
What is a word sort?
These help you visualize your thinking during a word problem or equation...
What are math manipulatives?
This strategy allows the class to test drive an activity/expectation/lesson before the teacher asks them to do it in real time...
What is practice the activity/expectation/lesson as a group?
This is how students know where to put papers without having to ask...
What is a set place to put papers in the classroom?
This activity allows students to hear from many of their classmates, but they only “read” one student at a time...
What is the magic book activity?
This preemptive activity prevents students from getting lost in a “mental fog” while writing...
What is brainstorming?
These accompany oral speech to help students understand instructions and content...
What are physical movements?
This strategy gives a freebie to students before they do independent work...
What is doing the first question on a worksheet together as a class?
This is how students know what to expect each morning when they enter the classroom...
What is a set activity at the start of each day?
This strategy allows a student to explain their work to the class without opening their own mouth...
What is having another student explain their thinking?
This strategy allows students to learn many reading and writing components from a familiar friend...
What is using the same book for multiple lessons?
These allow students to personally connect to a lesson and hopefully understand it better...
What are recognizable images/objects?
This type of differentiated instruction may be an easier place for students to talk than in the large group...
What is small group or partner work?