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Best For: All Language Learners to new vocabularly

Description:
1)A word is introduced....no definition on screen.
2) Students restate or explain the new word in their own words (verbally ).3) Students to create a nonlinguistic representation of the word (a picture, or symbolic representation).* Follow up activity incorporates this word. Students engage in activities to deepen their knowledge of the new word (compare words, classify terms, write their own analogies and metaphors).

Ranking: A useful strategy to get students to understand a new word, can work for all students.

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Best For: Early Developing Language Learners (Add more words to visuals as they develop)

Description: Using images to explain to the students, especially useful if the images were something that the students had encountered before in their own culture.

Or

Draw chapter summaries when reading novels. Drawings include pictures and words.

Ranking: A great strategy to tap into the strengths of language learners (drawings) and allow them to show understanding in pictures, rather than with the language of instruction.

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Best For: Any Language Learner

Description: Every time I introduce a new important word in Spanish class, I try to draw a mind map on the whiteboard to relate the new word to similar words they know until we create the whole "lexical family".
Then, depending on the unit and the class, you can broaden this practice by completing a "lexical set" (a group of words that share the same topic or theme) or all belong to the same part of speech (they are all nouns, all verbs, all adjectives). Those are great activities to introduce and review the vocabulary incorporated in the unit. This is supported by research since, we tend to remember best when we create systems.

Ranking: It helps students, but not always in context to their world, but one good system to use.

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Best For: MYP and DP, Upper EAL students
Description: Brainwriting is simple. Rather than ask participants to yell out ideas (a serial process), you ask them to write down their ideas about a particular question or problem on sheets of paper for a few minutes; then, you have each participant pass their ideas on to someone else, who reads the ideas and adds new ideas. After a few minutes, you ask the participants to pass their papers to others, and the process repeats. After 10 to 15 minutes, you collect the sheets and post them for immediate discussion.

I tried the Brain-writing strategy with my Grade 11 Visual Arts students. I divided my 13 students into two groups based on their specialties (e.g. technical competence, communication of ideas, conceptual qualities, cultural values, languages, and general struggles), and they wrote their final piece plan on a lovely pink paper. I gave them the simple instructions like “write about your focused culture(s), skills/techniques, and sketches if you want to.” I was worried in the beginning because as this cohort have high-achievers, they might not be able to provide constructive feedback nor not sharing their personal ideas on the final piece. (Monica Hwang)

Ranking: This strategy is quite good, though not as much on EAL strategies involved, still a great chance for students to do some visible thinking!

Stir the Pot
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Best For: All grades
Description: This learning is great for introducing vocabulary at the start of a unit or discussing and sharing ideas during it.
Divide the class into groups with a number 1,2,3,4,5
All the ones sit together, twos etc
Each group is given a different word, sentence, idea to discuss.
They prepare what they are going to say to teach the other students in other groups.
Once prepared the groups mix up and share their knowledge. The teach each other and discuss ideas.

Reflection at the end of the lesson.

Class comes back together in a circle (pot) and discusses the meanings of the words, sentences etc that they have learnt.


Ranking: 5 Stars because this strategy is very flexible, adaptable to all levels and can include a wide variety of learning engagements. This works well for non written learning experiences. Good for making everyone speak and learn to share their knowledge.

Dana's Post 

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Best For: ALL!

Description: Empowering students with the tools to decipher the images and “learning to see” in their daily lives can allow them to express and communicate in much of the same ways that writing can…and it transcends language barriers. Thanks to Dana Carney for this information, you can see her much longer post on this here.  

Resources to promote visual Literacy

1. Using photos to build vocabulary, take on new perspectives, or tell stories.  This article shows practical ways to do all of the above using photography in the classroom.
2. Analyzing and interpreting visual images using Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is something we can all do on some level in our classrooms.  This is especially pertinent to using VTS with Common Core.
3. Art criticism activities can be translated through the lens of any subject matter that has images to describe, analyze, interpret or evaluate.
4. Using visual literacy techniques to navigate advertisements and propaganda.
5. Another blog post that explains the value in teaching visual literacy.

Ranking: This has so many strategies that it is hard to rank. Visual literacy is amazing! So finding the right visual literacy strategy for what you are doing is key! Look through the strategies above to pinpoint one that works for you.

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Best For: Phase 3+, MYP

Description: This activity was done by Chelsea Woods, as seen here: Chelsea's Post. Her actual activity was really to get students to sit together and talk through their analysis rather than do it on their own. She recognizes how this needs prompting at times, and how we need to focus these activities and discussions. By getting students to sit around a big poster with a task, we find they showcase several of the ATL skills (Collaboration - delegation of roles, e.g.) as well as building up group vocabulary and ideas. Putting EAL students within these groups and just raising the expectations for contributing within the group can prove to be very powerful. Combining this with other EAL Support, such as a TDOIE to build up vocabulary for students contributing would make this activity more powerful.

Ranking: The ideas behind this activity are 5-stars, but perhaps this time around Chelsea admits was only about 3 stars in how well it went and truly thinking about EAL learners. This was also geared towards older students, as PYP classes are probably more consistently doing activities like this, so more of a reminder for the Secondary to implement these wonderful ideas!

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Best For: Any grade. Modified for PYP

Description:

 Prepare talk cue cards found in Cambridge’s ‘Thinking Together‘ website. Share the cue cards with the students via Google Drive a few days in advance so that they can become familiar with them. In the discussion class, print five sets of the cue cards, put the students in mixed groups, and give each group a set of cards.

1. Groups distribute cards among members
2. (5-10 minutes) Students gather their thoughts and review their notes on the adaptations of the play (I had not planned for this, but it quickly became evident that it was necessary).
3. (15 minutes) Students discuss using the cards without their computers. Teacher goes around the room to support discussions.
4. (15 minutes) Students continue discussion, but begin taking notes in a Google Document that is shared with the whole class, with a table section for each group to use. There are a few advantages to using a Google Doc:
   1. While students are completing their shared notes, the teacher can review the document and add questions to facilitate further discussion and address any common misunderstandings that emerge: without interrupting discussions!
   2. Students can see what other groups are coming up with
   3. Students will have access to the notes for review when they are preparing their for their summative task.

Ranking: This activity was very powerful as it provided excellent structure for discussion

Chelsea's Post

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Best For: Grade 1 - 10

Description: Padlet allows students to collaborate online using one platform. Students can record their thinking by writing or recording themselves, they can link website and upload files. Students are able to comment on each others notes and can be used on a range of devices. This allows collaboration from school, home and can be used to connect with other schools.

Ranking: Padlet is an easy way for teachers to see students oral responses, thought process and levels of collaboration. It can be used at a range of different levels and in all subject area. 

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Best For: Phase 1 & 2, PYP

Description: This activity can work well in terms of students learning new words from their reading, and then taking those new words and piecing them together in new sentences, etc. This would be especially powerful for new language learners.
Simon Templeton describes how it has worked with a student he has, see here: Simon's Post.

Ranking: This possibly deserves more stars, but is not an activity you can use often. Time consuming and really for our Phase 1 and 2 students. Still, can be worthwhile.