Instructional Crunch Time

• Dec. 7, 2015, 3:26 p.m.

Here are some ideas for authentic practice that develops content knowledge, language and literacy skills.

1. Draw a picture or act out important ideas from informational texts. This type of activity is a great way to show what the student knows about the content while practicing literacy skills.
2. Create a puppet for a storybook character or to narrate an informational text. Create puppets using paper bag , popsicle sticks, or by sealing an envelope, cutting it in half vertically, and drawing a face on each half of the envelope. Students will love being able to use puppets to act out stories or give commentary.
3. Write a speech that includes important ideas, opinions, claims, and textual support about a topic. Then create an avatar who delivers the speech. Apps to use include Tellagami, GoAnimate, and Chatterpix. Be sure students write a draft first. After they have revised the draft of their "speech" and practiced reading it, record the speech using the app. Be sure to save the recording and post it on your class website or wikki. Most apps will allow you to save and send a link to parents.

Hopefully, these ideas answer the question "What should students be doing while I work with small groups to differentiate instruction?"

Academic language needs to be heard, seen, spoken, and written in order to be efficiently stored in permanent memory. Practice makes permanent!