Observe, Think, Question

OBSERVE...THINK...QUESTION

I'm going to share one of my all-time favorite inquiry-based teaching strategies today. I loved it so much in fact, that I incorporated prompts for it permanently in my classroom. The strategy is called Observe, Think, Question. If you would have walked into my classroom you would have quickly seen a large Eye (observe), a Brain (think), and a questions mark (questions) hanging from the ceiling.
This strategy can be used in any content area using only a photograph, text, or even a video clip. It very simple, and once your students learn it, they can participate pretty seamlessly at any point in your day, in any subject area.
FIRST: the teacher displays an artifact, text, photograph or video clip and the students write (either on a pre-made graphic organizer or a notebook page they have chosen) about what they notice. It takes some practice, but they get good at just "stating the obvious." This stage of the strategy anchors them in the reality without letting them jump ahead to application or prediction. For example, if I displayed this book cover to my students

They might write observations like:

* I see that it is a boy

* I notice he has only one eye

* I notice that there is no nose or mouth

NEXT: The students can verbally share, or record on their paper thoughts they have, and predictions. For the above book cover they may say:

* I think this boy must be the main character

* I think his eye is important

* I think he might wonder a lot because of the title Wonder

LASTLY: Students ask questions about the artifact, text, photo or video clip. I usually have them record their questions first and then pair up to share and generate a few more. 

By the end of the exercise, you can imagine that a lot of interest, background knowledge and predicting has been done. It is a helpful strategy that I found replaced KWL charts in my classroom very quickly. Revisiting the OTQ work after learning has occurred allows for reflection as well. Think about how you might do this....

display a map with no title or legend in geography....

show a video clip like this without sound in your biology class....

Try it out and let us know what you think!

Beautiful and Diverse Text

I heard about this site while listening to a presentation Cris Tovani gave on reading engagement. The site is called informationisbeautiful.net and what you find there is just that, beautiful information. Weather you are a content area teacher or just looking to spice up your student's reading material, there are many great choices here.
You could address place value, percentages and musicians rights using this info graphic:

Or you could use this to spark a class discussion in physical science

or perhaps you would assign your health class to read and respond to this chart in small groups...

lots of interesting info and interesting text!

"Back When I was in School..."

I realize that by sharing some of this I am inviting criticism because it could potentially reveal my age, but I think it is timely and important. When I was in Kindergarten, I distinctly remember being considered a "high reader" because I could independently turn pages of Dr. Seuss and other classics while "reading" them accurately to other children. I also remember receiving compliments on my "wonderful" writing which consisted of words with simple beginning and ending sound (sometimes correct and sometimes not.) I don't believe that the school system I was in was behind the times or upholding low expectations, it was simply a different time in literacy education, and every other kind.

A few other things I distinctly remember from my childhood mark the turning of the tide for not only our culture, but education as well. First, I recall exactly where I was and the cock-eyed pigtails I was sporting when my mom tried to explain that my Uncle Hal had just gotten a "bag-phone" for business. My small mind and mouth bombarded her with questions about how a phone like this could work if it wasn't plugged in and why someone would ever want to talk on the phone anywhere but from home (in this moment my iPhone is vibrating an email notification.) I also remember our first computer as a family. It was a step above the Apple II e that I had grown found of jamming black bendy "disks" into at school. This screen was in color. And as far as I was concerned, creating imaginary "Wibbles" made this machine worth the space and money investment for my family.

And now, zooming ahead, as an educator I find myself communicating with my colleagues almost constantly, via text, email, tweet and phone. I am expected to share information with my student's families in many of those ways and maintain and updated classroom website. My filing cabinet was full of graham crackers for the last 3 years, and my desktop was "overflowing" with shared files. I often stand in front of a "smart" board rather than a chalk or whiteboard, manipulating words, shapes, and the internet in front of my students. It is a different time.

Lucy Calkins (2010) explains; "Today's information age requires that young people develop literacy skills that are significantly higher that those that have ever been required of them- and this education needs to be for all students, not just for the elite."

This is so powerful to me, because Calkins is acknowledging the change and the challenge for us, but there is no room for belly-aching. If you aren't comfortable, or the student doesn't speak English, or the standardized tests are paper & pencil.....(or whatever other excuse comes to mind) it's out! This is our charge. Regardless of if our students grow up to be doctors or custodians, professional athletes, politicians, sales clerks or mechanics, we need to help them be more than just literate. Students of today need to be Multi-literate problem-solvers with a head full of knowledge about the world and the tools that are available to them.