Thinkquiry+Strategies

The Thinkquiry Reading and Vocabulary Toolkit

The Thinkquiry toolkit is comprised of a set of reading and vocabulary tools to help scaffold content learning. These literacy and learning tools provide structures for teachers to support student understanding of increasingly complex content. They help students learn to think critically and deeply about what they read and learn.

Teacher instructional practices

 * Bloom’s critical thinking writing prompts and cue words
 * Interactive word walls

Collaborative routines for small group learning

 * Think- pair-share
 * Give one, get one, move on
 * Save the last word for me
 * Group Summarizing

Student learning strategies

 * Coding
 * Two-column notes
 * Triple-entry journals
 * Analytic graphic organizers
 * Question-answer relationship (QAR)
 * Role-audience-format-topic (RAFT)

The Goal: Transfer the Strategies to Students for Independent Use Whenever possible within content instruction, a literacy support strategy should be used in succession four times within a period of several weeks, using a gradual release of responsibility model to transfer the strategy to students for independent use. As students use the strategies across content disciplines, less frequency will be needed by individual teachers to help students reach the independent application stage.


 * The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model **

Identify a literacy support strategy as appropriate to the content learning. Check students’ knowledge of the strategy.
 * Pre-Assessment**

Explain the strategy, its purpose and benefits, and its use in constructing meaning. Model how to use the strategy through a think-aloud or demonstration. Show examples of strategy applications. Provide criteria for quality use of the strategy. Share samples of student strategy use.
 * Explicit Instruction**

Students work together to apply the strategy to a reading task. The teacher provides support and feedback, and helps students deepen their thinking about ways to use the strategy effectively. Students share their thinking together in pairs, small groups, and whole class discussions.
 * Guided Practice**

Students practice the strategy on their own. Students share their applications with other students. Verbal and written feedback is provided by teacher and/or peers.
 * Independent Practice**

Students are given choice of multiple options to apply strategy to new situations, different genres, or more difficult text. Each student demonstrates effective use of the strategy.
 * Post-Assessment: Independent Application**

Adapted from: Pearson, P.D.,& Gallagher, M. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology. 8, 317–344.

Metacognition means “thinking about thinking” and being aware of one's own thought processes. In the classroom, metacognition involves knowledge of three things: oneself, the task, and the strategy to use to accomplish the task. Becoming a Self-Directed Learner
 * The Outcome: Metacognitive, Self-Directed Learners **

When learning, I will follow a five-step process

1.Assess what I already know about the topic and think about what I need to learn.

2.Listen to teachers and others explain new content and learn from discussion, reading, and other media.

3.Discuss, practice, and apply the information and ideas with other students.

4.Try learning on my own and ask for feedback.

5.Reflect on what I learned, communicate my learning to others, and transfer what I know to new situations.

This process will help me “learn how to learn” on my own. It will help me in school and throughout my life.