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Britannica School – Early Elementary
Britannica School – Elementary
Britannica School – Middle
Britannica School – High
Britannica ImageQuest
Britannica ImageQuest Jr.
Britannica Academic
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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
CHOOSE TYPE
All
Acquire Vocabulary
Organize Thinking
Read Actively
Question & Inquire
Discuss & Collaborate
Summarize & Synthesize
GRADE
Instructional Strategy – Grade
K-2
3-5
6-8
9-12
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Read Actively
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Analyzing Images
Students analyze images to activate prior knowledge, elicit interest in a unit of study or topic, and deepen understanding and connections.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Read Actively
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Annotating Text
Annotation is a powerful active reading strategy in which students take notes, highlight, and pose questions to improve their understanding.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Summarize & Synthesize
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Build a Summary
Students unpack a text’s content by pausing after each section to think about, discuss, and write a one-sentence summary of the main ideas.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Read Actively
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Cause and Effect
Students use a cause and effect graphic organizer to demonstrate analytical understanding of the impacts of events, policies, or people.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Read Actively
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Close Reading
Students engage in repeated readings of the same text after the teacher models by think-aloud how to annotate for specific text features.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Collaborative Vocabulary Exploration
Students collaboratively complete a vocabulary exploration graphic organizer with definitions, sentences, and synonyms/antonyms for new lesson-specific words.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Read Actively
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Column Notes
Students use a column notes organizer for audio, video, or written content to organize their thoughts about what they have seen, heard, or read.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Conversation Circles
Conversation Circles facilitate discussion of text-inspired ideas in a structured format through movement and dialogue with peers.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Read Actively
GRADE: 6-8, 9-12
Critical Event Analysis
Students read an informational text and complete a graphic organizer to examine the impact of big moments, important figures, and significant innovations.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: 6-8, 9-12
Discussion Café
Students circulate to different tables to respond to teacher-provided topics or questions and add on to the insights provided by classmates.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5
Draw It, Write It
Students use this multimodal method to acquire new vocabulary by drawing a picture and writing a sentence to foster vocabulary retention.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Read Actively
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Draw to Understand
Students use this strategy for reflection, processing new information, recalling key details, and identifying and organizing relevant information.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Read Actively
GRADE: 6-8, 9-12
Evaluating Evidence
Students will demonstrate understanding of a text by responding to a question with text-based evidence that they name, describe, and interpret.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: 6-8, 9-12
Flash Debate
Students are assigned/given a position to defend using text evidence; they are then paired with a peer to discuss opposing perspectives and counterclaims.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Read Actively
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Foldables
Students use a pre-made foldable or paper with guided instructions to create a visual with sections and headers to record text evidence, ideas, and vocabulary.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Four Corners
Four Corners promotes listening, peer communication, and decision-making through movement as students take stands on controversial statements and ideas.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Frayer Model
Students use a Frayer Model, a four-square/quadrant graphic organizer, to activate background knowledge and foster vocabulary acquisition.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Give One, Get One
Students engage in the reciprocal exchange of ideas by sharing their insights and observations with multiple partners about a question, image, or text.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Guided Image Observation
This directed visual analysis tool requires students to critically examine image components such as objects and lighting to form ideas.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Hexagonal Clusters
This strategy helps students link key terms visually, promoting vocab growth, critical thinking, and collaboration both pre- and post-reading.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Human Continuum
This metacognitive discussion tool asks students to be flexible and reflective listeners and thinkers and evaluate their statements about topics.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Organize Thinking
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Idea Funnel
Students brainstorm and thematically group ideas on a funnel graphic organizer and evaluate their contributions for alignment, impact, suitability, and viability.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Jigsaw
Jigsaw promotes collaboration and movement by assigning students to expert and home groups to facilitate the sharing of well-understood ideas.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Question & Inquire
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
K-W-L
K-W-L is a graphic organizer/chart system students use to determine what they already know, what they want to know, and what they learned during a lesson.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8
Linked Words
The Linked Words strategy connects new vocabulary to familiar terms. Students create thematic links and draw on personal knowledge.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
List-Group-Label
This strategy helps students group words and find connections while boosting vocabulary, critical thinking, and comprehension.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Make It Stick!
Make it Stick! graphic organizers build vocabulary by asking students to analyze new vocabulary using images, examples, and contexts for words as they read.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Mini Glossary
Mini glossaries are used to foster vocabulary comprehension and retention so that students can integrate learned vocabulary into their written expression.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Summarize & Synthesize
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing requires students to maintain the integrity of a passage or text by capturing the main ideas and details without directly quoting.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5
Picture Glossary
This vocabulary-strengthening activity connects pictures and words whereby students draw visuals for new vocabulary words they encounter while reading.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Portrait Sorting and Analysis
Students develop visual perceptual skills by analyzing and sorting portraits to uncover meaning behind artistic renderings of individuals and groups.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Question & Inquire
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Question Pyramid
Students create Who, What, Where, When, Why, How questions about an assigned or selected topic to encourage curiosity and analytical inquiry.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Roll and Practice Vocabulary
This game-based vocabulary strategy requires students to take turns rolling a die; the number they roll determines the vocabulary task they will perform.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Question & Inquire
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
See-Think-Wonder
See-Think-Wonder graphic organizers help students unpack visual stimuli by documenting their observations, interpretations, and questions about images.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Semantic Feature Analysis
Students build vocabulary by examining how words and related traits connect to one another by charting their relationships on a provided matrix.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Summarize & Synthesize
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Six-Word Summary
Students demonstrate their reading and listening comprehension skills by homing in on a text’s main ideas to distill it to a six-word summary.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Summarize & Synthesize
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Summarization Note-Taking
Summarization through note-taking is an information management and processing tool that helps students engage with text to create concise understanding.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Discuss & Collaborate
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Think-Pair-Share
Students adequately develop ideas independently by being given ample time to consider a question or topic before pairing up to share ideas.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Summarize & Synthesize
GRADE: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Visual Note-Taking
Visual note-taking can be paired with traditional note-taking; students use simple symbols and drawings to capture key points.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Vocabulary Cloze
This strategy helps students use context to infer missing words, boosting vocabulary, comprehension, and language skills.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Vocabulary One-Pager
Teachers can use this visual technique to build students’ vocabulary by pairing words with student-created symbols, pictures, and phrases.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5
Word Categories
This word-sorting exercise encourages students to group new vocabulary based on thematic concepts to deepen their understanding of a topic or text.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5
Word Friends
Students are given a list of preselected vocabulary words to group and label with appropriate headings that reflect definition-based connections.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Acquire Vocabulary
GRADE: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Word Sketch
Students personalize their understanding of new vocabulary by drawing pictures and writing words, phrases, and names they associate with new vocabulary.
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Britannica School - Early Elementary
Britannica School - Elementary
Britannica School - Middle
Britannica School - High
Britannica ImageQuest
Britannica ImageQuest Jr.
Britannica Academic
Britannica Library
Britannica LaunchPacks
Resources
Lesson Minis
Instructional Strategies
Graphic Organizers
Academic Toolkits
Tutorials
Britannica School
Britannica ImageQuest
Britannica LaunchPacks
Britannica Escolar
About
Core Principles
Our Experts
Talk to Us
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