- Houston Independent School District
- Effective Practices
- I-1 Objective Driven Lessons
- Engage and Connect
OLD-Professional Development
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Effective Practices
- PL Toolkit
- PL-1 Develops Student Learning Goals
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- PL-3 Design Effective Lesson Plans, Units & Assessments
- I-1 Objective Driven Lessons
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I-2 Check for Understanding
- Assess Mastery
- Begin with the End
- Checkpoints
- Chunking Text
- Closure
- Cold Call
- Exit Ticket
- Graphic Organizer
- Guided Practice
- Non-Verbal Signals
- Open-Ended Responses
- Post It
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- Right is Right
- Running Roster
- Stretch It
- Structured Peer Conversation
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- Student-Generated Questions
- Teach Back
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I-3 Differentiation
- Chunking Text
- Double Plan
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- Flexible Grouping
- Graphic Organizer
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- Independent Practice
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- Post It
- Product Menus
- Right is Right
- Running Roster
- Stretch It
- Structured Peer Conversation
- Student-Generated Questions
- Take a Stand
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- I-4 Higher Level Thinking
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I-5 Maximizing Instructional Time
- 100 Percent
- Academic Posture
- Call and Response
- Cold Call
- Do Now
- Entry Routine
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- Job Assignments
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- Pacing Tools
- Right is Right
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- Strong Voice
- Student Conference
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- Work the Clock
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- I-6 Communicating Content/Concepts
- I-7 High Academic Expectations
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I-8 Student Engagement
- Academic Posture
- Call and Response
- Closure
- Cold Call
- Do Now
- Engage and Connect
- Graphic Organizer
- HOT Question
- Independent Practice
- J-Factor
- Job Assignments
- Leveled Text
- Non-Verbal Signals
- Open-Ended Responses
- Product Menus
- Randomizing Responses
- Real-World Connections
- Reinforcers
- Structured Peer Conversation
- Student-Generated Questions
- Workstations
- Work Hard, Get Smart
- I-9 Classroom Management
- I-10 Classroom Climate
- Literacy Routines
- Academics
- Swivl Pilot Program
- Professional Development
Description
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Engage/Connect comes at the beginning of the lesson cycle to set the context and prime the brain for learning. This is when the teacher piques student interest and begins to focus their thinking. This interest may stem from the teacher’s introduction with visual stimuli, problems, questions or personal experiences. Making connections between new and prior learning is embedded in the Engage/Connect practice to help students see the relevance of the new learning. Studies show that students who make connections command a deeper understanding of concepts learned and they are better able to transfer those skills in other areas. Students can relate materials to themselves, items they have read, and the world around them.
- Identify the learning objectives.
- Choose an engaging activity that compliments the learning objective and will spark the interest of students. For example: comic strips, photographs, song lyrics, word problems, riddles, use of multimedia, humor, grouping strategies and kinesthetic movement.
- Embed opportunities to assess students’ prior knowledge into the engage activity.
- Present the engage activity selected in the prep work to elicit student interest, curiosity or prior knowledge at the beginning of the lesson.
- Instruct students to respond to presented material by discussing in whole groups, with a partner, or individually in written form. Encourage students to make connections with the world, other text, and with their personal experiences.
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Alerts
Teachers may spend too much time on Engage/Connect. This practice is quick and is not content heavy.
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Quick Tips
As students are making connections, consider asking how the connections they make deepen their understanding of the content.
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Other Strategies
Do Now
A Do Now is a short independent activity that connects prior knowledge to the day’s lesson.
Hook
Hook your students with a short introductory moment that captures what is interesting and important about the learning to come.
Advanced Organizers
This Marzano High Yield strategy focuses on a visual representation of essential information. It can be used to assist in the recall of details or to process information later in the lesson or school year.
Mystery Bag
This is a bag or box containing items related to the learning objectives. It is used to solicit inferences, connections, and questions from students, in addition to heightening student engagement.