PHAT (Practical, Helpful, After School Training)

Monday

Anticipation GuidesBrief sets of questions or statementsAt least 3-5 items

Activate prior knowledgeMake predictionsIntroduce important issuesGet them thinking before reading

Anticipation GuidesStudents can simply circle their answersMay talk briefly with a classmate or as a classMost powerful AGs are not factual recallAGs should invite students to take a stand on

a controversy or big idea in the readingMaking students think about key concepts

before reading provides real purpose for reading

Sample AG for Fahrenheit 451Rank each statement 1-4. 1=strongly disagree 4=strongly agree

1. Technology makes life better.2. Reading for school should be optional.3. Freedom is more important than safety.4. The world is changing and we need to

change with it in order to keep up.5. Some beliefs are worth dying for.

Written ConversationOur example: music lyrics/poetrySelect 3-4 lines from the textGroup students according to the # of linesEach student writes his/her line at the top of

a piece of paperFor 2 minutes, students respond to their lines

What does the line make you think about? What do you think it means?

Written Conversation cont…After 2 minutes, have students rotate papers

with those in their groupGive them 2 minutes to read what is written

and continue to respond to the line or partner’s comments

Continue to rotate until original writer receives his/her paper back

Advantage: all students are actively engaged rather than the handful that will volunteer

List-Group-LabelOur example: The class or teacher develops a list of 20-25

key vocabulary words from the readingIn small groups, arrange words into clusters

based on something words have in commonClusters must contain at least 3 wordsWords can be used more than onceStudents should assign labels for each cluster

Article from NYT UpfrontBanned Sagging UnconstitutionalIllegal Clothes SchoolsArrested Revealing PublicLaws Underwear TrendViolated Ordinance MainstreamFreedomFashion ObamaZac Efron Expression GovernmentDistasteful David Beckham Opposition

Probable Passage (Current Events)From the categorized list of words, small

groups work together to create a ‘gist’ statement that will summarize their reading.

In addition, students create a list of questions about unknown words or ideas they hope the reading will answer.

Note: It is OK if the gist statement doesn’t match the reading—it does show that their expectations and the reading differed—which is important to realize.

Think Aloud (Math)Before beginning let students know you’ll be

stopping to think aloud as you read. Use short passagesProvide copies for students to follow alongAfter modeling, have students try with a partner.Tell students what to look for in your thinking

aloud:Ex: Watch how I stop to decipher which

information will be important in figuring out the solution and which information may be superfluous.

Think Aloud Example

Suzy is ten years older than Billy, and six inches taller. Next year she will be twice as old as Billy, but likely only four inches taller if Billy continues to grow at the rate he is currently. How old are they now?