Denver Thinking Strategies Training Information

Created by:Denise SmithRead 180 7th, 8th, and 6th grade InstructorCarroll County Middle School2011-2012

Learning to Think about Thinking

GOAL: It is important for students to learn to become intentional, critical thinkers so they can grow into proficient learners. Denver Thinking Strategies helps offer students springboards for their own thinking while helping them become independent students.

Workshop Model—90 minutes

Stage 2:composingWork time

30-45 minutesGradual release

Stage 3:Reflection

15-30 minutesRecord of learning

“ah-ha’s”

Stage 1:Crafting lesson 15-20 minutes

Crafting 15-20 minutes

1st segment of the workshop model Chunking/building background

knowledge of topic Activating prior knowledge of students Modeling the task/learning target for

students Sharing out of the lesson “big idea” or

“need to know” information

Crafting --continued

Sharing out with students “secret” of the learning target.

Allowing students to fully understand the day’s core content and the way you want them to interact with the information presented in the lesson

Focus: teacher showing a mini-lesson

Composing (student work time) 30-45 minutes

2nd workshop segment Students: Practicing the mini-lesson

task/concepts in action modeled by the teacher in the crafting stage of the workshop model.

Composing – continuedGradual Release

Gradual Release is the time when you allow students to demonstrate their own “understanding” of the content and learning target for the lesson.

NOTE: It is okay for students to struggle during this work time. However, if they continue to struggle then it is time to go back and confer with the struggling student to re-teach the content/concept.

Composing-- continued

Students– create product of their I “get it” for the lesson.

Teacher– conferring with individual students or a small group of students

Teacher—finding “teachable moments” Teacher—asking students to “hold” their

thinking: post-it notes, learning journals, charts, overheads, smart board notes, text notes

Reflection (15-30 minutes)

3rd segment of workshop model Debriefing of understanding/learning Teacher—helping correct

misunderstandings of content Teacher—gaining an understanding of

where to take the next day’s mini-lesson

Reflection-- continued

Time to help students “connect the dots” for the day’s learning.

Allowing students to process their thinking and using writing to “store” their day’s thinking.

Vital elements of the workshop model

Students: Read/Write independently daily to help

extend their thinking/learning Selecting a healthy “reading diet” daily Moving/working as an independent learning

in the classroom Using a variety of options to express

learning and understanding of content/”big idea”

Vital elements of Workshop Model -- continued

Students: Creating “deep thinking” connections,

apply concepts of learning in a wide variety of texts and performance products.

Teachers: Create a structured daily workshop

routine and make it stick daily

Vital elements of workshop model- continued

Teachers: Create a “safe” learning climate that

encourages students to share out their thinking and learning

Displaying student work in the room to create student ownership of learning/thinking

Use a scholarly language with your students in the classroom to enhance rigor of student thinking/learning

Variety of Texts

Suggestions of text types to use in the classroom:

Biographies Websites Poetry Memoirs Editorials Picture books

Photo essays Expository texts—

narratives Persuasive texts Reference texts Historical fiction Science fiction

Language of Thinking

Monitoring for Meaning: Student Reader Voice: “I’m confused here” “I don’t get it” “ This doesn’t make sense” Teacher Prompts: “What’s confusing” “Where are you clue-less”

Language of Thinking

Schema Student Voice: “This is just like…” “This reminds me of…” Teacher Prompts: “What does this remind you of…” “What can you connect this to…” “How is this text like another text…”

Language of Thinking

Asking Questions Student Voice: “My question is…” “I’m wondering…” “I wonder…and I found out…” Teacher: “What are you wondering…” “What questions do still have…”

Language of Thinking

Drawing Inferences Student Voice: “I’m thinking…” “I predict…” “I bet…I knew that…” Teacher Prompts: “What are you thinking…” “How can you take your thinking beyond the

text…”

Language of Thinking

Determining Importance Student Voice: “ I think this is really important…” “ I will remember…” “ The big ideas are…” Teacher Prompts: “ So, what is essential…” “How does the author show us what they

think is important…”

Language of thinking

Creating Sensory Images Student Voice: “My image is…” “ The movie in my head is…” Teacher Prompt: “Now what are you thinking…” “Tell me about the quilt of your thinking…”

Language of thinking

Synthesizing Student Voice: “At first I thought…but now I’m thinking…” “ my thoughts have really changed…” Teacher Prompt: “Now what are you thinking…” “Tell me about the quilt in your mind of

thoughts..”

SLANT

Sit up straight Lean Forward Activate thinking Note key ideas Track the speaker

Used in the classrooms to keep student attention and posters of SLANT hung throughout the classroom.

Thinking Stems

Thinking Stems help the students jump start their overall thinking.

Teaching students how to become more intentional thinkers truly helps them become more critical and proficient learners.

All in all….

Sensory images—creating pictures in your mind of what you read to help evoke all of the senses.

Schema—pulling past experiences to help create a deeper understanding as a learner.

Asking questions—thinking about the text in a “deep way” and generating purposeful, meaningful and intriguing questions of the text before, during and after reading of the text.

All in all…

Determining Importance—locating key ideas of the text and using strong evidence from the text to prove their opinions.