7 STEPS TO A LANGUAGE-RICH INTERACTIVE CLASSROOM REVIEW OF STEP 5: USE VISUALS AND VOCABULARY STRATEGIES THAT SUPPORT YOUR OBJECTIVES.
Important ideas from the text:
- Visuals dramatically increase student ability to understand lessons and discussions
- Graphic organizers can be used before instruction to scaffold new material and to show what students already know; during instruction, they can be used to help students organize key information; after instruction, they can help students connect prior knowledge with new information
- A good rule of thumb is to introduce and display at least two vocabulary words per lesson
- Use a word wall. The most important thing about word wall words is to be sure students have multiple opportunities to use the words in writing and speaking. See “Content Corner” above for additional tools to add to your repertoire. (Don’t just use it as a decoration in your room! Refer to it make it an integral part of your daily routine.)