Instructional Strategies
 
 
      

Questions, Cues, and Advance Organizers

from Classroom Instruction that Works Robert J. Marzano, Debra, J . Pickering, JaneE. Pollock, MCREL, 2001.

Summary of Research on Cues and Questions
  • Cues and questions should focus on what is important as opposed to what is unusual.
  • "Higher level" questions produce deeper learning than lower level questions.
  • "Waiting" briefly before accepting responses from students increases the depth of student answers.
  • Questions are effective learning tools even when asked before a learning experience.


Classroom Practice in Cues and Questions

  • Explicit cues provide students with a preview of what they are about to experience.
  • Questions that elicit inferences help students "fill-in" missing information.
  • Analytic questions help students critque information. The types of analysis are analyzing errors, constructing support, and analyzing perspectives.


Summary of Research on Advance Organizers

  • Advance Organizers should focus on what is important as opposed to what is unusual.
  • "Higher level" advance organizers produce deeper learning than the "lower level" advance organizers.
  • Advance Organizers are most useful with information that is not well organized.
  • Different types of advanced organizers produce different results.


Classroom Practice in Advance Organizers

  • Expository advance organizers describe new content.
  • Narrative advance organizers present information in story format.
  • Graphic advance organizers provide nonlinguistic representations.
  • Skimming before reading is a form of advance organizer.



Technology Resources


Title: Use Inspiration to create a graphic advance organizer
Grade Level(s):
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Learn to use Inspiration software to create a graphic advance organizer.
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):
Title: PowerPoint or AppleWorks slide show
Grade Level(s):
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Learn to use a PowerPoint or Appleworks slideshow as an advance organizer. Distribute the slideshow to students in advance to help them prepare for the topic. Let students use the Notes screen in PowerPoint to type responses to questions posed in the slideshow. The notes pages can then be printed, or the slideshow could be sent back to the teacher with the notes attached.
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):

Title: Microsoft Word Tables
Grade Level(s):
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Learn to use Microsoft Word Tables to create a KWL (Know, Wonder, Learned) chart.
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):


Title: Highlighters
Grade Level(s):
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Learn to use a highlighter tool in Microsoft Word to point out important topics.
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):

Title: Partial outlines or fill-in-the-blank guides for note taking
Grade Level(s):
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Create a partial outline in a word processor, so that learners can fill in remaining topics as they are learned. Use a fill-in-the-blank guide to help learners take notes.
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):

Title: Web Quests
Grade Level(s):
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Use a Web Quest to help introduce a new topic.
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):

Web sites

Title: Graphic Organizers, from the Teaching Resources File Cabinet of Laura Candler
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Downloadable PDF files of Blank Venn Diagram, Know-Wonder-Learned (KWL) chart, Writing Web Idea Organizer
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.): Laura Chandler's Teaching Resources - Graphic Organizers


Title: Advance & Graphical Organizers: Proven Strategies Enhanced through Technology, by John Hendron, Goochland County Public Schools
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Good explanation of Advance Organizers and examples in the form of templates for AppleWorks and Inspiration.
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.): Advance & Graphical Organizers


Title: KWLH (Know, Wonder, Learned, How to learn more) Chart technique by NCREL
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Explanation and example of KWLH chart.
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.): KWLH chart



Title: Digital Edge Learning Interchange, Teaching Methods—Advance Organizers, from the Apple Learning Interchange site
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: More information (including movies of how to use) on these tools:
  • KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learn) charts
  • Four quadrants
  • Sort and predict
  • Venn diagrams
  • Brainstorm and categorize
  • Going for the big ideas
  • Concept mapping
Resources (Files,Websites, etc.): Advance Organizers



Title: The Big 6
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: The Big6 is an information literacy model. Some people call it a metacognitive scaffold, or an information problem solving strategy. Developed by Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, the Big6 is the most widely-known and widely-used approach to teaching information and technology skills in the world. When you apply the Big6 steps, you have an essential framework to approach any information-based question.

Resources (Files,Websites, etc.): The Big 6 website


Title: Searching Strategies
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Internet search skills need to be taught; they are not intuitive to students. Internet searching is an essential skill for many Questions, Cues and Advance Organizer strategies.

Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):
Searching the Internet website
Search Strategies website
Venn Diagram for Boolean Logic website
Search Strategies: Tips for working with databases website
Teaching Search Strategies Using Yahooligans website


Title: Questioning, from Jamie McKenzie's "From Now On" page
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Learn all the different types of questions, and strategies on how to pursue all types of questions. Technology resources and tools can help the process.

Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):
From Now On Questioning website
Module maker
Research Cycle
Questioning Toolkit


Title: Graphic Organizers from eduplace.com - The Education Place
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: Downloadable PDF files of dozens of different charts to use as graphic organizers.

Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):
The Education Place website on graphic organizers


Title: Anticipation Guides
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: An anticipation guide helps to establish prior knowledge of a topic before reading and helps to set a purpose for the reading.

Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):
Description, purpose and examples of anticipation guides



Title: Kagan Smart Cards
Grade Level(s): All
CurricularArea(s): All
Description: These colorful, glossy, quick reference cards are terrific resources you’ll want to keep within arm’s reach; you’ll turn to these SmartCards time and time again! These 8.5" x 11" SmartCards unfold to 11" x 17". Each card is loaded with ideas, activities, strategies, theory, and rationale to keep your classroom and your teaching on the cutting edge. Look for Graphic Organizer, Questioning, Memory and other cards related to Instructional Strategies.

Resources (Files,Websites, etc.):
Kagan Online Catalog