Madison Martin

Strategy resource collection

1. Resource: “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Strategy: Cognitive mapping

Why this strategy will work/how I will use it: I think that the strategy of cognitive

mapping will work very well with this resource. TKAM is typically taught in a ninth or

tenth grade classroom. Cognitive mapping is a good way to see what they may already

know about the novel, to make predictions, to ask any questions they may have, and to

make connections to other things they know. The way I would implement the cognitive

mapping would be very similar to Nick’s presentation about the strategy. I would draw

the map on the dry erase or Smart board with the title of the novel in the middle, and the

three arms containing “Questions,” “Related,” and “What I Know”. I would ask students

to complete the chart as much as they possibly can (give them about 7-8 minutes to do

this, more if needed) and then we will review as a class. I will write the students’ answers

up on the group chart, and save the chart to keep referring to as we work our way through

the novel. As we read, we can go back to the chart and see if our questions have been

answered, if our predictions were correct, etc. This could be an interesting way to

reiterate major plot points and characters to ensure comprehension, and make a kind of

“study guide” for the students to continue to refer back to.

Citation: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Harlow, Longman, 2010.

2. Resource: Macbeth

Strategy: LINK- give students the prompt of “Macbeth by William Shakespeare” and see

what they know (List, Inquire, Note, Know)

Why this strategy will work/how I will use it: This would be another pre-read exercise;

however, this piece is typically read by older students (11th-12th graders vs freshmen).

This strategy implements small group work as well as overall class work. I would use this

strategy for an entire class period before we dive into reading the play. The concept that I

would give them would simply be “The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare”.

After I give them the prompt, I would allow them to write down anything they associate

with that prompt- I am hoping to get answers about both Shakespeare himself and the

specific play. We would use giant Post-Its that would be placed around the classroom

after the next step so that everyone could see each other’s associations. I would then

break them into pairs or small groups, depending on class size, and ask them to share

their lists. After this, we would reconvene and share as an entire group. I would not tell

them whether any of their associations are correct or incorrect; I would simply write one

association from each student up on a big Post-It for the entire class. As we read the play,

they will build on step N- making note of new ideas and asking questions- and then finish

step K after we finish the play. Step K- reflect on what you now know- could even be

used as an outline to write an essay about the play.

Citation: Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Don Mills, On, Rock’s Mills

Press, 2017.

3. Resource: “If You Come Softly”

Strategy: QAR
Why this strategy will work/how I will use it: This strategy is able to be adjusted for

many different types of readers. This book is short and easy to read, but the ideas and

themes it brings up are very complex. All four types of QAR questions can be found in

this book. After they read the novel, I will give them a worksheet with several different

levels of QAR questions. They will have to determine what kind of question it is (Right

There, Think and Search, Author and Me or On My Own) and then answer the question

based on the novel. In order to teach the types of questions, I found an example chart

from Reading Rockets that I would recreate and give a copy of to my students. (Picture

below)
 Citation: Woodson, Jacqueline. If You Come Softly. New York, Ny, Nancy Paulsen

Book, 1998.

4. Resource: Frankenstein

Strategy: Venn diagram- compare Victor and the creature

Why this strategy will work/how I will use it: Graphic organizers are very helpful at

organizing information, so they are good for English classrooms. While the Venn

diagram is not used in high school very often, I think that it would be very helpful for this

novel and open up a bigger discussion about some themes found in it. This would be

implemented as a whole class activity after we have finished reading the novel. Using a

diagram on the smart board, I would ask students for the similarities and differences

between Victor and the creature. I have also thought about putting the blank diagram as

an essay question on a test and telling them to fill it out with a specific number of points

in each section. It gives students a break from the traditional essay question and allows

me to still check their comprehension.

Citation: : Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. Beverly, Ma Rockport Publishers, 2018.

5. Resource: The Blue Book of Grammar

Strategy: word sort- give the students a list/flashcards of 20 words and let them sort

them- they could sort according to parts of speech, alliteration, rhyme, etc.

Why this strategy will work/how I will use it: I really, really love the word sort

strategy! It comes across almost as a game, and can be very fun if presented correctly.

Grammar is a very important topic, but it is unfortunately also very boring. This could be

used as a sort of refresher lesson for older students or an introductory lesson for younger

students. I would do it two times- first as an open sort to see what associations the
students make on their own. The second time, it would be a closed sort. I would tell them

specific groupings, like nouns, verbs, or rhyme, to pair the words by. This could be made

harder or easier depending on the knowledge level of the class. This would be group

work- each group could be given a list of different words. 20 terms is just an example

number for the sake of this example- they could be given more or less, also depending on

the students’ skill levels. Hopefully, this would be a fun way to teach a not-so-fun (but

important!) topic.

Citation: Straus, Jane. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation : The Mysteries of

Grammar and Punctuation Revealed. Mill Valley, Calif., Jane Straus, 2006.