Writing assignment: Week 2
There are four parts to this assignment
Part l of assignment: Video analysis
Zig Engelmann is the founder of direct instruction. The following site is very explicit
about the steps that need to be taken for effective direct instruction.
http://www.worksheetlibrary.com/teachingtips/directinstruction.html (dated but still
applicable)
The steps of direct instruction referenced by Engelmann are:
i. introduction/review
ii. development
iii. guided practice
iv. closure
v. independent practice and
vi. evaluation.
This site is a general conversation about direct instruction at all levels of the educational
span. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APyvwPzxZ7I&t=51s
Choose one of the videos below (indicate which one) to review and critique. How does
the teacher deliver direct instruction (according to Engelmann). In your critique refer to
these questions:
• Does the teacher follow the required steps of the model?
• How effective is the teacher in presenting the model?
• How do you know that the students understand the lesson as presented using
this model?
• Would you do anything differently? Is there something/anything you will take
away from the video that you will use in your own classroom?
Direct Instruction videos: It is difficult to find direct instruction videos in a high school
classroom as the ideas of I DO, WE DO and YOU DO is especially appropriate in the
teaching of skills. If you cannot find below your content area, enjoy a video from a
different content area!
➢ Elementary videos by Ann Archer. You can choose any direct/explicit instruction
video from the left bar offerings. Indicate which one you have chosen.
➢ Middle school ELA (also for high school English teachers):
➢ Algebra video:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=direct+instruciton+high+school+math+vid
eos&docid=608027512424765114&mid=8E18A88FA27A16044A448E18A88FA2
7A16044A44&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
➢ Team taught math inclusion class middle school (some special education
students) on ratios:
➢ Biology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AC3KKk0G3U
➢ Physics: (article)- tough to find a video
https://emc2andallthat.wordpress.com/category/direct-instruction/
➢ History teachers: https://explicitinstruction.org/video-secondary-main/secondaryvideo-5/
➢ Art teachers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqxE7Pwgvkk
➢ For Spanish teachers: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x8Ucv793wNU
***For MATH teachers (just to think about….you do not have to respond to me):
This video does not speak directly to explicit instruction- however, I want you to
comment on the principles explained by the speaker- are these principles of explicit
instruction? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytVneQUA5-c
———————————————————————————————————————
*****For all of you and for history teachers….just for fun from SNL….an example of
direct instruction https://.youtube.com/ www watch?v=Bdf_XdDwc-o
IF you do not like any on these videos, write up a classroom scenario (examples
in the text pages 95-98) where you are very specific about what is the I DO, the
WE DO and the YOU DO parts of the lesson. It should be at least four short
paragraphs and include:
➢ an introduction
➢ the presentation
➢ guided practice and
➢ independent practice
Part II- Connecting to my notes:
I regularly use the think-aloud strategy (see resource) with my students when I want to
teach how to teach their future students to access complex texts. Think -alouds are
also present in ESL/ELL instruction. Research has shown that “students who verbalize
their reading strategies and thoughts while reading score significantly higher on
comprehension tests.”
➢ Comment on implementing (tell me when and where you would) THINKALOUDS. If you haven’t used think-alouds, do you see the benefit of this
strategy? ( preservice teachers- try to imagine your future classroom- a
strategy worth knowing! Think of deconstructing a primary source…..
➢ Also, scan the list of activities for differentiation. Choose one that you already
use and one that you are interested in using and tell me why. (Preservice
teachers- maybe difficult to come up with ideas, but at least try!- )
Part lll- Connecting to the textbook
➢ Please choose three take-aways from the textbook chapter. Quote directly from
the text and tell me what this idea/quote means to you.
Part lV: Connecting to research
➢ Research tells us that explicit instruction is the gold standard of instruction for
children with a learning disability. Read this article and tell me how your teaching
experiences or general teaching/learning knowledge concur with these research
results. Preservice teachers- refer to your moderate disabilities class!
https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Clark.pdf
