Closing the Achievement Gap

1
Closing the Achievement Gap

• Twelve Powerful Words
• Reading Mnemonic
• Math Mnemonic

2
Twelve Powerful Words

• By knowing these words students are able to think
  at the highest possible level.
• These words often trip up students on
  standardized tests who know the correct answer.
• Knowing these words can help relieve test anxiety
• Exposure to these words can be extremely
  beneficial.

3

• Trace List in steps
• Analyze Break Apart
• Infer Read between the lines
• Evaluate Judge
• Formulate Create
• Describe Tell All About
• Support Back Up with Details
• Explain Tell How
• Summarize Give me the short version
• Compare All the ways they are alike
• Contrast All the ways they are different
• Predict What will happen next

4

• Total immersion into the 12 Powerful words works
  best. Make these words a part of everyday
  vocabulary. The more teachers use them the
  greater the results. Some suggestions are
• Have a word of the day or word of the week.
• Display a poster of the words so the students
  will see them daily.
• Put these on your classroom tests and quizzes.
• Students create their own test questions using
  these words.
• Students make classroom posters using their own
  synonyms.
• Students create their own song using the words.
• Use them on a spelling test.
• Students write a story using the 12 powerful
  words.
• Design artwork using the words.

5

• (To the tune of Oscar Mayer Weiner)
• My vocabulary has 12 words
• that help me do my best
• Infer, Analyze, Evaluate, and
• Formulate comes next
• Oh, I love to Describe
• them everyday
• They Support me while
• I Explain and say
• Summarize, Compare, Contrast,
• Predict, and Trace
• with skills that last!

6

• Tune - Calendar Girl
• Trace outline and list the steps
• Analyze break it down, were not done yet
• Infer means you gotta read between the lines
• Evaluate judge and look at both the sides
• (Chorus)
• Yeah, yeah, my brains in a whirl
• I love, I love, I love, those 12 little words
• Theyll help me, theyll help me
• pass the test
• Formulate create and come up with a plan
• Describe paint a picture, show you understand
• Support give examples, prove it, back it up
• Explain tell about it, who, when, why and what
• (Chorus)
• Yeah, yeah, my brains in a whirl
• I love, I love, I love, those 12 little words
• Theyll help me, theyll help me

7

• 12 Words Song tune Are You Sleeping?
• (Introduce 1 word at a time then build to it)
• Can you __________? (word)
• Can you __________? (word)
• Yes we can.
• Yes we can.
• Synonym
• Synonym
• We can __________. (word)
• We can __________. (word)
• Example Can you trace?
• Can you trace?
• Yes we can.
• Yes we can.
• Follow the steps.
• Follow the steps.
• We can trace.
• We can trace.

• To the tune of The
• Adams Family
• We trace and analyze
• Infer and evaluate,
• We formulate, describe
• We use the Twelve Words
• Chorus
• Twelve Words (snap, snap)
• Twelve Words (snap, snap)
• Twelve Words, Twelve Words
• Twelve Words (snap, snap)
• Support it and explain it
• Compare it and contrast it
• Summarize and predict it
• We use the Twelve Words

8

• THE POWER (WORD) POKEY
• Ya trace and descri-ibe
• Explain and infer-er
• (pause) Share your thoughts (clap)
• And then move on
• Ya do the power (word) pokey
• Trust me, it aint hokey
• Thats how ya build your skills
• Ya evaluate (pause) and formulate
• (pause) (pause) Ana ly y y yze and support
• Ya do the power (word) pokey
• Trust me, it aint hokey
• Thats how ya build the skills
• Ya summarize (pause) and compare
• (pause) (pause) co o o o o ontrast and predict
• Ya do the power (word) pokey
• Trust me it aint hokey
• Thats how ya build the skills!

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• 12 Power Words Hand Motions
• Trace Outline
• Make box w/finger
• Formulate Build and create
• Hand on top of hand
• Analyze Tear down/take apart
• Undo hands from top to bottom
• Infer Read between the lines and make a guess
• Draw lines on hand
• Evaluate Judge/check
• Hit hand w/fist and then make a check mark
  w/finger
• Describe tell about it
• Make talking motion w/hand
• Support Back up w/details
• Place hands on shoulders and take several steps
  backwards
• Explain List in steps
• Make list w/fingers 1-3
• Summarize Short version
• Left hand is flat and right hand makes a small
  book with thumb on bottom and pointer and middle
  finger are together on top

10

• The 12 Wonderful Words
• I can trace, infer, and
• summarize
• Support ideas and analyze
• And I think to myself
• What 12 wonderful words.
• I compare, contrast and formulate
• Predict, explainevaluate
• As I describe to myself
• The 12 wonderful words.
• The words that I describe and contrast in my mind
• Will help me to explain, infer and analyze
• I can trace, summarize, predict and formulate
• Support, compareevaluate.
• We will reach for the stars
• Our scores will grow
• Well learn so much more
• Than youll ever know.
• They will help us achieve

• 12 Word Cheer
• When I say Trace
• You say Outline
• Trace
• Outline
• Trace
• Outline
• When I say Analyze
• You say Breakdown
• Analyze
• Breakdown
• Analyze
• Breakdown

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Martin Luther King Jr. Comprehension Quiz,
Tic-Tac-ToeDirections Select three questions
to make a tic-tac-toe for the quiz (vertical,
horizontal or diagonal). On a separate sheet of
paper, answer those questions using details and
examples from your nonfiction essay about Martin
Luther King Jr. Each answer should be at least
one complete paragraph with a main idea and
supporting details.
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Reading Strategy Mnemonic

• Underline title
• Now predict passage
• Run through and number the paragraphs
• Are you reading the questions
• Are the important words circled
• Venture through the passage
• Eliminate
• Let the questions be answered, and write the
  paragraph where you found the answers

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• U- Underline the Title
• Read the title as you underline it.
• It will help you know what the selection is
  about.
• N- Now Predict the Passage
• Use Prior Knowledge from similar passages.
• Use the pictures, graphs, etc.
• R-Run Through and Number the Paragraphs
• This will help you locate the answers later.
• It makes it easier to organize your thoughts.
• A- Are you Reading the Questions?
• So you know what to look for.
• The questions usually explain the whole passage.
• Do NOT answer anything yet.
• A- Are the Important Words Circled?
• These are usually answers.
• Write one or two words that tell what they mean.
• V Venture (Read) Through the Passage
• Read Carefully through the passage.
• If you dont understand something, reread it.

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• These Are Often Answers
• The authors often give you the answers. Circle
  these words anywhere you see them!
• Bold
• Dates
• Places
• Captions
• Bulleted
• Italicized
• Underlined
• Highlighted
• Defined
• Repeated
• In parentheses
• In brackets
• Capitalized
• Proper nouns
• A big word
• A power verb

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• U Title______________________
• N Prediction
• R Paragraph First few words...
• _________________________________________________
  _______
• _________________________________________________
  _______
• _________________________________________________
  _______
• A Question? ____________________________________
• A Important Word Meaning
• _________________________________________________
  _______
• _________________________________________________
  _______
• _________________________________________________
  _______
• V Summarize the selection
• Who
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• How?

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Ideas That Work

• All, 4, 3, 2, 1
• First day conduct with entire group
• Second day groups of 4
• Third day groups of 3
• Fourth day groups of 2
• Fifth day individually

• Write eight questions on board. Place students
  in small groups . Students write a story that
  goes with the questions.

• 1½ X ¾
• Same length of time as actual test with same
  length of passage
• Double length of passage with ¾ time
• 1 ½ length of passage with ¾ time
• When test is here the passages will seem easy

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• UNRAAVEL the PassageTo the tune of the Lion
  Sleeps Tonight
• U N R A A V E L (slow) the Reading passage,
  the test catll sing tonightUnderline (fast)
  the title, predict the passage, youll get it
  right,So right Bah weem .UNRAAVEL it right
  away (repeat)Run through the questions, number
  them so well,Circle those cool wordsTake the
  venture, right through the passage,And eliminate
  the bull(hey hey hey)Bah weem .. UNRAAVEL it
  right away (repeat)
• ChorusBah weem bow way Bah weem bow way
  (DOUBLE CHECK your work) Bah weem bow way Bah
  weem bow way (DOUBLE CHECK your work)Repeat
  all again

• UNRAAVEL the _________________
• (Sung to the tune of the Brady Bunch tune)
• Draw a line, under the title
• Take your best guess what its all about
• Put a number next to each paragraph
• To help you find the answer
• Take some time, and read the questions
• Circle all, the very important words
• Write down what each word means
• And now its time to read
• Chorus UNRAAVEL (ing)
• UNRAAVEL (ing)
• This is how we UNRAAVEL the __________
• Cross out all the wrong answers
• Pick the best of all that remain
• Paragraph numbers will prove
• you know the answers
• Now double check your work
• (Chorus)

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• The wheels in my head go round and round
• Round and round, round and round
• The wheels in my head go round and round
• As I UNRAAVEL
• I underline, predict, and number
• Predict and number, predict and number
• I underline, predict and number
• As I UNRAAVEL
• I read the questions and circle the words
• Important words, important words
• I read the questions and circle the words
• As I UNRAAVEL
• I venture through the passage
• Venture through, venture through
• I venture through the passage
• As I UNRAAVEL
• I eliminate by crossing out
• The wrong answer, the wrong answer
• I eliminate by crossing out

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Math Strategy Mnemonic

• Underline the question
• Now predict what you think you need to do to
  solve the problem
• Read the word problem
• Are the important words circled? (especially
  clue words)
• Apply the step(s) you chose to solve the problem
• Verify your answer (is it reasonable does it
  make sense?)
• Eliminate wrong answers
• Let the answer stay or rework the problem
• Double check your work

20

• WAYS TO MAINTAIN YOUR SANITY1. At Lunch Time,
  Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and
  point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They
  Slow Down.2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom.
  Don't Disguise Your Voice.3. Every Time Someone
  Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries
  with that.4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk
  And Label It "In."5. Put Decaf In The Coffee
  Maker For 3 Weeks . Once Everyone has Gotten Over
  Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to
  Espresso.6. In The Memo Field Of All Your
  Checks, Write " For Smuggling Diamonds"7.
  Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance
  With The Prophecy."8. Don't use any
  punctuation9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather
  Than Walk.10. Order a Diet Water whenever you
  go out to eat, with a serious face.11. Specify
  That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."12.
  Sing Along At The Opera.13. Go To A Poetry
  Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?14.
  Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And
  Play tropical Sounds All Day.15. Five Days In
  Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their
  Party Because You're Not In The Mood.16. Have
  Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling
  Name, Rock Bottom.17. When The Money Comes Out
  The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"18. When
  Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The
  Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives, They're
  Loose!!"19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner.
  "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let
  One Of You Go."