Explanation
During the explanation phase students begin to explain the concepts they have been exploring. This phase provides opportunities for teachers to introduce formal terms, definitions, and explanations for concepts, processes, skills, or behaviors.
Explanation is the part of the plan set aside for providing content so that students can develop a mastery of the objectives. It should include: explicit learning strategies, multiple representations of information, direct instruction to address new vocabulary, frequent opportunities for response and practice, content summary and variety of student centered learning activities.
Explanation includes more than just a teacher's lecture. It includes conversation, discourse, argumentation, learning from text, taking notes, vocabulary study, continued exploration and skill practice and feedback. The explanation phase is often longer in duration and make take place over several learning sessions.
In a UDL classroom, teachers provide multiple options and means for explaining the content. Because all students learn differently, providing information via a variety of modalities ensures that every student get access to the information they need to learn. There is not one means of representation that is optimal for all learners; providing options for representation can improve the learning opportunities in the classroom. (National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2012).
Options for Supporting Text
Activating Background Knowledge
Students learn more effectively when they already know something about a content area and when concepts in that area mean something to them. When teachers help students link new information to the their prior knowledge, they pique the student's interest and curiosity, and infuse instruction with a sense of purpose. Novice readers often need extra help learning how to activate their background knowledge. Some tools to help:
Wordle: Create a word cloud of the text to bring out key words and main ideas. This strategy often helps students see the connections to the text through the cloud.
PBS Learning Media: This site offers videos, images, speeches, interactive explorations and great articles on all kinds of education topics. It's easy to search and all of the resources are high quality.
Vocabulary Study
Explanation of Tiered Words and their relation to complex text
http://standards.dpi.wi.gov/files/cal/pdf/vocabulary.pdf
Michigan's Mission Possible Vocabulary Strategies
Video Demonstration of 8th grade Geometry Vocabulary Review
Vocabulary Activities for ELA teachers
Free online access to this great book for secondary teachers
Teaching Roots/Prefixes /Suffixes
Effective Vocabulary Instruction for Middle and Secondary Students: The Word Roots Connection
Pronouncing Multisyllabic Words: Video demonstration Chapter from Explicit Instruction
Some additional tools to help:
Quizlet: This online vocabulary study tool offers study stacks that include images and audio. Build your own for your class or borrow already created sets. The stacks are downloadable and can be used on most mobile devices.
Rewordify: When you enter (or paste in) a block of text (or a web page), Rewordify.com analyzes the entire block of text—all at once—and finds all the hard words and phrases. Then, it simplifies and Smart Highlights those hard words and phrases, helping users understand and learn in new ways.
Text to Speech
Natural Reader: Free computer software that reads any text such as Microsoft Word files, webpages, PDF files, and E-mails.
Read and Write for Google: Free add on for Chromebooks. Text to speech that highlights words as it reads aloud.
Speak Selection on iPad: Adjust accessibilities settings to enable text to speech on any text page including webpages, notes, email, text documents and ibooks. Go to Settings/General/Accessibility/Speak Selection On
Lit2Go: A free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. Each reading passage can also be downloaded as a PDF and printed for use as a read-along or as supplemental reading material for your classroom.
Identifying Text Structure Tools and Resources
Graphic Organizer One-Page Handout and work mat
Graphic Organizer Text Structure Charts and Frames Handout
Free Webinar: Text Structure Module From Center on Instruction
Includes handouts with one graphic organizer per page
Electronic Graphic Organizers
Idea Sketch app (on iPad/iPod Touch)
Disciplinary Literacy Resources
Michigan’s Mission Possible
Secondary Literacy Network Resource
Comparison between Disciplinary Literacy Strategies and Reading Strategies
http://standards.dpi.wi.gov/files/cal/pdf/literacy-disciplines.pdf
Teaching Disciplinary Literacy to Adolescents: Rethinking Content Area Literacy
Article Explaining the Concept of Disciplinary Literacy
Math and Literacy
Lesson ideas and video demonstrations
Science Literacy
Use of Discourse in Teaching Science
Social Studies Literacy
Pros and Cons of Controversial Issues
Explanation Apps
Tutorial Designers
Class Scribe
Researcher
Google images and Camera Roll
Supportive Notes
Strategic Lecture
Visual Supports
BrainPOP – Has various levels from free to paid subscriptions that include short animated videos and quizzes for most subject areas including the arts.
Discovery United Streaming – Great resource for informational videos and documentaries
PBS Learning Media
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org - Free high quality media spanning multiple K-12 subjects.
Timeline Eons App – Allows you to scroll through all of human and natural history, all the way up through present day. Great for both science and history. Both free and paid versions.
Audio Supports
Lodgemccammon.com – This site contains a host of content specific music for all core content areas. You can download some of his videos that go with the music if you have access to united streaming. If not, you can contact him directly to send you the videos.