Instructional Strategies & Curriculum Design Flashcards

A teacher wants to activate prior knowledge before introducing a new unit on ecosystems. Which strategy is MOST effective?

Answer: Using a KWL chart to surface what students already know

A KWL (Know-Want to know-Learned) chart explicitly activates and records prior knowledge, orienting students before new content.

Backward design curriculum planning begins with which step?

Answer: Identifying desired learning outcomes first

Backward design (Wiggins & McTighe) starts by defining what students should know and be able to do, then plans assessment and instruction accordingly.

Which instructional approach is BEST suited for helping students develop metacognitive skills?

Answer: Think-alouds where students verbalize their reasoning process

Think-alouds make cognitive processes explicit, helping students become aware of and regulate their own thinking strategies.

A curriculum map is PRIMARILY used to:

Answer: Align instruction across grade levels and ensure scope and sequence

Curriculum maps document what is taught when, enabling vertical and horizontal alignment across grades and subjects.

During a unit on persuasive writing, a teacher incorporates debate, essay writing, and poster creation. This exemplifies which principle?

Answer: Multiple means of action and expression (UDL)

Offering varied ways for students to demonstrate learning—debate, writing, visual art—aligns with UDL's principle of multiple means of action and expression.

Scaffolding in instruction is BEST described as:

Answer: Providing temporary, targeted support that is gradually removed as competence grows

Scaffolding is intentional, temporary support calibrated to learners' current level and systematically faded as learners gain independence.

A teacher designs a lesson where students rotate through stations focusing on reading, hands-on lab work, and digital simulations. This is an example of:

Answer: Station rotation blended learning

Station rotation is a blended learning model where students cycle through different modalities at teacher-designed stations.