11.+What’s+in+the+Box?

=“What’s in the Box?”=

A pre-reading strategy.

A. GOAL


 * The goal of “What’s in the Box?” is to encourage students to actively ask questions that engage them in considering what the upcoming reading might be about. “What’s in the Box?” focuses on the following:
 * Uses a yes/no framework to coach questioning and elaboration
 * Students sit in A/B partners
 * Helps foster inferencing and predicting
 * Makes students aware of changes in thinking and the thinking process in general
 * The audience is students.
 * Materials: books (if applicable), pens, a box with the item in it, and a “What’s in the Box?” handout for student thoughts and notes.
 * Source: "Oral Language Teaching Strategies." Proc. of 2009 English Teachers, District 45: Day of Conversation, West Vancouver Secondary School, West Vancouver, BC. Print.

B. STEP-BY-STEP

Words that are associated with the object: As we read the story, think about how these words are connected to the “big idea(s)” of the story. ||
 * An object is hidden from view—if you actually have a box to put the object in, then that is great for authenticity and suspense. The teacher sets the challenge by explaining that what is hidden in the box reveals the “Big Ideas” of the story we are going to read. Students may discover what the object is by asking questions.
 * The ground rules for the inquiry are:
 * One person will start asking questions, and that person may continue asking questions until (s)he says, “Pass.” This process of inquiry will help us all shape our thinking.
 * When asked a question, the teacher may only answer “yes” or “no.” Sometimes the teacher will coach students’ thinking by saying something like “You could ask me more questions about…” or “If I say ‘yes,’ what will that do to your thinking?” The teacher might also say something like “You might like to think more about…” or “Now what are you thinking?”
 * Sometimes students will be invited to work in A/B partners. In this scenario, partner A will explain his or her thinking about what is in the box regarding what has been discussed so far, and partner B will listen and make necessary adjustments to his or her thinking.
 * The teacher can also coach students in question-asking techniques that can be used, such as focusing on categories (colors, textures, uses, etc.).
 * As students start to guess more correctly, examples of teacher talk might be, “You are on the right track—ask more questions about ___.”
 * As students reach to generate questions in this way, they relate ideas, look for patterns, and find connections. All these experiences strengthen memory, encourage active thinking, and generate excitement around the “big idea” that the object is connected to—this, of course, increases student engagement.
 * Students may use the following handout if the teacher finds it useful:
 * **QUESTIONS** || **CLUES** || **NEW THINKING** ||
 * The object is:___
 * The object is:___
 * The object is:___

C. EXTENSION


 * The ideas gained from the inquiry and noted on the “What’s in the Box?” handout can be used to propel students into the reading, and to refer back to when checking newfound knowledge against previous assumptions.
 * “What’s in the Box?” is, of course, a wonderful and enjoyable process to do in a student-led fashion. If time allows, students can do it individually with the whole class, placing an object in the box that is related to the reading/topics/themes at hand (the teacher might opt to lend a hand to the student in the selection and/or inquiry time if necessary). Alternatively, students might do “What’s in the Box?” themselves in small groups.

D. CONTROVERSY/WARNING


 * If students themselves take the “teacher’s seat” for “What’s in the Box?” be sure to check on the chosen object //before// it is put inside the box.