Classroom Strategies
Classroom Strategies
High-impact, research-based strategies that drive student learning in every Morgan County classroom.
From Research to Practice
This page is built to take the most effective instructional strategies from Marzano and Hattie and translate them into practical classroom application.
These are not additional initiatives—they are the core instructional moves that strengthen Tier I instruction, increase student engagement, and improve outcomes across all content areas.
1. Teacher Clarity (High Impact)
What It Means: Students clearly understand what they are learning, why it matters, and what success looks like.
- Clear learning targets posted and referenced
- Success criteria explained
- Purpose of the lesson communicated
- ELA: “Today we will analyze theme using textual evidence.”
- Math: “We are solving multi-step equations and checking solutions.”
- Science: “We are explaining how energy transfers in a system.”
- Social Studies: “We are evaluating causes of the Civil War.”
2. Checks for Understanding
What It Means: Teachers consistently monitor student learning during instruction.
- Cold calling / random response
- Quick writes or exit tickets
- Think-Pair-Share
- Digital checks (Progress Learning, polls)
- Math: Solve a problem, then explain reasoning to a partner
- ELA: Identify theme and support with text evidence
- Science: Predict outcome of an experiment before testing
- History: Write a one-sentence summary of a primary source
3. Feedback That Moves Learning Forward
What It Means: Feedback is specific, timely, and focused on improvement.
- Specific to the standard
- Actionable (“what to do next”)
- Given during learning—not just after
- Weak: “Good job”
- Strong: “Your answer is correct, but explain how you got there.”
- ELA: “Add text evidence to support your claim.”
- Math: “Check step 2—you made an error in your calculation.”
4. Student Engagement (Not Compliance)
What It Means: Students are actively thinking, discussing, and participating—not just completing tasks.
- Structured discussion
- Collaborative problem-solving
- Hands-on or inquiry-based learning
- Science: Lab investigations
- Math: Group problem-solving tasks
- ELA: Socratic seminars
- History: Debate or role-play activities
5. Purposeful Practice
What It Means: Practice is aligned, intentional, and reinforces learning—not just repetition.
- Practice aligned to learning targets
- Mix of guided and independent work
- Gradual release of responsibility
- Math: Scaffolded problem sets
- ELA: Writing with structured supports
- Science: Data analysis practice
- History: Document-based questions (DBQs)
Quick Strategies You Can Use Tomorrow
- Start every lesson with a clear learning target
- Ask 3–5 intentional questions during instruction
- Use one structured engagement strategy (Think-Pair-Share, discussion)
- Provide one piece of actionable feedback per student
- End with a quick check for understanding (exit ticket)
Our Instructional Commitment
These strategies represent the highest-impact instructional practices we can implement in our classrooms. When used consistently, they strengthen Tier I instruction and improve outcomes for all students.
Our goal is not to add more to teachers’ plates—but to focus on what works best and do it well every day.