The 3-2-1 Instructional Strategy: 3 Ways 2 Use 1 Strategy Across Content Areas

Move to slide 7. Explain to participants that the 3-2-1 strategy can be implemented at the beginning of a lesson to activate prior knowledge or generate interest in a topic before introducing new content.

Slide 7: Direct participants to the Padlet by having participants scan the QR code or access the prepared link on slide 7. Tell participants they will work through an example of the 3-2-1 strategy in math that can activate prior knowledge. Encourage participants to work in pairs if needed to respond to the prompts about polygons. If it is needed, tell participants that a polygon is a two-dimensional closed shape with straight sides. After providing time for participants to write their responses in the Padlet, display the Padlet and review the responses.

Slide 8: Explain to participants that the strategy can also be used at the beginning of a lesson to generate interest and anticipation. Display slide 8. Ask participants to examine the photograph. Ask participants to look for three things they notice about the photo, two questions they have about the photo, and one thing they can infer from the photo. Have participants talk to a partner about these items and provide a few minutes for discussion between partners. Ask for volunteers to share their observations, questions, and inferences about the photo.

Direct participants to the Note Catcher handout and provide time to write down how the 3-2-1 strategy was used with math content and social studies content at the beginning of a lesson. Ask participants to think about how they might use 3-2-1 in their content area at the beginning of a lesson and have participants share their ideas. Provide time for participants to write down their thoughts before moving on.

Slide 9: Explain to participants that the strategy can be used in the middle of a lesson as a check for understanding after an activity. Let participants know there are eight stations around the room that are all related to the properties of waves, taken from a LEARN lesson called Beyond the Slinky.

Move to slide 9 and invite participants to walk around the room and read over the different stations. Participants are not completing the experiments, just reading over the station activities. After they have read about each station, ask participants to think about three things the stations had in common, two differences they observed among the stations, and one question they still have about waves. Have participants talk to an Elbow Partner about the way 3-2-1 was modified for the science example. Ask for volunteers to share their thoughts.

Slide 10: Explain to participants that the third way the strategy can be used is at the end of a lesson after teaching new content. Using an English example, tell participants to imagine they have taught a lesson about the use of rhetoric. To review the use of rhetoric, show the short video on slide 10.

Then move to slide 11 and give participants time to respond to the three prompts about rhetoric: What are three things they learned about rhetoric, two reasons why rhetoric is important, one question they still have about rhetoric. Participants can use the back of the Note Catcher handout to record their responses.

Have participants share their responses with an Elbow Partner. Then ask for participants to share their written responses. Direct participants again to the Note Catcher handout and provide time to write down how the strategy was used in the science and English examples and to consider how they might use it in the middle or at the end of a lesson.