Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

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

Laura Halstied, Shayna Pond, Samaya Williams | Published: March 2nd, 2022 by K20 Center

Essential Question

  • How can instructional strategies be modified to fit the needs of students in the classroom?

Learning Goals

  • Apply the 3-2-1 instructional strategy to multiple content areas at different parts of a lesson.

  • Construct a 3-2-1 for your content area.

Materials List

  • Presentation Slides (attached)

  • Note Catcher handout (one per participant, attached)

  • Science Stations handout (one set, attached)

Engage

5 Minute(s)

Use the attached Presentation Slides and display slide 2. Introduce yourself and welcome participants to the session.

Display slide 3 and review the Essential Question: How can instructional strategies be modified to fit the needs of students in the classroom?

Display slide 4 and review the Lesson Objectives:

  • Apply the 3-2-1 instructional strategy to multiple content areas.

  • Construct a 3-2-1 activity for your content area.

Display slide 5. Review the Fist to Five strategy with participants. Ask participants to show on their hand how familiar they are with the 3-2-1 instructional strategy with a closed fist for not at all familiar to a five for extremely familiar.

Display slide 6. Explain that the 3-2-1 instructional strategy is one of almost two hundred student-centered strategies on the K20's LEARN website.

  • Tell participants that the strategy is presented in a certain format on the LEARN website, but that does not mean teachers cannot modify the strategy to best meet the needs of their classrooms.

  • Explain that the strategy says it can be used as an Exit Ticket in which students respond by answering three things they have learned, two questions they have, and one thing that they found interesting.

  • Tell participants that the 3-2-1 strategy can be modified and adapted to be used in multiple places during a lesson in any content area.

  • Explain that they will explore using the strategy at the beginning, middle, and end of a lesson.

Explore

20 Minute(s)

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 Google Jam Board by having participants scan the QR code 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 Jam Board, display the Jam Board frames 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.

Explain

10 Minute(s)

Move to slide 12 and ask participants to consider how the four examples of 3-2-1 were similar and how they were different. Provide time for participants to think; then tell participants to talk with a partner about the similarities and differences in the 3-2-1 examples. Ask for a few volunteers to share their thoughts.

Ask participants to think about what kind of information can be gathered by using the 3-2-1 strategy. After giving participants time to think, tell participants to again talk to their partner, and then ask for some volunteers to share their thoughts.

Extend

20 Minute(s)

Display slide 13 and tell participants they will now develop a 3-2-1 activity for the content they are currently teaching. Tell participants to use the bit.ly link or the imbedded QR code to make a copy of a Google document that has a blank 3-2-1 Template provided. After having participants make a copy, provide time for participants to create a 3-2-1 that they can use in the classroom soon. Ask participants to share the 3-2-1 they have created for their classroom content.

Evaluate

5 Minute(s)

Move to slide 14. Ask participants to think about three times the 3-2-1 instructional strategy could be used during a lesson, two ways the strategy can be adapted, and one benefit of using the 3-2-1 strategy. Provide time for participants to talk with a partner about the questions and then have a few participants share their thoughts.

Research Rationale

The 21st-century student needs opportunities to critically think, collaborate, problem-solve, and relate knowledge to experiences outside the classroom (Lombardi, 2007). The LEARN instructional strategies can provide that opportunity when implemented as an authentic instructional tool to create and facilitate student-centered lessons using the 5E Instructional Model lesson design. It is unreasonable to expect students to develop necessary 21st-century skills in a traditional classroom because typically lessons designed in these environments do not create opportunities for students to practice high levels of critical thinking, collaboration, or problem-solving, nor do they allow practice in connecting new information to experiences outside the classroom setting.

Resources