What Do You Teach First?

1. To ensure the least errors and the fastest acquisition, teach parts (elements) before the whole (that requires knowledge of the parts).

2. Have application come as soon as possible after acquisition.

3. Teach the more general before the less general (e.g., exceptions; not used as often).

4. Teach what has higher utility before what has lower utility.

Which would you teach first?

1. Sounds pronunciation (e.g., say /m/) or sound-symbol relationships (m says /m/). Why?

2. The big idea that exploitation fosters resistance, or examples of this big idea? Why?

3. Counting forward by ones or counting forward by twos. Why?

4. Counting forward or counting backwards? Why?

5. Adding two numbers 9 or less or counting forward to 20? Why?

In what order would you teach these?

6. Rote counting (a verbal chain; one, two, three, etc.); rational counting (on, two, three, four objects); group counting (one, two, three bears; four, five, six, seven birds).

7. One-digit subtraction; counting forward by ones; one-digit addition; counting backward by ones. Why?

8. Identifying metaphors in a poem; the definition of metaphor; creating metaphors?

9. Examples of metaphors; the verbal definition of metaphor.

10. A rule that adding or subtracting the same number from both sides of an equation leaves the quantities on each side equal; a strategy for solving an equation using the rule.

11. Giving an acquisition test/check to see if students get the definition of sedimentary rock; giving a generalization test to see if students can identify sedimentary rocks that they've never seen.

12. Teaching students to say the names of the phases of mitosis; teaching students the definition of mitosis.

13. Teaching students to label/identify/discriminate the phases of mitosis as seen on the same slides that were used to teach the different phases; teaching students the definitions (verbal and with visual examples) of the phases of mitosis; teaching students; teaching students to identify phases of mitosis from slides they have never seen; teaching students to say the phases of mitosis.

14. Teaching students to use a list of vocabulary words to translate a short passage in French; teaching students to translate a second passage in French; teaching students a few rules of grammar in a short passage in French.

15. Teaching students to conjugate irregular French verbs with er ending; teaching students to conjugate irregular verbs with er endings.

16. Showing students the same strategy for conjugating three regular French verbs with er endings; showing students the strategy for conjugating one regular French verb with an er endings and then having students practice this with that same verb until they do it right and quickly; beginning instruction on conjugating regular French verbs with ir endings; showing students the strategy for conjugating a second regular French verb with an er ending.

17. Having students apply to the Declaration of Independence a strategy for analyzing historical documents; teaching students about the big ideas found in the Declaration of Independence; teaching students the historical roots of big ideas in the Declaration of Independence.

18. Teaching students two-digit multiplication without carrying; teaching students two-digit multiplication with carrying.