4. Use the Frame Routinely

I have used the Framing Routine consistently as both a student, pre-service teacher, teacher, instructor, and specialist. Most recently, I have used the FRAME with the students enrolled in the Disciplinary Literacy course that I teach to pre-service teachers, and I have used it with the participants at the Xtreme Reading Professional Development I led. 

In the Disciplinary Literacy Course, we started by learning how to use the Framing Routine by creating an example using the University of Central Arkansas, the school they attend. We looked at the mission and vision of the institution to complete the sentence "UCA is about...," and students highlighted the main ideas the college includes in campus life to help meet the goal of the mission and vision. Together, we completed the FRAME. We concluded with our "So What?" statement that we created as a whole class. 

Once students felt comfortable with the Framing Routine, we utilized it to organize our thoughts and key takeaways from three class sessions. These sessions included learning what disciplinary literacy is, reading two articles about the subject, and modeling multiple literacy strategies that were taught to them. While we created the FRAME together, students felt more comfortable completing it because we had previously completed one utilizing a topic they were all familiar with. 

When I lead Xtreme Reading Professional Developments, I like to utilize the Framing Routine to help participants create a quick guide that they can utilize when they begin implementing the XR Curriculum. For example, as I taught the eight days of Xpect to Achieve, we identified the purpose of the strategy and added that the main ideas would be the days for teaching. At the end of each day, we would write the day as the main idea (Day 1, Day 2, etc.) and brainstorm together what the essential details were of that day that needed to be completed, per the lesson plan, in order for students to complete the day successfully. We did this for all eight days. At the end of teaching the strategy, we discussed the "So what?" statement, and crafted a summary to indicate the importance of spending eight days setting up your classroom community prior to teaching any word level or reading comprehension strategies. 

Just like the title says, I feel like the use of the frame is all about how I chunk skills within a section of a unit, as well as the organization that allows the student to access the information. I've used the frame itself a couple of times (Polynomials, Quadratics, Radicals), but I also find myself having the same mindset of pre-planning the frame as I do with setting up digital resources like OneNote and Schoology. 

There are times when I hesitate to use the frame itself because of all the text and numbers that would be on it for each skillset of a unit. I know that I can break the frame apart into less Main Ideas at the same time, but then I found myself using the frame more as a "digressive" activity to outline different aspects of a given Unit before a major or minor assessment. 

In this way, when notes are set up in OneNote, each section and note-sheet is clearly labeled and chunked into each skillset that is going to be asked of the students. 

I use the FRAME almost on a daily basis.  We are constantly referring back to the FRAME for review purposes or to add important details throughout the Unit of study.

I began using the Framing Routine incorrectly. I was just using the Frame as a way to put important information into an easy-to-use resource to use as Specially Designed Instruction, then I realized that utilizing the entire routine made a huge difference. 

I used the routine in our co-taught classroom for topics that required reteaching. Topics that were not grasped by 50-60% of our students, the first time we taught it, so we turned to the Framing Routine.

I was explicit about the use of the FRAME and asked questions to be certain that students understood the steps and what was required of them. I cued students by having them get out their blue FRAME folder. The students get excited each time and volunteer to help us complete the Frame. Our students came up with interesting and often "out of the box" ideas for the So What section. Students were encouraged to complete and use Frames for their tests each Friday. The Frames could be used the week they were introduced. After the first week, the Frames stayed in the Blue Frame folders but students could take a break to revisit them. 

Students were thrilled to see that completing Frames, using their Frames, and revisiting their Frames made a difference in their grades, understanding, and retention. Currently, we have designed and completed 11 Frames together as a class for topics that students found hard to grasp initially. Frames are no longer just SDI used in small groups, although they continue to be used for practice in small groups.

When I began using the Framing Routine, I was hesitant because I didn't want to get rid of the notes that were already being used in class. My co-teacher and I discussed using a FRAME with individual students to cover some missed material. We gave it a try, but it didn't feel as impactful as we had hoped.

After putting down the Framing Routine for a while, I revisited the process after talking to some students about topics they didn't understand. They specifically mentioned difficulty with slope, area/perimeter, and multiple representations of functions. I designed a FRAME for each of these topics and my co-teacher and I came up with a plan.

We wanted to use the Framing Routine over a period of time, revisiting topics that our students felt they had not mastered (and as demonstrated by test data). When presenting each topic in this way, I involved the students, asking them specific questions and encouraging them to brainstorm ideas that would help them remember the material as well as apply it to the real world. After completing each FRAME, I was surprised to hear them asking for more. They like the "regular" notes that we take in class, but felt like the FRAMEs broke things down in a concise and easy-to-understand format.

I don't think I'll ever get rid of our "regular" notes entirely, but I have to acknowledge the success our students have had with the Framing Routine. We continue to design FRAMEs to re-teach and review topics that our students suggest. As an added bonus, they appreciate that we have taken their advice and suggestions to heart. Listen to your kids! They know what they need!