4. Use the LINCS Table Routinely

In October, 2013, I attended a class on the LINCing Routine.  This routine has been very beneficial to me in the classroom with diverse learners.  The LINCing routine prompts a student's ability to make associations between difficult vocabulary words with meaning; allowing a student to integrate stories and visuals to make valuable connections.  I used the LINCing vocabulary routine in Science, Social Studies, and English.  Now, as I work with school divisions in regions 6 and 7 in the state of Virginia, I have opportunities to share the LINCing routine with teachers who are working with diverse learners to increase student engagement when learning new vocabulary!

I have been using the Vocabulary LINCing Routine for five years (initial PD was March 10, 2011). In that time, I have used it in various ways while teaching seventh grade English: for introducing new vocabulary whole group, for a highly engaging review or practice activity, and for reteaching/targeted remediation. I have also taught the LINCS Vocabulary Strategy through generalization to a small group of students as a Level 3 Intervention. In general, I use LINCS once per unit to focus on key terminology. I usually use a pretest or other form of formative assessment, then choose the words (and the students) for LINCS based on the data. Our English 7 course consists of seven units.