Instructional Strategy: Undercover Agent – eb support

Use visuals, icons, gestures, or simplified diagrams alongside the word problem to provide context and support comprehension. Provide a bilingual template or key terms in the student’s home language. Allow students to point to visuals or select possible answers before explaining ideas.

Use prompts to focus student thinking such as “What does this clue tell us?” or “What do you notice?” Provide a word bank with key vocabulary or phrases students can use when sharing observations. Encourage short verbal responses.

Encourage more detailed observations with questions such as “What might happen next?” or “Why do you think this clue is important?” Ask students to justify their inferences using evidence from multiple clues before the full problem or visual is revealed.

Challenge students to consider alternate interpretations with questions such as “What could this clue mean in a different context?” or “What assumptions are we making about this clue?” Encourage students to explain and refine their reasoning.

Ask students to analyze multiple clues, evaluate possible interpretations, and defend their reasoning using evidence and precise academic language. Encourage students to explain how their thinking changed as more clues were revealed.