It’s not enough to parrot data.

Here are some activities that will help your students grasp the concepts behind the facts:

• Explain
• Compare
• Discuss
• Restate
• Predict
• Estimate
• Outline
• Express
• Defend
• Distinguish
• Summarize
• Generalize
• Give an example

Once students are able to explain new concepts in their own words and understand how ideas fit together, they will be ready to apply their knowledge with confidence.