WICR

WICR- The foundation strategy of AVID 
Writing-  
Writing encompasses almost anything you want your students to 
put in print form - it can be scientific writing, creative writing, prewriting, poetry, rhymes, definitions, vocabulary, equations, quick writing, question-writing, journaling, etc. Writing is basic to thinking, learning, and growth.  It allows your students to think in complex ways, building critical thinking skills, and developing knowledge of oneself and the outside world, with which he/she exists. 
Writing also helps clarify and order experiences, while simultaneously demonstrating how much one knows about any given topic.  The more fluent the writer, the more successfully one can compete academically. 
The basic writing strategies promoted in AVID are: 
Class and Textbook notes 
Responsive Writing 
Learning Logs and Journals 

Inquiry-
Inquiry-based learning focuses on the student as the learned, developing skillful, open-ended questioning skills.  Being able to recognize different levels of questions is beneficial for all students in many areas of learning.  Students in AVID understand the three levels of questions design by Art Costa, which is critical for student success. 
AVID inquiry strategies for success are included in: 
Skilled questioning 
Socratic seminars 
Quick writes/discussion 
Critical thinking activities 
Writing questions (Tutorials ) 
Open-Minded Activities 
***Costa Levels of Questions Explanation 


Collaboration takes as many forms in AVID classrooms as the teachers who design the lesson plans.  Any time a student collaborates with another student, learning is less threatening and more inviting.  All the clichés work:  there is strength in numbers; two heads are better than one… 
One of the most commonly used, successful collaborative 
strategies in the AVID classroom is the tutorial group.  Tutorials, 
which are essential in AVID (combines writing, inquiry, reading, 
collaboration) , reinforces previous learning and encourages 
students to think ahead. 


Students will internalize what they have studied and learned if they 
are able to collaborate with others and make connections. 
Some Collaborative AVID strategies include: 
Group projects 
Student groups 
Jigsaw activities 
Cooperative learning strategies 
Kagan strategies 
Read-arounds 
Response/edit/revision groups 
Peer editing 
Group assessments- with both individual and group grades 
Games 
Group presentations 


Reading is the key to understanding in all content areas.  
Keeping reading as a focus in AVID develops reading comprehension, awareness of the different reasons for reading, and understanding of the different structures of texts.  Readers read for three purposes:  1- information, 2-problem solving, and 3-entertainment or recreation. 
Some AVID reading strategies include: 
SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) 
KWL (What I know, what I want to learn, What I learned ) 
Reciprocal teaching 
Think-alouds 
Literary circles
http://www.greatneckms.vbschools.com/avid_docs/WICR.pdf