Each subject has unique opportunities for DO Show and Tell. Here's how to adapt the methodology for your discipline.

📚

Reading / ELA

What students DO:

  • Annotate texts—underline, margin notes, questions
  • Graphic organizers for character, theme, structure
  • Response journals with personal connections

What students TELL:

  • "The main idea the author wants me to understand is..."
  • "I noticed the author's choice to... because..."
  • "This connected to my own experience when..."

Sample prompt

"Read the short story and annotate for literary devices. In your recording, pick one device the author used and explain why it was effective."

🔢

Math

What students DO:

  • Show all work for multi-step problems
  • Write out strategy before calculating
  • Create visual representations (number lines, diagrams)

What students TELL:

  • "First I noticed... so I decided to..."
  • "The tricky part was... but I figured out..."
  • "I checked my work by..."

Sample prompt

"Solve problems 1-5. Pick the one that was most challenging. Show your work, then explain your thinking step-by-step and why you chose that approach."

🔬

Science

What students DO:

  • Lab notebooks with observations and data
  • Diagrams with labels and annotations
  • Hypothesis testing and evidence recording

What students TELL:

  • "I predicted... but found... which means..."
  • "The evidence that supports my conclusion is..."
  • "If I did this experiment again, I would change..."

Sample prompt

"After the experiment, record your observations. In your voice explanation, connect what you observed to the scientific concept we studied."

🌍

Social Studies

What students DO:

  • Primary source analysis with evidence marks
  • Timeline annotations and cause-effect maps
  • Comparison charts across time periods or cultures

What students TELL:

  • "The most significant cause of... was..."
  • "This primary source reveals... because..."
  • "I would argue that... and my evidence is..."

Sample prompt

"Analyze the historical document. Annotate for perspective, bias, and key claims. In your recording, explain what this source tells us and what it might be leaving out."

Cross-Curricular Tip

The best DO Show and Tell integrates content knowledge with metacognitive reflection. Regardless of subject, always include:

  • What did you learn? (content)
  • How do you know? (evidence)
  • Where did you struggle? (reflection)

Get Subject-Specific Resources

Download free rubrics, prompt templates, and sentence stems for your subject area.

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