ABSTRACT
The teacher will introduce the menu and the choice activities at the beginning of a unit. There are many ways to use menus in the classroom. One way that is often overlooked is using menus to review or build background knowledge or access prior knowledge before a unit begins. The best model of compacting would allow students who show proficiency in just one aspect of the unit of study the ability to complete an alternate assignment. If teachers are following a more traditional model, menus can be used if students have some limited background knowledge about the content and appropriate information is readily available for them among their classroom resources. Centers have many different functions in the classroom — most importantly, reinforcing the instruction that has taken place. If a few students still struggle after the mini-lesson, they can be pulled into a small group while the other students work on their choices from the menu.
