Bookends, Overlays, and Interleaves Map

Definition

A Bookends, Overlays, and Interleaves Map is a graphic organizer for planning out an interactive class session that involves both lectures and active learning activities.

Purpose and Goal

Instructors often question whether to use lectures or active learning in their class sessions. The answer to the question is another question: Why not both? Short lectures of 10-15 minutes punctuated with active learning techniques can be a highly effective approach to learning (this applies to both onsite and online lectures). However, it’s important to be intentional about the design of such class sessions to optimize learning.

Completing a Bookends, Overlays, and Interleaves Map can be a useful way to design an engaging class session. It consists of three components.

1. “Bookends” are activities that appear before or after a lecture to help support the presentation. You may include a Bookend before your lecture as something like a preparation guide or an online assignment, or you may incorporate it to start the presentation itself, such as a brief prediction activity.
2. “Overlays” are activities that students complete during a presentation to focus their attention on the material, such as active listening activities or notetaking assignments.
3. “Interleaves” involve an instructor switching between lectures and active learning activities that give students time to digest the material.

Completing this map provides a framework for thinking through and planning the path you will take to incorporate each type of activity.