A clue is a seed, a shard of perspective. A little thing that may, with luck and light, allow new connections to form in the mind of the student. Once grasped, the rest is details: constants and laws and dates and put that foot here and turn like this.
Making clues is hard work. Look at the underyling principes of what you teach. What connections or assumptions underly your teaching? Can you take a part of these connections and wrap it up like a seed? It need not look very much like what you are teaching to grow roots.
Some days you will say or do just the right thing and the understandings will sprout.
One of the rewards of teaching is to see your student’s face in the moment when they make a connection between what they already know and what lies under the surface details of your teaching.
And some days you will see this expression on your student’s face when you weren’t expecting it.
You will teach many things. Your student will learn many things. Sometimes there is a connection.
You can’t control the light and the water, and even the soil is beyond your control.
Create clues. Drop them where you can.