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ENGAGE:
There are two foundational strategies that are easy for students to employ and that help them become engaged in a rereading of the text. The first is numbering the paragraphs or sections. Taking the time to preview a text and number its paragraphs or sections before reading it a second time is an essential organizational tool for efficient retrieval of information as students revisit the text for rereading or even for class discussion. Keep in mind, not all texts are in traditional paragraph form; sometimes, it is important to number sections instead. In such cases, it would be better to chunk the block of dialogue into one section and only assign it one number. Again, how the paragraphs or sections are numbered depends greatly on the format of the text.
In addition to numbering paragraphs, another simple way to help students begin to isolate key information is to have them circle key terms. A key term can be anything from content-related vocabulary to a phrase or word that relates to the argument. Again, what students circle will need to be determined before reading and will depend on the purpose for reading the text. As students are learning this process, it is important to guide them in creating an operational definition of key terms so that they know exactly what is meant when asked to circle them in the text. This is often necessary because students tend to confuse unfamiliar terms with key terms. Once students understand what key terms are, they can be directed to circle key terms within a reading according to the reading purpose. This instructional practice teaches students how to determine key terms.
PREPARATION:
Choose an appropriate text for the reading purpose.
Identify areas in the text that may be confusing to number (e.g., quotations, callouts, graphs).
Brainstorm a list of key terms that students need to understand in order to comprehend the text.
STEPS:
NUMBER PARAGRAPHS: Inform students that they will be numbering the paragraphs of their text as a class with the teacher facilitating.
Read the first two words of each paragraph and ask the students to call out the number of that paragraph. While they call out the number, they will also number that paragraph directly on their text in the margin.
For example, the teacher will say, “Revenge is…,” and students will reply, “One.” This is paragraph one. Then, the teacher will say, “That which…,” and students will reply, “Two.” This is paragraph two.
Repeat this process for each paragraph of the text to ensure consistency in numbering the paragraphs.
GROUP STUDENTS: Place students in groups of three or four.
ASSIGN SCRIBE: Assign one student the role of scribe for each group. This student will need a writing utensil and a copy of Student Resource: Frayer Model.
GIVE READING PURPOSE: Each group will be given a reading purpose that is similar to reading purposes they will use in class throughout the year. Instruct them to add this reading purpose to the margin of their Frayer Model.
WRITE WORD OR KEY TERMS IN FRAYER MODEL: Have students write the vocabulary word or “Key Terms” in the center of the Frayer Model.
Remind students that key terms may vary depending on what the reading purpose is (what information they are trying to gather or the question they intend to answer).
DISCUSS KEY TERMS: As a group, students will first discuss what a key term might be in reference to the assigned reading purpose. They will then brainstorm a list of what this key term may look like in the top-left corner of the Frayer Model.
PASS FRAYER MODELS AROUND: Once each group has created its key term examples, have students pass their Frayer Models clockwise to another group. In a different color of pen or pencil, the groups will write feedback in the top-right corner of the Frayer Model. The feedback should include two compliments and two suggestions for improvement. You can repeat this step as many times as necessary.
DISCUSS FEEDBACK: After Frayer Models are passed back to their original group, give group members a few minutes to discuss the feedback. Then, instruct groups to modify their original lists accordingly.
ONE-SENTENCE DEFINITION: Next, in the bottom-left corner, students will craft a one-sentence definition for what they believe a key term may look like depending on the reading purpose.
WORK IN GROUPS: Have students work in groups to draw a picture representing what a key term may look like, sound like, or be described as in the bottom-right corner.
IDENTIFY OTHER TEXTS: Now that students have a clearer understanding of what a “key term” is within this content area or discipline, use this instructional practice to identify key terms in other texts read in the class as part of the gradual release of responsibility.
VARIATIONS:
Ask students to repeat this process with texts that have different features, such as a text with a nonlinguistic component, an infographic, or a poem.
Choose key terms for the students, then use a similar process to ask them to explain why those words were chosen as key terms for that particular text.
EXTENSIONS:
Have students check for consistency by facilitating this same activity after asking them to independently number the paragraphs.
Ask students to mark a text, identifying its key terms. Then, have them connect their chosen key terms to the description given in the Frayer Model.
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