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ENGAGE:
This strategy is designed to promote active reading by asking students to number paragraphs, circle key terms, and underline the author’s claims or relevant information. The purpose for reading will determine what is marked, and the marking method should be kept the same to promote consistency in the use of this technique across subject areas. This form of text marking makes the information easier to locate for a discussion, Socratic Seminar, or writing task. Once paragraphs are numbered, it makes referring to evidence in discussion with others less time-consuming.
PREPARATION:
Selected text for the purpose of the lesson and copied to allow students to mark
Pencils
STEPS:
PROJECT TEXT AND MODEL: Utilizing projected text or an enlarged, posted text passage:
Model for students how to number paragraphs (or lines, if using a short text passage or poem).
Number each paragraph sequentially, placing the number to the left of the beginning of the paragraph or indention. Circle the number.
Circle key terms, numbers (for a math problem), names, places, or dates, depending on the purpose for marking the text.
Key terms can include definitions, repeated ideas, the main concept or theme, or a unique word.
UNDERLINE: Underline author’s claims or relevant information.
Claims are the author’s statement or argument that has evidence to back it up.
Relevant information can be data, descriptions, explanations, evidence, or examples.
SCAFFOLDS:
Model during a read-aloud and show students how and why the reader can mark the text.
Keep the content simple and familiar to start, perhaps using a familiar fairy tale, song, or poem.
Ask students to work in partners in order to mark text together and discuss reasons for marking words and ideas.
Have students display markings done on the same text and conduct a gallery walk to notice common themes.
EXTENSION:
To increase rigor, ask different groups to come up with a theme for marking the text, share that theme, and then ask others to guess the purpose of the markings. Repeat this process, showing many purposes for marking. Continue having individuals choose from a hat a different purpose for marking and conclude with a gallery walk (e.g., with a theme of parts of speech, adjectives could be underlined in green, verbs could be circled in red, and nouns could be highlighted in yellow).
To integrate technology, download a free app, such as Skitch (any picture of text or screen shot can be marked up), and use it to demonstrate on an interactive whiteboard various methods for marking the text. Use tablets or classroom computers to allow students to mark text using this application. Post examples for display and discuss various ways to mark text.
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