Determining Importance

DETERMINING WHAT IS IMPORTANT

Preview Text

1. Look at the length and structure of the text.

2. Note the headings and subheadings.

3. Decide what to read and in what order.

4. Decide what to pay attention to.

5. Decide what to ignore.

6. Decide to quit when the text contains no relevant information.

7. Decide whether to skim or read carefully.

Judicious Highlighting

Sticky Note Reading

• Give the students 3-5 post-its. Ask them to mark 3-5 important ideas.

• When they finish reading, have them write a summary by writing an introductory sentence, the 3-5 ideas they marked, and a concluding sentence.

Taking notes

“An academic is someone who reads with a pencil in their hand.”

Using Table of Contents as outline

Could take notes on copy of table of contents

SUMMARIZING

Click here to find many Summarizing activities!

Story Pyramid (for narrative text only)

http://www.brainpop.com/new_common_images/files/91/91384_GO_STORY_PYRAMID.pdf

http://www.tooter4kids.com/classroom/worksheet_story_pyramid.htm

http://www.boobis.com/students/pyramid.html

Framed paragraphs http://www.readingquest.org/pdf/closure_frame.pdf

Sum it Up http://www.readingquest.org/pdf/sumitup.pdf

GIST

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/gist-summarizing-strategy-content-290.html?tab=1#tabs

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson290/Template.pdf

http://fcit.usf.edu/FCAT8R/home/references/additional-reading-strategies/gist-strategy.html

Word Clouds

Use http://www.tagxedo.com/ or http://www.wordle.net/ to create a word cloud. Important ideas are likely to stand out, since repeated words are made larger in a word cloud. Click here to see Wordle of Gettysburg Address: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4401494/Gettysburg_Address

Stop and Talk, Write, Highlight, Draw

• Each of these strategies can stand alone or be used in combination. Each one involves a different way of interacting with the text to enhance comprehension.

1. Stop and Talk= Students stop reading and discuss with a partner or group whether they agree or disagree with what they are reading.
2. Stop and Write=Students stop reading and write down new information.
3. Stop and Highlight=Students stop reading and highlight everything they understand in one color and everything they DON'T understand in a different color.
4. Stop and Draw=Students stop reading and draw what they are picturing in their minds.

These ideas are copied from http://www.chambersburg.k12.pa.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=13834&PHPSESSID=92a4a8f2c5231e1cdb8933c26088ce77