Assignment #3: Complete the 4 part assignment format as you read, reflect, and respond to Chapter 3 – Summarizing and Notetaking
ALL PARTICIPANTS PLEASE READ THE NOTE BELOW!!!Although your course packet asks you to post to blog for parts A, B, C, and D…we are asking that you only post part D to the blog. Based on previous suggestions, we are trying to make the blog more user-friendly and easier for participants to read and respond to each other. Thanks!
A. Self Assessment of Current Beliefs and Practices: This component asks you to reflect on how and why you currently use the instructional strategies of summarizing and notetaking in your classroom. The intent of this is to activate your prior knowledge of your strategy use so that you can make comparisons as you read the chapter. Below are the questions to help you complete your self-assessment. (Complete – but do not post!)
• In what situations is it important for my students to summarize?
• What does summarizing help my students do?
• What do I do to help students understand and use the process of summarizing?
• What questions do I have about using summarizing in my classroom?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 3 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for summarizing and notetaking. (Complete – but do not post!)
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to teach to your students (If you are not currently teaching, reflect on how you would use this strategy in your classroom.)
D. Final Strategy Reflection: Use the following sequence of questions/prompts to reflect on what you've learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you've learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner. Please post your brief reflection to the posting labeled Week Three: Summarizing and Notetaking by clicking on the “comment” link below.
How has the information you read in this chapter on summarizing affected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• How has reading this information affirmed some of what you already knew about summarizing?
• What is something you now understand better about summarizing?
• How might you change how you use summarizing in your classroom?
11 comments:
This chapter made me think about the importance of exposing young students, even first graders to the process of summarizing and note-taking. Next year, I will be more deliberate in modeling summarizing and providing support to students by using the narrative frame mentioned in the text. This chapter also made me think about the new Common Core standards in literacy and incorporating summarizing and note-taking into our nonfiction read alouds. One way I plan to incorporate note-taking into our nonfiction read alouds is by providing students with graphic organizers such as a web for taking notes.
Hi Laura! Thanks again for sharing your thinking. You are right, it will be very important for our first graders to be able to retell and summarize literature (including
key details, and demonstrate
understanding of their central
message or lesson as well as being able to describe characters,
settings, and major events in a
story, using key details). With informational texts, first graders will need to be able to ask and answer questions about key details, identify the main topic
and retell key details of a text.
Note taking would be a foundational skill for you to support your students in being able to do this!
Assignment #3
One strategy that I have used in the past for summarizing is called the Golden Word Strategy. It consists of highlighting a few key words or phrases, substituting appropriate words with synonyms, and putting the original text out of sight after the two prior tasks were completed. The delete, substitute and keep method that was researched and discussed in chapter 3 reminded me of that strategy.
One thing I realized from reading this chapter is the importance of summarizing. It’s a great way to improve comprehension, writing skills, increase vocabulary, encourage discussion, cover curriculum, etc.
I plan on making summarizing more of a regular practice in my classroom. Using it to work with all subject areas and I look forward to incorporating the different genres and frames that are covered in the chapter.
David – I think your 5th graders will definitely benefit from the added focus on summarizing – and the Golden Word Strategy you mentioned does sound similar to the strategies in the text.
I agree with many of Laura’s comments above, especially with the importance of starting early with summarizing skills and note taking. At first, I was a bit confused with some of the strategies in the book. They seemed more like teacher-directed assignments for a variety of different types of information, rather than strategies to empower students to summarize on their own. When I went back and reviewed them over again, I think I found that the idea is to really walk through these frames with students, model the strategy, and reuse the frames consistently until students are more able to use them on their own and with each other. I could see these frames being really useful for older kids, but may need some adjustments for our younger kids. For these guys, I think this is where graphic organizers would be a great fit to use in combination with one of the frames.
Assignment #3 “Summarizing and Note Taking”
As a kindergarten and pre-kindergarten teacher I work on the early writing stage with my students. I like to model note taking, and the thinking process, out loud as we read a story, or write a story, or when I introduce a new concept or information. We brainstorm and create lists, which include facts or details. I leave the information posted on the wall and we refer back to the lists or data in order to familiarize the students with the use of lists, rules, and to practice and model revisiting, remembering, and to practice seeking out information. In this way the students are building a foundation for note taking in the upper grades.
Assignment #3 “Summarizing and Note Taking”
I love what the Laura’s had to say on this. As a former reading and first grade teacher I was told over and over again that first graders were not developmentally ready to summarize. That was soooooooo wrong. Given enough practice, whole group and alongside, they can summarize their reading and show comprehension as well as upper grades. I used techniques involving using their bodies for a visual clue (i.e.= circle the face “Who were the main characters, who had a face?”, arms spread out “ Where did the story take place?” , hands on your hips “What was the problem in the story?”, hand on your toes “How did the story end? How was the problem solved?”)
I know I will need to do many of these frames whole group and gradually release responsibility to my students as they master the techniques in order to work as partners and then individually to monitor their own comprehension. I think their confusion will be note taking. Third grade is the first year for the federal testing. I see note taking and summarizing to be important skills for getting through the test. Making sure they find the main ideas and supporting details is imperative to learn in order to comprehend and answer the questions with accuracy. We have our work cut out for us this next year.
I really loved this aspect of my own learning in school, college and master’s study. I caught myself making notes very similar to the Figure 3.12 as I outline these chapters so that I can write my blog.
Thanks for the “good luck” cheer for my run. My husband broke his ankle and I will be competing on my own. I haven’t done that since my marathon and I am so bummed he won’t be with me.
Hi Nicolette – I remember feeling the same way as you at first, that the skills were a bit “heady” and too teaching directed for the more primary elementary students, but as you mentioned so much of what we do as teachers at this level is model how we think using higher level thinking, and then move into guided practice prior to expecting independence. Our students in the primary grades, may just need more of that scaffolded support for longer periods of time.
Hi there Laura E. – Modeling how you summarize and note take is PERFECT for your previous age group! I bet after some modeling and guided practice, your 2nd graders next year will be reading for some independent practice with these strategies!
Debra – Sounds like we’re all on the same page – with the right amount of support….and the belief that they are CAPABLE…our youngest primary students are able to do such great thinking and learning when presented with the opportunity! And now that you ARE working with 3rd – that fabulous year that your students will be taking the high stakes tests, it will be very important for them to be able to summarize what they’ve read with competency! Bummer about your husband’s ankle I hope your race went well though!
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