Key Words & Summary Statements-Comprehension

During guided reading in 2nd and 3rd grade, we have been working on determining importance in non-fiction text and summarizing key ideas.  Main idea is currently a focus in second grade as well.  One strategy that I have been teaching my students is to locate key words in the section and then use those words to summarize the information. It has been very helpful in that students are learning to figure out what is truly important information and how to break the text down into a concise summary.

I used the following steps to teach students this strategy.
1. After introducing the new section or book during guided reading, I set the purpose for reading that students need to determine what they thought was really important. 
2. After reading, they were to write on a post it or note card, 3-4 words or phrases that they thought were important.  It helped that we have been working on paraphrasing what they have read, so I told them to think about what they paraphrased and write down a few words they said or thought. 
3.  I also wrote down the key words on my whiteboard.  Then, we each shared our key words and compared with the group.  If students were way off, we talked about their response and what made it not so important in the section. 
4.  Then we took the words that most of us had and formed a summarizing sentence.  When learning this strategy, we only focused on one small section of the text.
5.  The next day, we repeated this process on the next chapter or section of the book/article. 
6.  After they began getting the hang of it, I would have them try the entire process on their own.  They would write the key words and summary statement.  Some days I would have them write them on note cards.  They divided their note card down the middle vertically.  On the left, they had their key words and on the right would be the summary.  We would use the same note card for an entire article or book and just drew a line under each section.  Sometimes,  I would let them do it on whiteboards. 
7.  After reading and responding, all the students in the group share their key words/summaries with a partner, myself, or the whole group.  If students have reading response notebooks, we have used those to record this as well. 

This is a great comprehension strategy to focus on during guided reading.  It encourages students to determine importance and works on summarizing key ideas in the text.  It is quick and works as a good way for students to respond in writing after their guided reading lesson.  I used this in third grade for students around levels 30, 34, & 38.  I also adapted it to second grade guided reading.  Second grade is working on main idea currently.  This is a perfect way to get students to pick key ideas and then write a main idea sentence.  The second graders that I tried this strategy with were just slightly below level or on level in some cases. 

I hope this helps:)  Let me know if anyone tries this or has another approach that I could try!
Brooke

Using Boxes all the Time!

Recently, I attended the National Reading Recovery and K-6 Classroom Literacy Conference in Columbus, OH.  I attended many great sessions and heard some awesome featured speakers, including Gay Su Pinnell, Katie Wood Ray, and children's author Jack Gantos (who was awesome & hilarious, by the way). 

While at the conference, I got some great reminders that smacked me in the face and made me remember what good teaching is all about!  Its just that, good teaching!!!  I don't need a program to tell me what to do, or a test prep manual to tell me how to prepare kids for "the test".  I need to follow the kids and teach them what they need to be readers and thinkers.  I need to use great books and teach them in authentic ways.  Now that I got that out, I can tell a little bit about a session that reminded me how great, using sound boxes are, and how I can use them here, there, and everywhere.

As a Reading Recovery teacher, I used sound & letter boxes every day during the writing portion of my lesson.  Sometimes I would put a word in boxes that the child was stuck on while reading to help them blend through the word left to right, if they were really good in boxes.  If you don't know what I'm talking about; sound boxes are a way for students to learn how to hear and record sounds in sequence, which is super important for beginning readers.  I've always known how powerful using sound boxes can be.  But I neglected to use them as much as I could have. They can help a kiddo say words slowly and learn to link what they hear to what they should expect to see.  They really help with getting the left to right visual processing under control.  I have noticed that kids really aren't checking with their eyes all the way through a word when they read.  Putting words in boxes is a great way to force them to LOOK.  What do I mean by all of this?? Well, here are some places in your literacy instruction where boxes can be used;

• During interactive writing (practice page)-choose words that you can clearly hear all the sounds. 
• During guided writing, small group writing- I work with a small group of first grade students and we always write about the book afterwards.  This is a great way for students to learn how to say words slowly and learn how to write unknown words. I wouldn't take words to boxes that are high frequency words or words that you cannot hear most of the sounds, or long multi-syllabic words.
• During guided reading-you may put a word in boxes that the child is stuck on to show them how to blend left to right with their finger.  Then have them re-read the sentence once they successfully solved the word in boxes.  You could quickly do this on a whiteboard.
• Writing-while you are walking around conferencing with students, and they ask you how to spell something, you could draw boxes on their "try it" page. 

I use these strategies all the time and I have started to see kids being able to process left to right in a more efficient way.  If anyone wants the exact procedures of how to teach a child how to use boxes, I can post those as well.  I think they are useful in kindergarten and first grade for sure.  Some second graders may need them. 

Meaning & Visual Working Together

I don't know about anyone else, but this year it seems I am having the hardest time getting my students (my first graders) to use both meaning and visual cues.  They are relying heavily on one or the other and cannot integrate the two.  Granted, these are some of the lowest students and it is very difficult for them to put the pieces together in general.  However, it seems that I have not yet effectively taught them to use both cues to help them solve unknown words. I know this is a complex process for the brain, but many students can do this naturally with ease. For some, its like putting the pieces of a puzzle together when you don't even know what the end picture is supposed to look like!

Let me explain the issue in more detail.  They either rely heavily on visual, only trying to "sound out" the tricky word, or give the first sound and that's it-totally neglecting meaning altogether.  Or, I have children that re-read but nothing pops out when they get to the tricky word.  It seems this issue is the most difficult to get a shift.

Like I said, I STILL cannot get them to use first letter to problem solve unknown words.  They still make a miscue that makes sense, but doesn't begin the same at all!! Or when they come to the word, they just sit and I must prompt them to "get your mouth ready", then they make a guess that makes sense and looks right.  But how do I get them to do that on their own???

I was thinking that I haven't supported them enough or scaffolded them in the right way.  I started thinking about some strategies and tools that maybe I hadn't utilized enough.  I thought about how when the students get to the unknown word, after prompting for meaning, the prompt should be, "do you know a word that starts like that?"  If they say no, I need to get the magnetic letters out and make a word that they know that begins the same.  For example, if they are stuck on lost, I would make like, right on top of the word in the book with magnetic letters.  Have the child read the known word and ask, "what does your mouth do here? pointing to the l in like, and so what will your mouth do here?, pointing to the l in lost.  Now re-read and make that sound when you get there." 

I think they may need that scaffold to make the shift.  I need to keep my magnetic letters armed and ready when working with students during the first read in my guided reading lessons.  I'll let you know how it turns out:)  Does anyone else have suggestions?
As far as students relying heavily on visual, I think as long as I keep emphasizing the meaning, I can fix that more easily.

Happy Teaching!!!
Brooke