Our students need some additional
support in identifying the main idea within text. Today, we were reviewing some close reading
strategies while reading a passage about the 1800s Women’s Rights
Movement. While I was working in a small group
with some students, it was apparent that they were truly having difficulty
differentiating between a topic and a main idea. I love these “A Ha!” moments that force me to
take a step back and say, “okay, we really need to spend some extra time
reviewing this concept.”
So, using research online,
in conjunction with my own ideas, I am creating a three day lesson that covers
close reading strategies to help students determine a text's topic and main
idea.
I plan to break the
students up into small groups where they will read a short passage using the
five close reading strategies. I created
a poster to help refresh students’ memory of the strategies while they are
working.
1. Number the paragraphs within the text prior to even reading the material. Numbering paragraphs makes it easier to locate supporting evidence from the passage.2. Chunk the text into easy-to-manage sections. This strategy is especially helpful when reading larger paragraphs of information.
3. Underline and circle with a purpose. Look for key words, dates, people, places, and definitions that will help you better understand the text.
4. Left margins should be used to identify a paragraph's main idea or what the author is saying.
5. Right margins are used to dig deeper into the text and should use evidence to help support or explain what is written within the left margin.
After reading, my goal is to have students work
together to build a “Main Idea Taco.”
The more toppings a taco has, the better it tastes. Likewise, the more details to support a main
idea, the more sense it makes or the more credible you become.
Stay tuned for more
information as this lesson progresses…
Toodles,
Ms. Vince
No comments