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Summarize/ Synthesize
Summarize/ Synthesize
- Through collaboration (reading aloud and discussion), adolescents are able to analyze complex texts and summarize them (Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009).
- PowerPoint is a valuable digital format for students to synthesize in hypertext what they have read (Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009; Burke, 2007).
- Podcasts allow adolescents to synthesize their reading to authentic audiences (Kajder, 2007).
- Semantic maps, also known as mind maps, are valuable print formats for students to synthesize what they have read. Finding relationships between ideas in these mind maps, whether digital or print helps students understanding of the information and comprehend of the text (Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009).
- The ability to synthesize is an expected skill for writers in the workplace and college (Beaufort, 2009; Yancey, 2009). The product may vary in forms: visual, media, digital, or print (Burke, 2007).
- Creating media in response to a text is complementary to the "reading and writing connection." This media would include video games, music videos, videos, and song writing (Bruce, 2009).
- Read a variety of texts, perspectives, and genres before synthesis (Burke, 2007).
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Text Reformulation (Synthesize)Kylene Beers lists several ideas for how to reformulate a text in When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 8. This strategy is amazing because the reformulation can be tailored to the student's interest or meaning making.
How to Implement: 1. Read patterned texts to students like Brown Bear, Brown Bear or If You Give a Pig a Party or any other patterned poem or story. 2. Show students several types of reformulations. 3. Decide if you will allow students to choose their reformulation or if you will give them options or if you will assign one reformulation or if they want to create their own thing. 4. Work with them to create these reformulations and give feedback. Examples: comic books, letters, diaries, children's books, story into a play, newspaper articles, talk show, poems, advertisements, commercials, "expository into narrative," ABC books, picture books modeled after famous picture books like If you give a Pig a Party or Brown, Brown Bear. Purpose: This allows students to reread the text to determine the important ideas and synthesize them with their inferences to create a product that summarizes the major points of a piece. By allowing students to model their reformulation after patterned texts, you are scaffolding their writing to help them work with the text rather than the writing. Sample to the Left: I uploaded a comic strip template that I often used after reading a short story. We worked creating a list of major events before creating our comic strips. I thought I would include this strip to help you get started. Resource: When Kids Can't Read by Kylene Beers, pages 162-165. |
Gist (Summary)How to Implement:
1. Read the sentence to your class. Have students help you write a summary of the sentence in fifteen words or less. 2. Read the sentence and have students rewrite the previous sentence to summarize this sentence and the first one in fifteen words or less. 3. Finish up the reading and have students help you rewrite the original summary sentence to include the last part of the text. Remember the summary needs to be fifteen words or less. 4. Finally, have students apply this strategy to the assigned reading. Purpose: This strategy helps students determine what is essential to a summary and limits them from rambling. I also scaffold this by reminding them to use the 5Ws as a guide, if they get stuck. Resource: Tools for Teaching Content Literacy by Janet Allen |
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