Sculpting+the+Main+Idea+and+Summarizing

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The ability to identify the main idea of a text is a basic skill that good readers take for granted. For struggling, or young readers, it is necessary to learn the skills that allow good readers to identify and summarize the main idea of a text. The following is a list of mini-lessons that focuses on these essential and basic skills. = Fall =

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1. Evolving Main Idea/Three-Column Notes*

 * Aids in building habit of sculpting the main idea by using details to create summaries of the text.

2. Interpretive Drawings*

 * Pushes students to look beyond the literal meaning of the text.

3. Jigsaw Summaries*

 * Students must become experts on a section of the text and demonstrate by teaching to their peers.

4. Keyword Construction*

 * Students generate keywords that summarize the text.

= Winter = = =

1. Main Idea Formula*

 * Visual of how good readers develop the main idea.

2. Main Idea Memory Storage*

 * Helps students relate main idea to new elements and summaries of the text while reading.

3. Matrices*

 * Students reduce summaries to a minimum and rebuild in their own words.

4. Outline-ish Thoughts*

 * Students organize the text into a outline that summarizes main idea and supporting details.

= Spring =

1. Podcasts*

 * Students summarize a text while practice oral presentation skills and incorporate technology.

2. Semantic Webbing*

 * Students use a semantic web to relate details from the text to the main idea.

3. Sorry, I Lost My Headings*

 * Students read text and summarize main idea into a succinct heading or sub-heading.


 * Students map the important elements of a narrative that lead up to the stories climax.

Main Idea Assessment Checklist

 * Zwiers, Jeff. //Building Reading Comprehension Habits in Grades 6-12//. 2nd. Newark, DE: Intl Reading Assn, 2010. Print.

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