by Connie Casserly
Grades 6-12
Sometimes,
when trying to engage my students to discuss the book we are studying, I feel like I am a literary dentist dealing with a room full of impacted wisdom
teeth. Are my students
- not reading the assignments,
- not reading them closely enough, or
- not comprehending what they are reading?
Because my students’ factual and opinionated thoughts and
interpretations about the story are important, I had to figure out why they were reluctant
to respond. I found that many times,
behind their apathetic facades, lurked a lack of understanding- especially in
classical more than contemporary texts.
They needed to learn how to deconstruct complicated passages so that they could
understand them, and, subsequently, comprehend the whole piece.
This FREE activity, What’s the Idea? asks students
to select a passage that they find difficult to understand. Next, the teacher divides the students into
groups of four. Here, each person will share his/her confusing passage with the
other three group members. The students will read and revise their group
members' chosen passages for clarity.
When their
original papers are returned, students will select the revision that they feel
best clarifies the passage for them. After this, they will discuss - in writing
– how and the revision accomplishes this. Finally they will analyze the meaning
of the original passage and explain its importance to the whole piece.
Teachers can
use this activity again and again to check the development of their students’
comprehension as well as how they utilize their higher level thinking skills
orally and in writing.
What’s the Idea? reduces students’ fear factor when they read
challenging fiction and non-fiction. This Freebie is aligned with Common Core
Standards and Bloom’s Taxonomy, and includes a detailed “Teachers’ Notes” page.
Download this FREEBIE from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Language-Arts-Activity-Whats-the-Idea-889395. From the detailed Teacher Notes page, teachers can select which Common Core Standards for Literature: College
and Readiness Anchor Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy benchmarks fit their state's standards.
Happy Teaching,
Teach it Write
Building Powerful Academic Homes
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