Summarizing Information

I read a great article from Cindy Riedl, who writes for the Learning Focused Connections newsletter.  If you've never seen their collection of articles click here to check it out.  You can register for an email version of the newsletter.  Ms. Riedl's article deals with summarizing.  I'm not going to discuss the whole article, but I want to list the different strategies she gives in the article. 

During the Lesson:  Distributed Practice and Summarizing

• Activating Strategy Reflection:
• Revisit the organizer/activity used for the activating strategy once or twice during the lesson so students can revisit their predictions.  have them write their conclusions.
• Stem Sentences:
• Provide students with a beginning sentence stem.
• I have just learned...
• If this happened, then I think...
• I wonder...
• A good question to ask is...
• Summary Point Writing:
• Pause during the lesson and have students write about important points from the lesson.  Identify the writing prompts before the class begins.
• Think/Ink/Share:
• Ask students to think about a key point or idea, write about it and then share it with their partner.
• Q and A:
• Ask a question, and have students write a sentence that answers the question.
• Structured Note-taking:
• Provide a structure, such as two-column notes, for summarizing, paraphrasing and/or questioning.
• Brainstorm Writing:
• Small groups of students rotate papers with different topics at the top of each.  The topics should be the key concepts taught.  Circulate the papers clockwise repetitively.  Students should read what has been written and add to it.
• Paragraph Frames:
• Create a model sentence or paragraph and then create blank lines for students to supply the information.
• Cube It:
• Pairs have a cube with one of the following written on each side:  Ask a question.  make a prediction. Create a summary statement.  Clarify or explain a key point.  Connect to something you know.  Provide an example of the key point or message.  Each person rolls the cube and writes the answer to the directive.  Can do this with dice--give a directive for each number.
• Word Wall/Student Learning Map:
• Pairs write two to three sentences using the words from the lesson to summarize key points.

Kinesthetic Summarizers

• Inside Outside Circle:
• Each student has one prepared question and answer about the content that has been presented.  Question are written on index cards with answers on the reverse side.  Students form inner and outer circles, facing each other in pairs.  Pairs take turns asking their questions of one another.  Once competed, one of the circles moves three persons to the right and repeats.
• Secret Envelopes:
• Before instructions provide each student with an envelope containing a question or an answer to a question.  Allow students to see what they have.  At the end of the lesson, students have to match up.  Students must justify their choices.
• Carousel Brainstorming:
• Use this with a topic that can be divided into subtopics or into a series of questions about the topic.  Post large sheets of paper around the round that each contain a subtopic or question.  In small groups, students rotate to each paper to brainstorm what they know and can remember about the topic.  Have the students do a second loop to review the ideas.

During and After Summarizing

• Learning Logs:
• This is very similar to how we are already using Summary Point Writing.
• 10-2:
• Allow students time to process information and concepts during large group instruction.  After ten minutes of instruction stop for two minutes and have students summarize with a partner:  Think Pair Share or Ink Pair Share.
• 3-2-1:
• This can be used various ways.  Here's an example she used for a  vocabulary word.
• Write 3 sentences using the word in context.
• Write 2 synonyms for the word.
• Draw or sketch 1 picture you can use to remember the meaning.
• Here's a general use.
• Write 3 things you learned from class.
• Write 2 new vocabulary words.
• Write 1 thing your not quite sure about from class.

Summarizing is a very important informal assessment tool.  Summarizing can give us a quick snapshot of what our students know and do not know.