Main Idea Match-Up
When
overwhelmed with reading a text in a second language, students may sometimes
get distracted with word or sentence-level difficulties and lose sight of the
main idea. This activity is intended to
help students focus on understanding the overall meaning of a text, identify main ideas, and then summarize main ideas--useful strategies as students engage with longer and
more complex texts.
Select
a text that has multiple paragraphs.
Label each paragraph (A, B, C,).
In pairs students must write a one-sentence summary highlighting the
main idea of the each paragraph or selection of text on a strip of paper. Students then trade their strips of paper
with another pair. Students read the new
set of sentences on each strip of paper and must try to match each sentence with
the appropriate paragraph. Once each
pair has matched their partners’ sentences to the text, students verify each
other’s work and negotiate any disagreements.
An
extension to this activity is to have students (individually, pairs, or in
groups of four) write a summary paragraph of the text. An
alternative to this activity is to have students write titles for texts of
various lengths. Students can then
compare and contrast their titles with each other and with
the actual title.
Sample Activity
Map It
This activity takes into account our
natural curiosity to solve puzzles. Provide students with a blank map of a
city. Students must work to read clues and figure out where each building fits
in the city. For example, it may say "The bank is far from the
grocery." "The grocery is next to the library." Students have to
comprehend the statements in order to figure out the completed city using the
strategy of mental imagery.
Variations
include reading statements and labeling parts. For example, a classroom picture
could have statements where students read a statement like "Number 6: This object
hangs on a wall behind the teacher's desk. One can write or draw on it".
The students then label the whiteboard with a #6, showing their understanding.
Sample Activity Spanish
Literature Circles
Literature
circles are ways for students to actively discuss readings that they have had
modeling the way that adults discuss literature at the dinner table. Each
student is given a role such as facilitator, vocabulary enricher (where they
collect new or interesting vocabulary central to the story), literary luminary
(where they pull out phrases from the reading), or connector (where they find
connections between the reading and their own lives or current events).
Students do the reading and then write a paragraph according to their role and
then in groups, the students are given an amount of time, for example 10
minutes, where they must discuss, chat informally, talk about the reading
including sharing what they have prepared with the group. For example, the
connector would explain the connection and the students would talk about it and
hopefully make their own connections or ask questions. These skills need to be
modeled and practiced so that students get good at deep thinking and deep
discussion tying to readings. This is a good way to collect information because
teachers can see these literature sheets, can read the paragraphs to see what
students are thinking about, and can walk around as students are discussing. It
takes the responsibility off the teacher of being the center of attention
during a discussion and puts it onto the students.
This activity comes from Hlas, A.
& Young, A. (2010). Assessment for
learning: Twenty-five short activities for active participation. Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers in Appleton, WI.
Sample Activity
My Writing Frames
Students are provided with 30
different writing frames such as "It was really interesting when
________did_______because______". The writing frames are divided into ten
from the beginning of the text, ten from the middle, and ten from the end.
Students must select three writing frames from each section to comment on the
text. It is enjoyable to choose writing frames rather than requiring the same
for each student.
As a check, students can share their
completed frames in groups.
Sample Activity
Pat Yourself on the
Back
Reading, especially extensively, can be
overwhelming to a language learner. It may be frustrating to accept not knowing
every word, running into false cognates, etc.
After reading sessions in class or at home, have the student journal
simple statements responding to questions such as “What did I enjoy from this
reading? What is one thing I learned? What is a hard word that I knew? What is
a hard word I think I guessed well?”
Finishing a reading session on a positive note, even a difficult one,
may help student with motivation and perseverance.