Increasing Comprehension
Academic reading is different and difficult, and the ability to summarize text is extremely important. Just assigning a reading passage followed by questions is an assumption that the students comprehend what they read. There are many strategies and tools to support those strategies to help students "make their thinking visible."
Academic reading is different and difficult, and the ability to summarize text is extremely important. Just assigning a reading passage followed by questions is an assumption that the students comprehend what they read. There are many strategies and tools to support those strategies to help students "make their thinking visible."
Use word clouds such as Wordle or Tagxedo (web) or Word Cloud (iPad). Copy and paste a list of analogies into the word cloud app and then use as a matching activity for analogies. Or paste text into the word cloud tool to analyze the key words or themes.
Use piZap (web), PicMonkey (web), Kizoa (web) or Pic Collage (iPad) to create a collage with pictures and text. Students could use important quotes, describe scenes or characters, compare things, create metaphors or even describe processes.
Use Thinglink (iPad or web) to create interactive images with links to text boxes (details) or even external links or more images. The first example used piZap (web) or Pic Collage (iPad) to first create a collage of two or more objects, characters, places, animals, etc. so they could be compared using links on Thinglink. The second example was used to study an author.
thinglink_plannng_sheets.pdf | |
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Classifying
Use Popplet (web or iPad) to create graphic organizer to classify, compare or brainstorm. The "popples" can be color coded or made bigger or smaller as needed. They can also be connected or not. Images and videos can even be added!
Google Docs and Presentations allows students to add images and links to make their notes more content-rich and meaningful. Students can import images and annotate them using Drawings, as well as create graphic organizers or illustrations to summarize their learning. See the image below for a Google Drawing analyzing a piece of literature.
Use a photo-editing tool or bighugelabs.com to have students create motivational posters, trading cards, movie posters or magazine covers. It requires very high level thinking to decide what to put on the project.
The Power of Paraphrasing!
Teachers could also use tools like Padlet or Today's Meet to have students discuss the reading in an online, collaborative fashion.