Summarization Strategy Two Column Notes Form Headed Content / Process

See Strategies That Work, chapter 10 Synthesizing Information, pages 159-163

Content (Facts)	Process (Thinking)

Content reading demands that readers pick up factual information as they read. We want our students to become aware of their thinking process as well so they can call up a strategy to access content, particularly in difficult, more challenging text.

Materials Needed: The most compelling piece of expository text you can find.

Procedure:

Give each child a form with the above headings.

Choose material and place the text on the overhead.

Students ask questions and make statements in the process (thinking) column.

Teacher should ask the students to pause after each paragraph and tell any factual information they’ve learned.

Conversation helps the students to build answers to questions, clear up misconceptions, and immerse themselves in the content.

Teacher leads for several paragraphs.

Teacher then releases the students to work in small groups of two-three for about twenty minutes.

Reading and understanding requires a great deal of ongoing thinking. This form gave us a window into that evolution of thought.

What I read – Contents – Facts	Comments (thought process)

The French and Indian War

Main Idea: The French and Indian War changed Britain’s role in North America.

Before reading

Sometimes it really helps my reading if I keep track of my thinking while I read. To show you what I mean I am going to think-aloud while I read and document my thinking.

During reading – shared reading for this section

Teacher should read page 235 recording her/his thoughts as each section / paragraph / line / sentence is read. Use your judgment. I really try to make sure that I have made notes ahead of time if I am unfamiliar with the text or if I am unfamiliar with this process.

EXAMPLE:

What I read – Contents – Facts	Comments (thought process)
Main Idea: The French and Indian War changed Britain’s role in North America.	So my question, is: HOW did the French and Indian War change Britain’s role in America? Was it a good change? Was it a bad change?
George Washington was wet and cold.	Does this detail really matter to the story? Is the author just trying to distract me with meaningless details or trying to get my interest in this section?
George delivered a letter, got an answer, and delivered the answer back to the Virginia.	I wonder when the post office was invented? This doesn’t sound like an efficient way to travel.
The French would not leave the region without a fight.	I wonder if they are going to war?

After reading

Discuss how this strategy helped me pay attention to what I was reading. Do I know how this section relates to the main idea yet?

Main Idea: The French and Indian War changed Britain’s role in North America.

Mounting Tensions pages 236-237

Focus: Why did tensions increase between the French, Native Americans, and British?

Before reading

Complete a Guess The Covered Word to introduce the vocabulary word, congress.

The colonies also gained valuable experience in bringing people together. In 1754, seven colonies sent representatives to congress in Albany, New York.

Remind the students document their thinking.

During reading

Everyone Read pages 236-237 To FIND out why did tensions increase between the French, Native Americans, and British. Document your thinking.

EXAMPLE:

What I read – Contents – Facts	Comments (thought process)
Iroquois fought other Native American groups for control of the Ohio River valley.	The Ohio river must be an important place since they fought about it.
British fur traders and the French had the same fight. Iroquois traded with both the British and French.	It must be an important place.
The French built forts to protect their interests from the British.	I wonder what this has to do with George Washington. It must be because George Washington is British. That’s weird to think of since George Washington is the first president of AMERICA. It is weird to think of him as British.
Fort Carillon protected the North. Fort Duquesne guarded the place where Ohio and Allegheny rivers met.
George Washington and 150 men build Fort Necessity.	Obviously, by its name, the British think they need a fort to protect their interests since talking isn’t helping. I wonder if the French are really causing a problem or if the British are being paranoid?
After nine hours, the French defeat Washington and send them home.	It doesn’t sound to me like the French want to fight.
The colonies also gained valuable experience in bringing people together. In 1754, seven colonies sent representatives to congress in Albany, New York.	I wonder if this congress is like ours now.
Ben Franklin recommended the colonies work together against the French. Colonies weren’t ready to work for a common goal. Franklin’s plan was called the Albany Plan of Union.	I thought the colonies always worked together. I thought some of the colonies had French members. I wonder if any French lived in the colonies.
Look at the fort and the headings. What do you notice about the fort?

After reading

After discussing this section, and the comments the students made about their reading, make sure the teacher reads the focus question and have the class summarize their learning of this section. Teacher may want to record the question and the summary for future review.
The colonies also gained valuable experience in bringing people together. In 1754, seven colonies sent representatives to congress in Albany, New York.

Guess the Covered Word sentence to be used before reading

Mounting Tensions pages 236-237

War and British Victory pages 238-239

Focus: What were the effects of Britain’s victory?

Before reading

Introduce vocabulary using RIVET

proclamation

ally

Review what we learned in the previous section. Write a brief summary or read yesterday’s summary of the learning. Remind the students to document their thinking.

During reading

Everyone Read pages 238-239 To FIND out what were the effects of Britain’s victory. Document your thinking.

EXAMPLE

What I read – Contents – Facts	Comments (thought process)
British Braddock and 1000 men were defeated by many fewer French and Native Americans.	I wonder why the British lost? I wonder if it was because they were unfamiliar with the land.
The Native Americans joined the French to keep the colonists from taking Indian land.	This isn’t good for the British! I wonder if the Indians had joined British if the war would have ended sooner. What did the Indians gain by joining the French? I wonder if the Indians would have lost as many lives if they had joined the British.
Britain declared war on the French in 1756.	Britain and France both wanted to control North America. Neither ends up winning.
Britain and France were fighting everywhere, not just in America.	I didn’t realize the Seven Year war and the Indian French War were the same war.
In 1758 Britain sent a lot of men and money to fight the French.	I wonder if the colonists were fighting too.
Britain captured Que’bec in 1759.
British colonists started moving west.	I wonder when Michigan was settled. I wonder how the Indians felt?
Pontiac led a series of attacks against 8 British forts.
The British government issued a Proclamation of 1763. It forbade settlers from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains.	The proclamation is like a mandate, a rule.
The colonists ignored the proclamation.	Britain doesn’t seem to know what is really happening in its colonies.
Treaty of Paris ended the war and changed boundaries. The French lost North America. Britain gained a huge amount of land.	Britain isn’t going to be able to protect the colonists from the Indians. I think this is what led to the rebellion.

After reading

Continue to share the learning and have discussions.

How were the vocabulary words used? Read the section or line of text they were included in. Did they clarify what the words meant? Do you still have questions about the words?

After discussing this section, and the comments the students made about their reading, make sure the teacher reads the FOCUS question and has the class summarize their learning of this section. Teacher may want to record the question and the summary for future review.