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Unit 3: Clarifying and Summarizing Strategies

From KNILT

Learning Objectives

After this unit, the learner:

  • Can describe and demonstrate the clarifying and summarizing strategies.
  • Understands how to help students identify confusing text parts and determine critical ideas.
  • Has practiced clarifying and summarizing and can identify ways to scaffold these skills for students.

Clarifying Strategies

Clarifying goes beyond just figuring out challenging words; it includes monitoring reading comprehension throughout the text and using strategies to maintain an understanding of the text. Clarifying can be challenging for students as it requires them to admit that they are stuck on a word or idea and then determine what to use to fix the situation. Instead of sitting back, students must engage and problem-solve actively during this step. Most students can use strategies when they are stuck on a word they do not know by sounding it out or using context clues to determine what the word is. However, for sentences they do not understand and the meaning of words, students will not know what to do or will not employ strategies. This is where teachers need to model what they do and think aloud. Using the sentence starter, " I did not get the sentence/word... so I..." teachers can show students their strategies when they get stuck. These strategies may be:

  • Rereading
  • Visualizing
  • Using prior knowledge
  • Using context clues
  • Look for familiar parts of a word
  • Rephrasing


Students may struggle to acknowledge their misunderstanding or do not know how to put it into words. Teachers can provide students with sentence starters such as the following:

  • I didn't understand the part about... so I...
  • This doesn't make sense, so I...
  • I can't figure out... so I...
  • I didn't get... so I...

Summarizing Strategies

Often, students groan when you tell them it is time to summarize. Summarizing is a complex process that "requires the orchestration of various skills and strategies, including recalling important events and details, sequencing, paraphrasing, and using synonyms or selecting vocabulary" (Oczkus, 2018, p. 28). This is an important skill because summarizing allows students to construct an understanding of the text they are reading. When summarizing a fictional text, students must use the setting, characters, problems, events, and resolutions. When summarizing information or fictional text, students are required to determine important events or information and arrange it in a logical order. To help students, you may want to use graphic organizers so they can organize their thoughts. Some graphic organizers and strategies that you could use are:

  • Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse/free?search=som ebody%20wanted%20but%20so%20then%20graphic%20organizer) (learn more here (https://ww w.smekenseducation.com/summarize-stories-with-somebody-wanted-but-so-then/))
  • 5 Finger Summary (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse?search=5%20finger%20summ ary) (learn more here (https://thebluebrainteacher.com/the-five-finger-retell-strategy/))
  • Summary in 10 words
  • Beginning-Middle-End (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse?search=beginning%20midd le%20end%20graphic%20organizer)
  • First-Then-Next-Last (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse/english-language-arts/writin g?search=first%20then%20next%20last)
  • My Favorite Part

Sentence starters could also be provided if students summarize in a discussion. Some sentence starters that could be used are:

  • The most important part about the text is...
  • This part was mostly about...
  • First...
  • Then... Finally...
  • The story takes place...
  • The main characters are...
  • A problem occurs when...
  • In the beginning/middle/end...

Depending on the students' ages, reading levels, length of the text, and content within the text, it may be necessary to chunk the text, allowing students to monitor their comprehension before moving on. The text may be chunked into paragraphs, sections, chapters, and pages. This is flexible and can eventually be a role given to students as they are gradually released, ultimately chunking texts in their student-led groups and reading independently.

Implementing the Strategies

Just like with the predicting and questioning strategies, the clarifying and summarizing strategies need to be demonstrated to the students before they are able to use them independently. Teachers begin by modeling these skills, providing a clear, step-by-step demonstration of the thought processes involved. This is often achieved through thinking aloud, where the teacher verbalizes their internal reasoning as they apply the strategies, helping students understand how to clarify the confusing text or summarize key ideas. Teachers can us mentor text to model the skills effectively. For instance, when modeling the clarifying strategy, teachers can highlight passages with complex vocabulary or ideas, demonstrating how to pause, re-read, and use context clues or external resources to understand the text better. For the summarizing strategy, teachers can show how to identify main ideas and supporting details, condensing a paragraph or section into a concise summary.

Once the teacher has modeled these strategies, the next step is to collaboratively guide students through the process. For example, the teacher may work with the class to clarify a challenging text or summarize a passage, gradually encouraging students to contribute their thoughts and apply the strategies. Finally, students transition to independent practice, where they fully own the strategy. Teachers can monitor their progress by facilitating group discussions, providing feedback, and encouraging peer collaboration to reinforce these skills.

Watch a Class Using Clarifying and Summarizing

These videos, two parts of a lesson, show a teacher reviewing reciprocal teaching and a small group using the strategies. They are the same videos you watched for predicting and questioning. As you watch, focus on the students' use of clarifying and summarizing strategies and how the teacher supports the students.

Part 1:

https://youtu.be/8oXskcnb4RA

Part 2:

https://youtu.be/e8gSIcSyypk

What do you notice about the student-led discussion? What did the students do well?

How did students frame their response to using the clarifying and summarizing strategies? What would you have done differently if you were the teacher?

Try it Out!

Use the text Ada Twist: Scientist by Andrea Beaty (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAmEQ2deJ QQ) to practice using the clarifying and summarizing strategies. Use sentence stems to practice the clarifying strategy and the Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then (https://www.neshaminy.org/cms/lib/PA 01000466/Centricity/Domain/1610/PLOT%20SUMMARY%20SWBST.pdf) summarizing strategy.

  1. How did clarifying help you to understand what you were reading?
  2. How did summarizing the story help you to understand the reading better?

Unit Review Questions

Use the following link to answer the following review questions on Google Forms (https://docs.google. com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeWV5RW3lYRBztU-SBPokFpoPLu4vz6OKZ_vEYe-Jz2i5ZPQ/viewform? usp=header).

  1. What is the main goal of the clarifying strategy, and how can it help students overcome challenges when reading?
  2. How does summarizing enable students to focus on the most important information in a text?
  3. What are effective ways to guide students in creating concise and meaningful summaries?

Reflection Questions

Answer the following reflection questions on Padlet (https://padlet.com/hkknapp2/unit-3-reflection- questions-f8yw4imggxgr8owv).

  1. What questions or concerns do you still have about implementing the clarifying and summarizing strategies?
  2. What were the most valuable takeaways from learning and applying these strategies in this unit?

Looking Forward

As we move into Unit 4: Adapting Strategies for Diverse Learners, the emphasis will shift to adapting these strategies for diverse learners. This next unit will provide you with the tools to modify reciprocal teaching approaches to meet the varied needs of your students, whether in small groups or individualized settings.

References

Baker, J., & Emerson, L. M. (2014). Reciprocal teaching: A reading comprehension package. William & Mary School of Education, Teaching and Technology Assistance Center. Retrieved December 7, 2024, from

https://education.wm.edu/centers/ttac/resources/articles/teachtechnique/reciprocalteaching/


Bauld, A. (2023, January 24). The four steps of reciprocal teaching. XQ Institute. Retrieved December 7, 2024, from https://xqsuperschool.org/education-policy/reciprocal-teaching-strategies- for-high-school/

Oczkus, L. D. (2018). Reciprocal teaching at work: Powerful strategies and lessons for improving reading comprehension (3rd ed.). ASCD.

Tales From a Very Busy Teacher. (2023, January 24). How to use reciprocal teaching in your classroom. Retrieved December 7, 2024, from https://www.talesfromaverybusyteacher.com/2023/01/how-to-use-reciprocal-teaching-in-your- classroom.html

Palincsar, A. S., & Brown, A. L. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and monitoring activities. Cognition and Instruction, 1(2), 117–175. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532690xci0102_1

Vaughn, S., Boardman, A., & Klingner, J. K. (2024). Teaching reading comprehension to students with learning difficulties (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

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