Inference and Synthesizing

You might want to consider new ways of making your anchor charts and documentation interactive for your students. We are currently reading the novel, Ghost Hawk, for our interactive read aloud. For this novel we are also working on improving our ability to infer text information and sythesize an idea.  We are using the Smekens silhoutte approach to serve as a graphic organizer.

After reading sections of the book, I am giving the students a key question related to the book.  We are working together on using the organizer to prepare our thinking. The students view the question, create an organizer in their notebooks, and put down ideas alone for three minutes.  After the students have had time, we are sharing our ideas together. Currently, I have been modeling the thinking they are sharing on the whiteboard when we work as a group.  Students can add to their notebooks the collected ideas.

Next, we are thinking of a way to synthesize the ideas around the head.  Often we take the question and use it to guide our topic.  This process will help readers to prepare to write about the questions with key evidence from the text, which is a standard we are focusing on along with sythesizing.

Working to make a documentation record of our work throughout the novel, I have been taking pictures of our whiteboard and adding the images to a SMORE for Ghost Hawk. On the SMORE, I have been able to model taking the graphic organizer work and turning it into written response.  This way, students can see the next steps they will be taking after they are comfortable with using the organizer.

In the image , you can see that some of the pages of this SMORE were printed to be available as a reminder of the work we have done in the modeling stage. A QR code can also be added so that the entire collection of examples can be available to the student. Make your documentation and anchor charts interactive so they are valuable to the students.

As we go through the process, students will be able to revisit our steps as they transition to doing the process independently.  All of these strategies continue to make learning visible which brings UDL guidelines into the classroom too.

Take a Look at our SMORE collection as we go through the novel.

Background in UDL

Lately, I have been trying to use UDL principles to increase the use of my visual supports in the classroom. A typical anchor chart is provided by the teacher to serve as a reference to steps or key ideas with a standard being taught. However, what if a documentation approach is used to anchor the next steps students will take on their own.  Educators know the power of “I do” modeling.  Then we guide students to a “We do” stage.  What would happen if the teacher captures these phases of instruction in the classroom?

Using Standards to Guide Goals

My goal was to increase students ability to grasp key ideas from text and provide support from the text to explain thinking.  I wanted to model CLOSE reading strategies with students in a way that would allow them to learn deeply from text. The goal was to show, do together, and release students to be independent with growth in CLOSE reading. These techniques are taught every year, but how can a teacher use visuals to support the process in a rich, detailed approach.

Key Ideas and Textual Support in Indiana Standards

Define the Tool

To help my students with the concept of three phases of CLOSE reading, I decided to use the normal anchor chart from Smekens.  This chart was blown up, laminated, and added to the classroom.  Just adding the chart is helpful.  Students learn that a first phase read is like putting on your glasses.  You take a look at the text and give it a read through.  Then the second read is related to a microscope.  You look very closely at the text and study it.  During this phase, you annotate key ideas and discuss. Next, you associated the third read with the telescope.  You take a broader view of the text, write about the text, and respond to the text with evidence.

Capturing the Process in Visual Documentation

What developed next in my classroom was the need to document the three phases from the modeling! Yes, it was becoming obvious that going beyond the “anchor” chart was necessary so that our process lived in the room.  What transpired next was an improvement in my visual supports for learning!

Phase 1 & 2 ClOSE Reading Docmentation

We used a Storyworks article. When we were annotating the text together, I used Kami to model the annotation. Later, I printed off the annotated text and put our work in order of how we went through the CLOSE reading stages.

Students were able to go back to a CLOSE reading documentation chart when trying the process on their own. The kids were able to work on their third phase written response with the “We do” modeling available.

Phase 3 Documentation

Written response that we did together was later printed and used to help students for future reading passages. Notice how checklists were added to the anchor charts.

Organizational writing structure for the response was documented on one of our practice activities.

Tips for Taking this Small Move

• Keep your traditional anchor chart.
• Find a way to document the mini-lesson.  It can even happen after it is done.
• Use the documentation to review the lesson from the day before.  The learning is visible and easy to revisit.
• Allow students to approach your documentation during “You do” phase of learning.
• Add checklists to charts when it makes sense for the skill.
• Make the learning of a skill visible more than just during the introduction of a skill.
• Can students use visuals to explain what they are learning?
• Can students make personal learning goals due to the documentation charts in the classroom?

Taking this Idea to Leaderhip

During Walkthroughs, pay attention to what is on display. What documentation is available for students? Do the visuals provide scaffolding support? Can a student easily revisit previous learning? It is an opportunity to coach teachers to think about options that support learning.  You might hear me say, “I wonder if you…” Remember a small move can lead to BIG change in a classroom environment over time.