Students’ age range: 14-16

Topic: Determining main idea in paragraphs

 

Description: Step 1: A short paragraph will be projected on the board. Each group will be challenged to create a comic strip with no more than three panels to summarize the passage. Only two groups will be called on to do a presentation while the other groups will assess them.

Step 2: Students will be asked to rearrange the room so that they sit similarly to how a bowl looks, that is, a huge circle with a much smaller one on the inside (fish). Despite this arrangement though, students are still in their groups. Each group will be given a short newspaper clipping and challenged to find at least 5 main points.

Step 3: After twenty minutes, each group will take turns to sit in the inner circle of the bowl. Whenever a group is in the bowl, their article will be projected on the board so that the entire class will be able to read the article to assess the group presenting. This will allow for all students to be attentive so that each/ each group can offer meaningful criticisms.

Step 4: Each group will then be asked to share what they garnered from the activity. To clarify misconceptions and to move to the techniques of summary writing, teacher will do a power point presentation on finding the main ideas using the filtering technique. The presentation will seek to engage students’ participation and even at intervals students will direct the class. At this point students’ understanding of the topic would have been clearer.



Step 5: A short paragraph will be projected on the board. Each group will be challenged to create a comic strip with no more than three panels to summarize the passage. Only two groups will be called on to do a presentation while the other groups will assess them.

Step 6: Students will now be introduced to the filter technique. Here, one group will be called to the centre of the circle (students will still be sitting in the fish bowl arrangement) to demonstrate to the class how they would use the technique to properly summarize their article.