Names: World Cultures Curriculum Team School: Maine West
Content Area: Social Science
Course description/ grade level:
World Cultures grade 9
Related research article including a
brief description:
Magnet Summaries by Doug Buehl
Wisconsin Literacy Education and
Reading Network Source
Article Description: This article discusses a strategy to help students reduce information to its essential ideas in order to learn it. It helps them rise above the details and construct meaningful summaries in their own words. The strategy involves the identification of key terms or concepts know as “magnet words”. Students use these words to organize important information to be included in the summary.
Duration of lesson: 1 class period
Materials needed: Text book, butcher paper, index cards
Lesson description: Magnet Summaries
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Step 1: Introduce the idea of
"magnet words" to the students. Draw on students' background knowledge. Begin by inquiring what
effect a magnet has on metal. Just as magnets attract metal to them, magnet
words attract information to them. Instruct students to read a short portion
of their text assignment, looking for a key term or concept that the details
in the passage seem to "stick" to. When they have finished reading,
solicit possible magnet words from the students. Comment that most of the
information in the section is connected to the magnet word. Note that magnet
words frequently appear in titles or headings or may be highlighted in the
text in bold or italic print. Caution, however, that all words in bold or
italic are not necessarily magnet words. Step 2: Next, write the magnet word on
the chalkboard or overhead transparency. Ask the students to recall some of
the important details from the passage that are connected to the magnet word.
As you write these items around the magnet word, have the students follow the
same procedure on a 3 x 5 card. Allow the students a second look at the
passage to include any important details that may have been missed. Step 3: The students are now ready to
complete their reading of the entire text passage. Distribute three to four
additional 3 x 5 cards to each student for recording the magnet words from
the remaining material. For younger students, indicate that they should
identify a magnet word for each paragraph or section following a heading. Step 4: In cooperative groups, have the
students decide upon the best magnet words for the remaining cards. Then have
them generate the important details for each magnet word. When the groups are
finished, each student will have four to five cards, each with a magnet word
and key related information. Step 5: Next model for the students how the information on
one of the cards can be Organized and combined into a sentence that sums up
that passage of the text. The magnet word should occupy a central place in
the sentence. Note that some of the details may not be as important as others
and will be omitted from the sentence. Have students return to their
cooperative groups and construct a sentence which summarizes each of their remaining cards. Urge
students to try to combine the information into one sentence, although on
occasion it may be necessary to come up with two sentences for a particular
card. Have them work out their sentences on scratch paper first. Then the
final version of each sentence is written on the back of the appropriate
card, and the magnet words are underlined. Step 6: Finally, direct the students to
arrange the sentences in the order they wish their summary to read. At this
point, the sentences will need to be altered so they flow smoothly from one
to the other. Model inserting connectives and other language that integrates
the sentences into a summary. At this point students should also judge
whether all important ideas are included, and whether anything further can be
deleted. Students then test their summaries by listening to how they sound
when they are read aloud. The following Magnet Summary for a history passage
on Life in Great Plains in the 1880's is an example: "Many people went west because of the Homestead
Act, which gave 160 acres to people if they farmed them for 5 years.
But in the Great Plains, people had hardships from the very hot
and very cold weather, and their crops failed due to drought and insects.
Therefore farmers needed to do dry farming, so they dug wells,
made windmills, and changed the way they plowed to grow wheat. The farmers' homes
on the prairie were sod houses, called 'soddies,' because there were
no trees. The people were lonely because the houses were far from each
other." Magnet Summaries help students with the difficult task
of condensing and organizing information. The strategy offers several
advantages. |
Assessment:
Magnet Summaries will be
graded using the following Rubric.
Rubric for Chapter 18, Section 3 Notes
1 3 5
Student does Students
pick out Students pick
out
not pick out significant some
significant all
significant details.
details. details but
leave some
out.
1 3 5
Only the heading More
than one question More than one
question
was turned into a is
present, but are not is present and are focused
question. focused
on significant on significant
details.
details.
1 3 5
Summaries are not in Part of the summary is The whole summary
student’s own words in
own words, but part isn’t. is in
student’s own words
and not in complete Some of the sentences are and in complete sentences.
sentences. complete,
others are not.
Total Points: ____/15