Unleashing Reading Comprehension Magic with Highlighters: An Unforgettable Classroom Adventure
Introduction
Once upon a time, in a bustling middle school, a teacher embarked on a quest to conquer summative assessments and empower her students' reading comprehension skills. Armed with a handful of highlighters and a creative spirit, she crafted a magical activity that would transport her students into the enchanting world of texts. Join us as we dive into this captivating tale and discover the transformative power of highlighters in reading comprehension.
The Journey Begins
As the summative assessments approached, anticipation filled the air. The teacher knew that her students needed a warm-up activity to prepare their minds and kindle their reading comprehension prowess. Thus, she unveiled her secret weapon: the highlighter activity.
With great excitement, the teacher shared a beautifully crafted passage written in the language of French. The passage, carefully selected to align with their recent lessons, would test their understanding of main ideas and details. The students received their tickets to this adventure – a blank paper and six vibrant highlighters, each possessing a unique magical quality.
Unveiling the Magic
Eager faces looked up, awaiting the teacher's guidance. The passage shimmered before them, ready to reveal its secrets. The teacher's voice, like a melodious incantation, filled the room as she read the passage aloud. The students' eyes widened, capturing the essence of the story in their minds.
With a flourish, the teacher held up her blue highlighter, representing the mighty power to unveil the "who" in the tale. As if under a spell, she gracefully highlighted the protagonist's name in the passage. The students followed suit, their blue highlighters dancing across the paper, revealing the characters' identities.
Each main idea question, a gateway to a deeper understanding of the text, was brought to life through the vivid hues of the highlighters. The teacher guided her apprentices, one by one, through the magical doors. With every question, the students discovered new facets of the tale, transforming their comprehension into a radiant tapestry.
An Unexpected Transformation
As the activity unfolded, a magical transformation began to take place. Not only were the students preparing for their summative assessments, but their reading comprehension skills also blossomed like never before. They learned the art of extracting information, gleaning details from the passage like treasure hunters unraveling a mysterious map.
During the summative assessments, the classroom buzzed with the whispers of highlighters gliding across the pages. The students had adopted this newfound strategy, a gift from their adventure. It became their compass, guiding them through the labyrinth of texts, illuminating the path to understanding.
The teacher marveled at the unexpected depth of the activity's impact. It had transcended its initial purpose, transcending the boundaries of reading comprehension. The students had developed critical thinking, analysis, and note-taking skills that would serve them not only in their academic endeavors but also in the grand tapestry of life itself.
A Legacy Continues
Inspired by the transformative magic of the highlighter activity, the teacher vowed to carry its legacy forward. She envisioned future generations of students, armed with highlighters as their allies, conquering summatives and unraveling the mysteries of literature. The activity had woven its way into her teaching repertoire, an essential thread that enriched her classroom experience.
The tale of the highlighter activity quickly spread, captivating the hearts of educators near and far. Teachers embraced this enchanting practice, adapting it to their own classrooms. The magical bond between highlighters and reading comprehension grew stronger, as students across the land embarked on their own incredible adventures within the pages of countless texts.
Conclusion
As we close this chapter of our story, the power of the highlighter activity lingers, leaving an indelible mark
Thank you for going on this journey with me, I thought this was a fun way to write a blog post. I really enjoyed this activity in class. My students got a lot more out of it than I thought they would. I was just looking for a way to have a practice test activity without actually giving them a practice test. The main idea questions were the same but it was more fun to highlight and involved less writing. I provided highlights for the summative and many students chose to use them. We will absolutely be doing this again in the future.
You can see in the image an example from one of my classes. I used my document camera and wrote along with them but this could easily be done on a smart board as well. For this class I chose a student and had them pick a color to use for each main idea question. The parentheses are for the line numbers to cite evidence where they found that information.
Since the practice reading was shorter it did not have all of the information to answer the questions, this provided us the opportunity to discuss what might be an example of “when” for this story and where would it make sense to add it to the story. We made the edits on the paper.
All the best,
Robyn
