In this post I will be describing two comprehension strategies that are suitable for any student and have a wide variety of applications.Evidence Charts
Evidence charts are one of my favorite comprehension checks. They are a way for students to demonstrate their comprehension of the text without being limited to one correct response. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Evidence charts give students an opportunity to demonstrate some of the deepest and broadest thinking possible.
Students are presented with a statement. They are then tasked with finding evidence from the text that either supports the statement or refutes it. Depending on the statement, students can oftentimes find evidence for both.
The following are statements for Chapters 1-2 from my Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Literature Study resource:
- Fudge makes good decisions.
- Peter is polite.
- It was Fudge's fault Mr. Hatcher lost the Juicy-O account.
One way to keep the statements generic and open to interpretation is to use statements that are opinions. As we read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, the students did a great job finding evidence and applying it to the correct side of the chart. Finding and sharing evidence that can be used for both sides of the chart always leads to rich discussion and a deeper understanding of the text.
Along with the text evidence, I also expect students to cite the page numbers. If evidence charts are done in a small group (or independently) and shared later, we have a reference point to use if we need to go back into the text.
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| Digital Evidence Chart from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing |
Much more rigorous than a multiple choice question, and oftentimes requiring inferring or synthesizing, evidence charts truly demonstrate if a student understands the text. Students cannot guess at the answer, nor can they fill in with "fluff". Plus, the page number citation keeps their answers concise.
The first few times we use evidence charts can be difficult if the student has never completed one. There is a learning curve. As with anything new, I model the first couple charts so the students have a clear understanding of the expectations.
A positive byproduct of evidence charts is the practice students get with using quotation marks. We discuss the situations in which we should use quotation marks and how to punctuation them; we have even gone so far as to discuss the proper use of ellipses!
Summary Sheets
Summary sheets are a classic. Yet, the ability to summarize still eludes so many students. Regardless of how many times we teach or model summarizing, there remains confusion, over-simplification, or a plethora of unnecessary details. It's quite a challenge to get it "just right".
I have one summary sheet that I use the whole year. I use it every time I ask students to summarize. The only thing that might change is the clipart or borders. The response prompts stay the same.
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| Chapter/Summary Sheets (Printable on L, Digital on R) |
I sometimes ask students to summarize a single chapter (Chapter Summary). Other times I combine more than one chapter and call it a Section Summary. I do not have students fill one out every time we read a chapter. I use summary sheets during those times when I don't have a specific activity or response in mind or if I feel a need to check the students' understanding of the text.
My summary sheets are comprised of four sections:
- Section/Chapter
- What Happened
- My Thoughts
- My Prediction
The Section/Chapter is the easy section, right? So, minimally, students can complete one part of the response. When they move to the "What Happened" section I encourage them to write one event that happened at the beginning, one event from the middle, and one event from the end. This basic framework gives students a starting point for this section of the sheet. Over time, as they become more comfrotable with the format, they add more information and broaden their responses.
"My Thoughts" and "My Prediction" give me insight to what the students think about the events in the text. Although these sections are opinions and independent thoughts, students must be able to articulate their ideas, why they have them, and communicate the details in the text that led them to their ideas. These two sections usually offer some of the best discussion when they are shared in group settings.
For a more in-depth look at using summarizing strategies such as "5 Finger Method" and "SAAC" click HERE.
Fiction vs. Nonfiction
Evidence Charts and Summary Sheets are flexible enough to be used with either fiction or nonfiction. Students reading a science article or about a historical event can respond to statements (opinions) using the facts presented in the text.
For example:
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch will always exist.
Benedict Arnold was smart.
There are so many ways we can check students' understanding. Multiple choice responses are a quick way to do so. But if you are looking for tasks that have a more rigorous approach and give you greater insight into a student's comprehension, Evidence Charts and Summary Sheets are the better choice.
You can read about other strategies to use during your ELA instruction by clicking a link below:
Best Vocabulary Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom
Best Character Analysis Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom
Grab your own set of editable comprehension activities (along with other reading responses) to use with your students from my TpT store here: Reading Response Worksheets or by clicking the image below.
Your download will include:
Google Slides
• Cover Slide
• 3 Vocabulary Slides
• 5 Comprehension and Character Study Slides
• 5 Author's Craft, Summary/Sequence Slides
• 3 Theme Written Response Slides
PDF Printables
• Pre-Reading Activities
• Vocabulary
• Literary Devices
• Comprehension
• Character Analysis
• In-depth Analysis
• Summary & Sequence of Event Responses
• Theme Written Response
• Organizers & Rubrics