TK_21_Lesson-r3.qxd:TK_21_Lesson
Lesson
21
6/1/09
3:17 PM
Page 64
Guide
Use this Lesson Guide with any expository text that is organized by topic to
help students understand the relationship between topics and details.
THE
FROM
CONSTRUCT
TEACHING MOVES
Create a Topic/Detail/Response chart
TEACHING LANGUAGE
CONNECT & ENGAGE
Connect and engage the kids with
the topic.
Today I brought in an article about…. I was astounded last night when I flipped
through this piece because….Take a minute and look it over.
After you’ve taken a minute to flip through the article, turn to a partner and
talk about anything you know or wonder about….
Introduce the Topic/Detail/Response
form and explain how the details
come together in support of a
bigger idea.
We’ve been talking for some time about how hard it can be to pick out the
bigger ideas when we read nonfiction.The details are often so interesting that
we have trouble separating them from the bigger ideas. Some details actually
distract us from meaning, while others support, or give us more information
about, the bigger idea.
Here is a thinksheet called Topic/Detail/Response, which we will use to help us
combine the supporting details to come up with bigger, more important ideas.
The Topic column is for the bigger ideas, and the Detail column is where we
record the details that are related to the topic.We can also talk about the details
as information, or evidence, that supports the big idea. As always, since your
thinking is so important, there is a column for your responses. Remember,
those can be your questions, thoughts, opinions, or connections.
MODEL
Think aloud about how to pick out
the topic and the details that
support that topic. Also mention
any responses you might have.
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As I read this article, I’m going to show you how I sift the topic from the
supporting details. I’m thinking from the title, that this article is about…so
it’s likely that each section will have some information related to our topic.
Get your copy of the TDR form ready. As I model my thinking and write the
topic, details, and responses up here on the overhead, you do the same on
your forms.You’ll be able to try it on your own shortly.
I’m going to start by reading the title.Then I’ll read the first section.
This is so interesting! Turn to each other and talk.What do you think?
Anyone have any ideas?
I’m going to read a bit of this next section.The subhead says…so I’m inferring that this is going to be about….
Oh, how interesting! I’m thinking that the big idea or topic here is…so I’m
going to write…in the Topic column.
Here is a detail that relates to the topic that I will write in the Detail column.
Notice how it supports and is evidence for the bigger idea of…. And let’s not
forget to write our connection in the Response column. I’ll read on and see if I
can find some additional details that relate to the topic.
Do you notice how I don’t write sentences but just a few words in the
columns?What you write needs to be short and quick so that when you go
back to take a look, you can easily remember what you read.
The Comprehension Toolkit: Monitor Comprehension
TK_21_Lesson-r3.qxd:TK_21_Lesson
6/1/09
3:17 PM
Page 65
The Teaching Moves outline your instructional sequence and the
Teaching Language gives you an idea about what to say to your students.
TEACHING LANGUAGE
LESSON G U I D E
TEACHING MOVES
GUIDE
Listen as I read the next couple of paragraphs. Be listening for details that relate
to the bigger idea. Feel free to write down your responses.
Now that you have heard those two paragraphs, turn to a partner and talk about
what they were about.Was the topic still…? Be sure to jot down any details that
you noticed that gave us more information on our topic. And don’t forget to
add your responses. Go ahead. I will come around and listen in.
What did you discover? Great thinking.Those are details, right? How did you
know…? Turn to each other and talk about that.
Guide a discussion to support the
learning experience with the TDR
form.
C O L L A B O R AT E
I think you are ready to work collaboratively now. So let’s try jigsawing this
article.We will get into foursomes, pick a section, and read to discover the
topic.
The subhead will give you an idea of the main topic in the section.Then jot
down supporting details in the Detail column and personal responses in the
Response column.
After you have completed reading and responding to your section, you can read
on and talk with your group. See if you can infer the big ideas in the concluding
paragraphs and if you can find some supporting details that give you evidence
for that idea.
Help students form groups and
participate in collaborative practice
by jigsawing the article.
SHARE THE LEARNING
Great work today.You did a good job of finding the topics and pulling out the
supporting details.This is a skill you will use often in school.
And you shared some interesting responses, which demonstrates that you were
being critical readers—you were really thinking and wondering about the information.
The TDR form is a terrific tool to help you think about text. So consider using
this form when you are trying to organize your thinking when you read.
Encourage groups to share what
they learned as they jigsawed the
article.
DID YOUR STUDENTS :
reflection&
assessment
begin to use the Topic/Detail/Response form to distinguish the details from the bigger
ideas in the text?
understand and articulate how the details support and develop the larger topic or idea?
Lesson 21: Construct Main Ideas from Supporting Details
guide
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