Procedure:
- The teacher explains and demonstrates how to summarize content in various ways. This will be practiced with different texts (texts of 2–3 different levels, and 2–3 different kinds, e. g. non-fiction, history, etc.). The class as a whole then practices formulating opinions about texts and defending them on their own.
- The following steps apply for the exercise below, which the students receive in writing or copy from the board, once the procedure is understood by all:
- Summarizing content: different forms are useful, dependig on the text, e. g. chart, chronological lists/time line, role play, re-narration, graphic depictions, etc.
- Judging a text: after reading, questions, such as follows, should be answered and discussed: How did you like the text? What did you find interesting, what was new for you? What is your opinion about the meaning? To whom can you recommend the text?
- When all students understand the approach, they receive various texts (appropriate for their age and proficiency level). They practice summarizing and formulating opinions independently according to the above referenced points, either independently or in pairs.
Remarks:
- Exercises of this kind should, of course, be conducted repeatedly and with different reading materials. Ideally, training would occur with current texts from regular classroom instruction.
- Exercises # 25–27 are closely related and should be presented to and practiced with the students in this context.
- The above referenced steps can be summarized with the steps in #25 and 26 on a woksheet under the heading “reading strategies”.
- Strategies and suggestions for creating summaries can also be found in volume 5 “Teaching of learning strategies and techniques in HLT” (book 5 of the series “Didactic suggestions for HLT”); see #10 “Creating good summaries”.