Comprehension Strategies
Paragraph ShrinkingDescription: Paragraph Shrinking is a strategy established as part of the Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), which is a peer tutoring program where classmates are carefully partnered by the teacher. The Paragraph Shrinking Strategy is where student are selectively paired with a partner and take turns reading or being the “player” of an assigned text. While reading, the “player” pauses and summarizes the main point of the content up to the spot of stopping. The partner or the “coach” then gives feedback to the “player” as a way to check the student’s comprehension and understanding of the reading.
Purpose: The purpose of strategy, Paragraph Shrinking, is to assist students in developing comprehension skills through summarizing what they are reading as they go. Procedure: 1. Introduce the assigned text to the students. 2. The teacher selectively create pairs of students by who requires more help with the specific skills and who is more appropriate in helping that student learn the skill. 3. The procedure is modeled by the teacher to ensure that students fully understand how the strategy works and is used. 4. Have each pair of partners take turns being "coach" and "player” every 5 minutes or so of reading. 5. After each paragraph, the student playing the role of the “player” should stop to summarize the following information in ten words or less: • The who or what of the paragraph • The most important thing about who or what • The main idea 6. The teacher should award each pair a designated amount of points when the above goals of the strategy are met Classroom Integration: • Science: Use a nonfiction article to introduce a science unit and identify main idea and supporting details. • Speeches: Use of a student current event magazine to do impromptu article main idea speeches. • Independent Partner Reading practice during guided reading time. • Reading – Main Idea Practice Variations: Have students work together to write out the main points of the reading. ("Paragraph Shrinking," 2007) ("Paragraph Shrinking," 2001) Paragraph Shrinking ResourcesClassroom Strategies: Paragraph Shrinking
• This source offers the reasoning behind the strategy of Paragraph Shrinking, the benefits is produces for both teachers and students, and the steps in how it can be implemented into a classroom setting ("Paragraph Shrinking," 2007). Paragraph Shrinking • This site provides a detailed description of the strategy, the procedure of how to integrate it into the classroom, differentiated instructional ideas, and examples of the strategy ("Paragraph Shrinking," 2001). How Writing Ties into the StrategyStandard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3.e
• Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events. How Writing is Tied into the Strategy: The Paragraph Shrinking strategy is a process that has students producing summaries about the selected reading material they are assigned. This strategy can tie in writing by having students provide written summaries instead of typical verbal sum-ups. The students written summaries would use writing to demonstrate the essential and relevant information to provide the main idea of the text. The writing draws conclusions that are obtained from the details presented in the reading material. (Common Core State Standards, 2010, p. 43) |
Videos of Paragraph Shrinking (Wenzinger, 2013)
Video: This video explains the paragraph shrinking comprehension strategy by providing step-by-step instructions accompanied by a classroom implementation example for each step. Instruction: This video provides a resource for teachers who would like to use the Paragraph Shrinking technique in the classroom. It is a very useful strategy to build comprehension skills. Student Engagement: This video helps students understand the process for using the Listen-Read-Discuss process. Having a step-by-step process along with an example engages the learner. Assessment: After presenting the video, assessment questions could ask the student to record the implementation steps for this process or to state the benefits of this strategy. (Suchy, 2010)
Video: This video provides an example of the paragraph shrinking technique as a teacher works one-on-one with a student while practicing this intervention comprehension strategy. Instruction: This video provides a resource for teachers who would like to use the Paragraph Shrinking technique in the classroom. It is a very useful intervention strategy for building comprehension skills. Student Engagement: This video helps students see the benefits and success of this technique as it is implemented in the classroom. Assessment: After presenting the video, assessment questions could ask the student to state the benefits of this strategy. |