Summarize the text : A key comprehending strategy

John Munro
Summarizing is key aspect of reading. It helps readers abstract the main ideas of a text. This is the
knowledge that they add to what they already know. In the process of reading a text, we retain in
short term memory a summary of what we have read earlier while processing a later portion of the
text and cross-reference them.
After reading a paragraph aloud, ask readers:
How could you say the main ideas in
the paragraph in one sentence ?"

What are the main ideas this

paragraph has told you ?

This procedure directs readers to identify the main ideas in each sentence, to evaluate them to see
how they are related to one another, select the more general ideas and to integrate them into a
statement. They restate the gist of a text in as few words as possible. It involves both

a selection/reduction process and

a synthesis or integration process.

Summarizing helps students

identify main ideas,

generalize,

remove redundancy,

integrate ideas, and

improve memory for what is read.

How summarizing contributes to reading
At any time while you are reading, you are retaining various bits of knowledge in your working
memory.

a summary of what you have read a bit earlier

what you expect to happen, what you know about the topic

what you are reading now

Because we are using several sources of knowledge at once, we can recognize when the meanings
suggested by different sources clash. This tells us that everything 'doesn't add up' and that we may
need to re-read what we have just read.
1

As we read, we summarize or prcis the sentences and paragraphs we have read. We dont
remember in detail what each sentence said but just the main ideas. We abstract from what we read
the main ideas or summary. We continue to compile this as we read the text.
Practise summarizing : What knowledge and skills do you use ?
The following text is taken from Humanities alive 1 published by John Wiley & Sons Australia,
Ltd in 2005. As you read each paragraph, summarize it. As you do so, keep track of the
knowledge you use and the actions you take.

Pyramid builders
After you have read each paragraph, summarize it.
Summary
BUILT ABOUT 4500 years ago, the 80 or so pyramids in Egypt are the oldest
human made structures in the world. Of these, the famous three at Giza, near
Cairo, are the most impressive. Their construction is an amazing feat of
technology. Yet no-one knows for sure how they were built. The ancient
Egyptians had only simple tools made of stone, wood and bronze. They had no
cranes, computers, rock cutters or heavy earthmoving equipment.
Pyramids and rock tunnels
Pyramid mysteries
From about 2500 BC, the mummies
Some say that the technology of the
and treasures of important people such pyramids is so astonishing that they must
as pharaohs were usually entombed in have been built by an alien intelligence.
pyramids. This practice lasted only
Another view is that those who built the
about 500 years, though, because
pyramids at Giza, and the Great Sphinx
robbers were a major problem.
that guards them, used knowledge and
Thereafter, tombs for such people
skills passed down from a very old, but
were dug into mounds and cliffs in
highly advanced civilization that existed
the Valley of the Kings. But even
way before the Old Kingdom in Egypt.
these were not completely safe. Over
time, they were all raided, except one Heavenly sails
the tomb of the pharaoh
One treasure the robbers missed in the
Tutankhamen.
Great Pyramid was a 43-metrelong boat,
The Great Pyramid at Giza, built
built to carry Chufa to the afterlife. It
around 2550 BC, was the tomb of the was not found until 1954. It had been
pharaoh Khufu. The other two were
broken into 1224 pieces before being
built for his son Khafre and grandson
packed into a rock cavity near the base of
Menkure. The Great Pyramid, the
the pyramid. The cavity was so tightly
biggest of the three, is close to 150
sealed that when archaeologists broke into
metres high and contains around 2
it they could still smell the cedar oil in
300 000 granite blocks, each of which the wood after 4500 years!
weighs around 2.5 tonnes.

What actions and knowledge did you use ?

Crafters and traders

Craftspeople did not have the same status as scribes. However, their crafts provide a rich source of
information about the society of ancient Egypt. Many of their goods were sold in village markets. Others
were exported or placed in the tombs of dead Egyptians to prepare them for the afterlife.
Doing what dad does
Crafts people in ancient Egypt learnt by copying
their fathers, in a kind of apprenticeship. Some were

Trade routes and markets

The pharaohs officials controlled the economy of
ancient Egypt very tightly, especially the payment

employed in the palace workshops; others worked in

village workshops or their homes.
Egyptian craftspeople, almost always men, included:
stonemasons, who made statues and temples
painters, who decorated tomb and temple walls
woodworkers, who carved furniture
wig-makers, who made wigs and false beards
metalworkers, who made bronze tools, and sheets
of beaten gold for decorating wooden objects
weavers, who made linen from flax threads
musical instrument makers
paper makers, who made sheets of papyrus
jewellers, who made jewellery from glass, seeds
and precious metals and stones.

of tax. Peoples taxes included their labour and

some of the food and goods they produced. Money
was not used until the dynasty of the Ptolemies
(33230 BC). Taxes such as grain were kept in
huge storehouses to be distributed to the people
when needed, such as after a poor harvest.
Ancient Egypt did not need to import its food. At
first the only items imported were those wanted by
the pharaohs household honey and cedar oil,
for example, which were used to embalm bodies.
Later, with the boost provided by local markets,
other parts of the society began to trade with other
countries.

How does it help reading ?

Summarizing is a key aspect of effective literacy practice. Adults generally read when they have a
reason or purpose, that is, they have questions that they seek to answer by reading. Readers who
can decide rapidly the questions that a text answers are more efficient readers. They can more
easily align the questions they seek to answer with the questions the text answers. They can also
segment the text into 'digestible chunks' based on the questions answered by each section.
Mechanism for summarizing a paragraph.
Students need to learn how to summarize texts they are reading.
Step 2 : What are the details ? I need
to leave out examples, repetitions and
illustrations.

Step 1 Preview : What is the

text about ? I may need to
The pharaohs officials
read the paragraph twice.
controlled the economy of ancient
Egypt very tightly, especially the
payment of tax. Peoples taxes
included their labour and some of
the food and goods they produced.
Money was not used until the
dynasty of the Ptolemies (33230
BC). Taxes such as grain were
kept in huge storehouses to be
distributed to the people when
needed, such as after a poor
harvest.

Step 3 What are the main details ?

Some details may be included in other
details.
Step 4 What is the main idea? What is the paragraph
about ? I will say the main idea in my own words. It
needs to cover /include all of the ideas but not be too
general.

Step 5 How can I say it best ?

Step 1
Preview :
What is
the text
about ? I
may need
to read
the
paragraph
twice.

Step 2 What are

the details ?
The reader
selects the key
details. The
reader excludes
examples,
repetitions and
illustrations.

Step 3 What are the

main details ? The
reader selects the
main details. Some
of the key details
may be included
within other details.
The reader selects
the more general
details.

Step 4 What is the

main idea? After
reading a paragraph,
readers say: What is
it about ? I will say
the main idea in my
own words. It needs
to cover /include the
main ideas but not
be too general.

Step 5 How
can I say it
best ? The
readers say
the summary
in a complete
sentence in
their own
words and
clean it up.

These are the steps you need to teach readers to use to summarize a paragraph:

teach them first how to identify the details and then to select the key ideas in a paragraph.
They can underline each word they think is a detail and then select the key ideas.

they ask themselves : Which key words are included in other key words. They can
eliminate the repeated key words from their list.

they link the remaining key words into sentences.

Here is an example of applying the steps:

Step 1 Preview
Step 2 What are the details ?

Craftspeople did not have the same status as scribes.

However, their crafts provide a rich source of
information about the society of ancient Egypt.
Many of their goods were sold in village markets.
Others were exported or placed in the tombs of dead
Egyptians to prepare them for the afterlife.

Craftspeople less status than scribes.

Crafts tell about the society of ancient Egypt
some goods
some
some in the tombs of
in markets
exported dead Egyptians
Step 3 What are the main details ?

Step 4 What is the main idea?

Crafts tell about the ancient Egyptian society

Craftspeople less status than scribes.

Crafts tell about the society of ancient Egypt

In the following text, readers have underlined the key words:

In the army you dont choose where you go, you just follow orders. I was told I was going to
Vietnam. My battalion erected and destroyed buildings. We went to a district first, before the
rest of the army arrived and put together all necessary buildings, the soldiers living and sleeping
areas, the ablution blocks, the administration blocks and the entertainment areas. The district we
went to first was called Nui Dat.
From this
you could
get

A summary
sentence
A headline
A topic sentence

In Vietnam my army battalion went to a district before the rest

of the army arrived and put up the necessary buildings.
Building for the army during the Vietnam war
I was in an army construction unit in Vietnam.

Summarizing at GKR
Readers prepare themselves to summarize. They say how they will do this as they read each
paragraph. They can say:

their purpose or goal for summarizing; to pick out and remember the key ideas in the text

the content, topic and structure of the text

the types of clues they will look for to comprehend the text and to summarize it, for
example, they say they will note and paraphrase the topic sentence, underline the key
ideas, note the last sentence of the paragraph.

the strategies they will use, for example,

Ill underline, use sticky labels or note the main
ideas as I read.

Ill read the text twice: once to get the general

overview and then work out the main ideas.

Summarizing while reading

Having read a paragraph of 2-3 sentences ask the readers to reread the text and

select the main details

select the main ideas

talk about them in a sentence

check their suggested summary

Give the students time to practice doing this.

marking the text. Readers can underline or highlight the details in a paragraph and read it
again to classify them as either main ideas (MI) or supporting ideas (SI).
MI
MI
Ancient Egypt did not need to import its
SI
food. At first the only items imported were
SI
those wanted by the pharaohs household
SI
honey and cedar oil, for example, which

Ancient Egypt did not need to import its

food. At first the only items imported were
those wanted by the pharaohs household
honey and cedar oil, for example, which
were used to embalm bodies. Later, with the

were used to embalm bodies. Later, with the

SI
SI
boost provided by local markets, other parts
SI
SI
of the society began to trade with other
SI
countries.

boost provided by local markets, other parts

of the society began to trade with other
countries.

Post reading : what are the main ideas ?

Look back over the text and identify the main ideas and consolidate these in sentences.
Students say what they know now that they didnt know earlier.

What is the main idea in each paragraph ?

What are the main ideas in the text ?

Students can write the review the main ideas in each paragraph by writing them in speech balloons
on the text. They can discuss the value of looking at the text in this way.
BUILT ABOUT 4500 years ago, the 80 or so pyramids in Egypt are the oldest human made structures in the world.
Of these, the famous three at Giza, near Cairo, are the most impressive. Their construction is an amazing feat of
technology. Yet no-one knows for sure how they were built. The ancient Egyptians had only simple tools made of
stone, wood and bronze. They had no cranes, computers, rock cutters or heavy earthmoving equipment.
Pyramids and rock tunnels
From about 2500 BC, the mummies and treasures of
important people such as pharaohs were usually
entombed in pyramids. This practice lasted only about
500 years, though, because robbers were a major
problem. Thereafter, tombs for such people were dug

Pyramid mysteries
Some say that the technology of the pyramids is so
astonishing that they must have been built by an alien
intelligence. Another view is that those who built the
pyramids at Giza, and the Great Sphinx that guards them,
used knowledge and skills passed down from a very old, but

into mounds and cliffs in the Valley of the Kings. But

even these were not completely safe. Over time, they
were all raided, except one the tomb of the pharaoh
Tutankhamen.
The Great Pyramid at Giza, built around 2550 BC,
was the tomb of the pharaoh Chufa. The other two
were built for his son Khafre and grandson Menkure.
The Great Pyramid, the biggest of the three, is close
to 150 metres high and contains around 2 300 000
granite blocks, each of which weighs around 2.5
tonnes.

highly advanced civilization that existed way before the Old

Kingdom in Egypt.
Heavenly sails
One treasure the robbers missed in the Great Pyramid was a
43-mtrelong boat, built to carry Chufa to the afterlife. It
was not found until 1954. It had been broken into 1224
pieces before being packed into a rock cavity near the base of
the pyramid. The cavity was so tightly sealed that when
archaeologists broke into it they could still smell the cedar
oil in the wood after 4500 years!

Useful teaching procedures to teach the summarizing action.

Summarize the text
After reading a set of sentences aloud, ask readers What is the main idea in this paragraph ? What
is its topic ? Say in a few words what the paragraph says. Teaching procedures include students
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)

selecting the key words in two or three consecutive sentences,

identifying the topic sentence of a paragraph,
matching sentences from different paragraphs with their topic sentences,
reviewing or summarising a paragraph, saying in one sentence what it is about or what they
know having read it,
saying the main question a paragraph answers,
writing the topic sentence or headline for a paragraph and
teaching students to skim and to scan paragraphs.

Begin by having readers summarize two sentences and then three or more sentences. You can
develop the notion of the topic sentence and ask students to find the topic sentence in a text. They
can also have activities in which they match each sentence with its head-line.
These include the following :
1.

After reading a paragraph aloud, ask readers What is the main idea in this paragraph ?

2.

Have readers summarize two sentences initially and then three or more sentences.

Van Gogh knew that colours can produce moods, emotions and feelings in those
looking at paintings. Night Life in Arles by van Gogh has colours that lead to strong
feelings.
He referred to these colours are blood red and pale sulphur. He used them to form
an atmosphere that he said was like a devils furnace to express the powers of
darkness in a low bar. His paintings were strong through this use of colours.

3.

Develop the notion of the topic sentence. Find the topic sentence in the following.

Its state at any time depends on its temperature. Water can also be ice and steam. Ice is the solid form of water and
steam is its gas form. Water turns into ice at 0o Celsius and into steam at 100o Celsius. You can smell petrol when
your parents are filling up the car because some of the liquid petrol evaporates into a gas. Clothes dry in a drier because
the water evaporates from them. A particular chemical can be in different states at different times. Butter melts when it
is spread on warm toast but not on bread.

4.

Match each sentence with its head-line

6

a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j

Hackers steal latest

Microsoft system
Last words return Russia to
tears
Medibank Private accused
of false ads
Mothers work on more time
with children
Cheating officer guilty of
murdering son
Birds in the hand but few in
the bush
Give peace a dance in
Korea
Cheaper to see rural doctors

Letter Sentence
I feel pain, enormous pain, Kolesnikov's widow, Olga, said on the NTV
television channel after news of her husband's dying words emerged.
The five week trial heard that Smith was obsessed with an American, Donna
Wilkinson and wanted to 'delete' his family so he could flee to Florida.
The motive behind the break-in is not known but experts think it could be the
early phase of a 'data hostage' case.
Women who do not work spend about 180 minutes each day playing with ,
reading to or taking care of their children
"It's high time the advertising industry woke up to itself and starting watching
what its members do", he said.
People in the bush will pay less to get medical advice.
"If you have strong local governments in the regions then you find you are
responsible to the local problems " she said.
He said he could think of no better place for Australia to start to celebrate the
centenary.
In June, DJ to his friends went to Pyongyang for an historic meeting with Kim.

MPs divided over a new

northern state
Sir William marks his time
and ours

5.

"One decent bushfire could wipe out the entire population in the wild" she said.

Teach and review the key definitions such as

topic

main idea

topic sentence

supporting details

summarize

Ask students to suggest what summarizing means and the key actions it involves.
6.

Have students review the actions they use to summarize, for example, to

7.

Identify the main information

Delete trivial information 
Delete redundant information and information that is repeated.
Relate the main topic to the supporting details. 

Ask students to suggest the topic word for a set of words, to example
Cake,
presents,
decorations,
party hats

Ruler,
pencil,
scissors,
books

Egg salad,
peanut butter
ham,
roast beef

Computer,
television,
VCR,
radio,
telephone

Lion,
bear,
giraffe,
emu,
possum

Topic
word

8.

Find the topic sentence. Ask readers to read one or more paragraphs and select the topic
sentences and the supporting ideas. The readers can discuss this is small groups, use the
symbols mentioned earlier and record their analysis as shown below. They can also say
how they decide whether a sentence is a topic sentence. Practice Worksheet to practice
finding topic sentences and supporting ideas: (These could be redone to include graphics,
7

etc.) Can you and supporting ideas for each paragraph? 

When is it hot ? Would it be sensible for you to wear a

coat and a pullover to school on a day that reaches 35 ?
How hot is the Sun? Temperature measures how cold
or warm things are in comparison to a reference point.
The units most commonly used for measuring
temperature are degrees Celsius (C), and degrees
Fahrenheit (F). Both scales use the boiling and
freezing points of water as their reference points. In
The scale most widely used in Australia today
is the Celsius (C) scale.

9.

Topic sentence
Supporting ideas

Draw a map of the text. Drawing a map of the text by summarizing it and identifying the
key and subordinate ideas can help students to understand it.

How a teacher can model drawing a map

write the title of the article in the center

of the paper and put a box around it. 

select one main idea from the text and

locate it in a circle, branching out from
the title (draw this on the board while
explaining).

find details that relate with the main idea,

say them in your own words and put
them in the circle under the main idea.

repeat for other main ideas

Pyramid builders

Egypt pyramids oldest man

made structures but how
were they built ?

built about 4500 years

ago

ancient Egyptians had

simple tools

Review and consolidate what has been read by reading silently a summary text.
There are two purposes here: for students
(1)

to identify what they have learnt by reading and to link the new knowledge with what they
already know and

(2)

to have their new knowledge structured in a 'linguistic' or 'verbal way'. This is an

investment for future learning. Students whose knowledge is organised in a verbal way will
be more able to use it in subsequent reading and writing activities. Their knowledge will be
easier to enhance further by reading and writing. They will also be more able to show what
they know in written assessment formats and to receive positive feedback for what they
know.
8

Teaching procedures include having students

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)

say as briefly as they can what they have learnt, record it in writing, in pictures or in
distinctive gestures,
say the questions they can now answer,
say how the new ideas are similar to and different from what they knew
work on cloze activities in which they complete a written retelling or summary of text they
read
answer written questions about the topic,
write questions they can now answer, work in a small group to make up 5 difficult
questions that are answered another group,
write a summary of the knowledge they have gained and (8) draw network of semantic
maps showing the ideas learnt and the links between them.

Useful activities to achieve this include students reading silently a relevant sample of text,
showing comprehension, reviewing and consolidating what has been read in a range of activities:

cloze activities in which students complete a written retelling or summary of text they read.

activities in which students answer written questions about the topic or write questions that
they can now answer. Each group of students can make up 5 difficult questions that can be
answered by thinking about the text. These are given to another group that frames up a
response.

activities in which they match questions with relevant text or match topic sentence with text.

students in small groups write a summary of the knowledge they have gained.

students draw network of semantic maps showing the ideas learnt and the links between
them.

Integrating the reading strategies.

As well as learning each strategy separately, students can integrate their use. When required to
read a text that has several paragraphs, they can use the following format to record the key words
or phrases, the question/s answered by each paragraph and summarize it.
When students are required to read a text that has several paragraphs, they use the following format
to record the key words or phrases, the question/s answered by each paragraph and summarize it.
As you read each paragraph of a text
select the key words

summarize it - say what is it about in one

sentence

say the main question it

answers

Write these in the table below for each paragraph.

Key vocabulary in the text

Summarize main ideas of paragraph

Main question answered by

paragraph

1
2
3
4

The framework provides a useful means for keeping track of the ideas mentioned in the text and
assists students to direct their thinking. As well, it provides a means for gathering information as
one reads. It can become part of the student's knowledge of how to read and learn.
Example : VCE English Issue Children Overboard. To assist them to work on each article use the
following grid. It is shown for Democracy's a leaking boat by Tessa Morris - Suzuki ( Age
39/1/02, p 13)
Par
a
1

Key concepts

Paraphrase

age-old cautionary
tale of democracy
ignore human rights
erosion of civil
liberties
current wave of boat
people
taking a hard line

As the asylum-seeker situation

gets worse, Australians are
facing a warning re democracy
- ignore the rights of a group
and you lose civil freedom
Boat people came from
countries we didn't know much
about.
They didn't have a say in
Australian politics.
Treating them harshly was an
easy way for each party to earn
votes.

10

Question it
answers
What is a key
warning to a
democracy ?

Why did both

parties take a
hard line on
boat people ?

Summary
When governments
ignore the rights of a
group, the culture
risks losing civil
liberties
Taking a severe
approach to boat
people was seen as
vote winner by both
parties

migrant detention
centres
subsidiary of foreign
multinational
corporation

Tampa
John Howard's
'pacific solution'

policy
ever thickening
secrecy
media access

troubling questions

People started to ask questions.

How are migrant detention
centres run ? Why are they run
by foreign companies whose
record suggests they don't
respect human rights ? Why
can't independent observers get
in ?
Before these questions were
answered, events including the
Tampa and the Pacific Solution
occurred. What do they cost
tax payers ? Would more
humane processes be cheaper ?
The government tried to hide its
policy. It limited media access
to Nauru, delayed a video of
the children overboard.
Journalists were arrested at
Woomera
Other issues haven't been
highlighted. Bashed detainees
reached an out of court
settlement with Mr Ruddick.
Did tax payers pay legal fees ?

11

What questions
can we ask
about how are
migrant
detention
centres are run
?

Questions about how

the foreign
multinational
corporation runs the
detention centres

What other
events
prevented us
from answering
the questions
above ?
How has the
government
hidden its
policy from
citizens ?

Before we could
answer these
questions, other
events occurred.

What events
didn't receive
much media
attention ?

Events, such as
bashed detainees
settling didn't receive
attention.

The government did

several things to hide
its policy.

Allow students to build ideas in each code' You can use a template to design activities to develop
the idea in each code; begin with episodic and action code and re-code it .
Code ideas culturally, socially,
historically
How has prejudice been used /
described in history ?
How does it occur in different
communities ?
What problems does it cause ?
How can communities control it?

Code ideas scientifically

Code ideas affectively

What causes prejudice ? How is it

changed? What causes prejudice ?
What matches prejudice for solids ?
When is it more likely ? Why ?
Are there degrees of prejudice ?
Is individual prejudice different from
group prejudice ?

What feelings would you have

if you experienced / did
prejudice ?

How prejudice is presented in narratives

Code ideas verbal -linguistically Code ideas in episodes/ images

Code ideas in actions

Brain-storm ideas ----> concept

map -------> network map
Paraphrase, summarize text that
explains prejudice. Key words
for prejudice.
An person experiencing prejudice
/doing prejudice is interviewed.
What questions would you ask ?
What would each person say ?
Ask 6 hard questions about
prejudice
Write a story / play "Prejudice in
our neighbourhood".
When else would you use the
word 'prejudice' ? Names for the
doer and receiver of prejudice ?
Discuss situations involving
prejudice, what happens.

Small groups of students act

out a instances involving
prejudice.
What actions make up
prejudice ?
What do the action sequences
share ?
What gestures suggest
prejudice ?
Is there a reverse / opposite
action to evaporating ?

Imagine, draw, collect situations in

which prejudice occurs in narratives:
prejudice in a humorous story
prejudice in a sad story
prejudice because of physical
features.
Draw a comic strip of instances
Useful icons for prejudice ?
Classify instances of prejudice.

Students use the procedures spontaneously.

A long term aim of the teaching is that students will learn to use the sequence of literacy strategies
spontaneously and selectively as part of their self talk or self instruction whenever they need to
comprehend written text. Whenever they are required to learn by reading, the aim is that they
will, where necessary, tell themselves to

get their knowledge ready for learning by organising and recoding what they know to a
verbal linguistic form.

use the word level procedures to add unfamiliar verbal concepts to their vocabulary.

read aloud short portions of relevant text.

paraphrase or say in their own words each sentence in the text read.

say questions that each sentence in the text answers.

12

summarise the text read, usually paragraph by paragraph.

review and consolidate their comprehension of what has been learnt, linking it with what
they already knew.

The teaching procedures initially cue students to use them. Gradually students learn to talk about
what they do when they use the strategies, to evaluate their usefulness and decide when to use
them. This helps them build self instruction strategies that
These procedures can gradually be learnt by students as 'self dialogue' or 'self instruction'
statements that students can learn to use to convert information to knowledge and to enhance the
knowledge. They can use the self talk to manage and direct their learning by reading. As an
intermediate step students can write the strategies on small cards and use these to self cue.
Teachers cue
students to
use them
explicitly

Students see the strategies

work for them and write
them on self cue cards to
remind themselves to use
them.

Students use them as 'self dialogue',

self scripts, or 'self instruction'
statements to convert information to
manage and direct their learning by
reading

Students can learn to use the strategies in a self diagnostic way. Each strategy leads to a particular
type of knowledge about a text. When they have difficulty comprehending a text they can use the
sequence to identify which strategies they have used effectively and which ones they may need to
re-apply. Do they, for example, believe they understand a sufficient portion of the key concepts
in the text ? Can they say in their own words enough of the sentences ?
Teachers can also use the sequence in a diagnostic way. When students have difficulty learning
from a particular text, teachers can identify which aspects have not been sufficiently well
understood and re-implement activities for those procedures.
Teachers learn to implement the high reliability literacy teaching procedures
This work aims to assist teachers, subject area faculties and departments and schools to implement
the procedures systematically by learning to embed them in regular teaching. Several professional
development procedures are relevant. Teachers need to
(1)
see the teaching procedures modelled and implemented in their classes for content they are
teaching,
(2)
develop action plans that gradually incorporate each procedure into their teaching,
(3)
explore and trial particular HRLTPs in small scale action research projects as part of their
regular teaching (Calhoun, 2002),
(4)
be coached in the implementation of the procedures and
(5)
to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedures, discuss them with colleagues (Routman,
2002) and to report the outcomes of the evaluation to their department or faculty group, for
example, in the form of a poster.
Part of this has involved learning to embed the procedures in regular teaching. One of the
materials that has assisted here is the following planning and review sheet.

13

Planning and review sheet for mapping literacy teaching strategies into lessons in week
Content
for
session

read aloud short

portions of
relevant text

paraphrase
text

say questions
the text read
answers

Evaluate
each
activity

14

summarise
text

work on key
words

read silently and

show
comprehension

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