Mark the Margins

Purpose: To have students think about their reactions to a text as they read it.

Prep Time: 10-20 minutes

Materials: A level appropriate reading text, a projector.

Prep: Read the text and decide on the purpose for reading the text, such as finding key details, summarizing, or building background knowledge about a topic.

Procedure:

1. Based on the purpose for reading, choose one to three marks for students to use while they read.
2. Introduce the reading topic and pre-teach any necessary vocabulary.
3. Write the marks on the board and explain what they mean.
4. Project a copy of the text. Demonstrate by reading out loud and then writing one of the marks on your paper.
5. Demonstrate again with a different mark.
6. Students read and use the marks.
7. As students finish, they pair up and share what they marked.
8. Call on a few students to share what they marked.

Possible Marks:

• ? I don’t understand
• → I understand
• ! surprising
• I interesting
• I important
• F fact
• O opinion
• D most difficult sentence
• A I already knew this
• M I want to know more
• A  I agree
• D I disagree
• N I have no opinion