1. TALA: Note Taking Strategy
By Alma Sanchez

2. Outcomes Give explicit instruction in three steps
Understanding how providing support in identifying main ideas during reading improves students’ comprehension of text.
Construct a Notes Log to teach students how to identify critical information in paragraphs and determine the main idea.
Apply the three-step process for explicit instruction to the implementation of the Notes Log for identifying main ideas and details.
Understand how writing summaries after reading improves students’ comprehension of text.
Apply the three step process for explicit instruction to the implementation of the Notes Log for writing summaries

3. Explicit Instruction: A Three-step Process
I Do Model/think aloud WE Do Guided practice YOU Do Monitored independent practice

4. Supporting Comprehension by Identifying Main Ideas During Reading
Actively taking notes helps students be more attentive, think about the information they are learning, and commit ideas to memory.
(Anderson & Armbruster, 1986; Kiewra, 1985)

5. Supporting Comprehension by Identifying Main Ideas During Reading (cont.)
Even expert readers must rely on strategies to construct main ideas when text information is difficult or unfamiliar.
Adolescent students who are directly and explicitly taught strategies for identifying the main idea of a passage have increased reading comprehension.

6. Modeling Phase: I Do
Record the title/topic and the page numbers for the chapter or section.
State the primary focus of the chapter or section and explain how it connects to students’ prior learning.
“Think aloud” as you look at the title, page numbers, and headings/terms/graphs/tables/pictures.
Identify the main ideas of each paragraph.
Record important details related to the main ideas.
Compose a main idea of the section statement.

7. Main Idea: Modeling Phase: I Do
Explain the purpose of identifying the main idea.
Make sure you understand what you are reading.
Think about the information.
Help yourself remember important information later.
Remind students of the primary focus for the chapter/section and how it connects to their prior learning.
Read a paragraph of the text.
When first introducing the routine for identifying the main idea, it is important to work with only one paragraph at a time.

8. Main Idea: Modeling Phase: I Do
Explain that you will identify the main idea of the paragraph using the Get the Gist routine.
Name the “who” or “what”: the person, place, or thing that is the topic
Tell the most important information about the “who” or “what.”
-Has what?
-Is what?
-Does what?
Say it in 10 words or less. Must be a complete sentence.

9. Main Idea: Modeling Phase: I Do
Step 1: Name the “who” or “what” of the paragraph in as few words as possible.
Correct Example
Incorrect Example
North America
What caused North America to be difficult for people to reach

10. Main Idea: Modeling Phase: I Do
Step 2: Tell the most important information about the “who” or “what” in the paragraph.
Correct Example (what: North America) It is isolated by ocean waters.
Incorrect Example (what: North America) It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

11. Main Idea: Modeling Phase: I Do
Step 3: Say it in 10 words or less.
Correct Example
Incorrect Example
The waters surrounding North America isolated it for many Years.
Because North America is Surrounded by ocean waters, It has developed unique plants and animals and was difficult for people to reach for many Years.

12. Main Idea: Modeling Phase: I Do
Record other important information in the Notes section of the log:
Say “…”
Event
Number
Description: anything described through the use of the five senses

13. Main Idea: Teacher-assisted Phase: We Do
Continue writing the main idea for one paragraph at a time.
Guide students as they use the Get the Gist routine.
If necessary, model the routine again with a “think aloud”
Ask students to tell you what to record in the Notes section.
Say “…”
Event
Number
Description: anything described through the use of the five senses

14. Main Idea: Independent Practice: You Do
Complete the previewing routine
Introduce the important academic and content-specific vocabulary words.
Have students record the title/topic and the page numbers for the chapter or section.
State the primary focus of the chapter or section.
Have students look at the title, page numbers, headings, terms, graphs, tables, and pictures.
Ask the students to write the main ideas with the Get the Gist routine.
Name the “who” or “what”
Tell the most important information.
Say it in 10 words or less.
Periodically critique students’ main idea statements.
Ask students to record the following in the Notes section:
Say “…”
Event
Number
Description: anything described through the use of the five senses

15. The Benefits of Explicit Instruction in Summarization
Explicitly teaching students to summarize text improves their comprehension and helps them make connections among main ideas.
(Armbruster, Anderson, & Ostertag, 1987; Trabasso & Bouchard, 2002)
Adolescent students who are allowed to work collaboratively on writing summaries of expository texts demonstrate improved comprehension and learning of content area information.
(Mastropieri, Scruggs, Spencer, & Fontana, 2003; Spencer, Scruggs, & Mastropieri, 2003)
Direct instruction in the use of a summarization strategy improves the comprehension and answering of both literal and inferential questions for students with learning disabilities.
(Gajria & Salvia, 1992)
Cognitive strategy instruction, including the instruction of summarization strategies, enhances English language learners’ comprehension of expository text.
(Slater, 2004)

16. Summary vs. Main Idea of the Passage
Includes information across the entire passage
Contains more than one significant detail
Paragraph in length
Main Idea of the Passage
Overall gist of the passage
Contains only the most significant idea about the topic
One sentence

17. Summarization Instructional Routine
Construct a summary of the passage.
List
Underline
Combine
Number
Write
Edit

18. Summarization: Modeling Phase: I Do
Explain the purpose for summarizing a passage:
Make sure you understand the most important information.
Remind students of the primary focus for the chapter/section and how it relates to their prior learning.

19. Summarization: Modeling Phase: I Do
Explain that you will construct a summary of the
entire passage using this routine.
List all the main ideas.
Underline terms or phrases that contain the most important information.
Combine any ideas (including significant details) that could go into one sentence.
Number the ideas in a logical order.
Write your summary in one paragraph.
Edit (revise and proofread) your summary.

20. Summarization: Modeling Phase: I Do
Step 1: List all the main ideas.
Step 2: Underline terms or phrases that contain the most important information.
Incorrect Example
Heterotrophs must eat
autotrophs to obtain food
energy.
Autotrophs make their own food through photosynthesis.
Organisms can be classified by their energy roles in the ecosystem.
Food chains describe how energy flows from producers to consumers and decomposers.
Food webs show overlapping food chains.
Correct Example
Heterotrophs must eat
autotrophs to obtain food
energy.
Autotrophs make their own food through photosynthesis.
Organisms can be classified by their energy roles in the ecosystem.
Food chains describe how energy flows from producers to consumers and decomposers.
Food webs show overlapping food chains.

21. Summarization: Modeling Phase: I Do
Step 3: Combine any ideas that could go into one sentence.
Step 4: Number the ideas in a logical order.
Correct Example
Heterotrophs must eat autotrophs to obtain food energy.
Autotrophs make their own food through photosynthesis.
Autotrophs convert sunlight and carbon dioxide to energy and oxygen.
Organisms may be classified by their energy roles in the ecosystem.
Producers. autotrophs consumers and decomposers. heterotrophs
Food chains describe how energy flows from producers to consumers and decomposers.
Food webs show overlapping food chains. 1 2 3 4

22. Summarization: Modeling Phase: I Do
Step 3: Combine any ideas that could go into one sentence.
Step 4: Number the ideas in a logical order.
Incorrect Example
Heterotrophs must eat autotrophs to obtain food energy.
Autotrophs make their own food through photosynthesis.
Organisms may be classified by their energy roles in the ecosystem.
Food chains describe how energy flows from producers to consumers and decomposers.
Food webs show overlapping food chains. 2 3 1

23. Summarization: Modeling Phase: I Do
Step 5: Write your summary in one paragraph.
Step 6: Edit (revise and proofread) your summary
Correct Example Because autotrophs can convert sunlight and carbon dioxide to energy and oxygen, heterotrophs are dependent on autotrophs for food. All organisms may be classified by their energy roles in the ecosystem. Autotrophs are producers, and heteroptrophs are either consumers or decomposers. A food chain or food web can show how the energy flows from organism to organism.
Incorrect Example Food webs show overlapping food chains. Heterotrophs must eat autotrophs to obtain food energy. Organisms are classified by their energy roles in the ecosystem and make up food chains.