Guided Reading and Summarizing Procedure (GRASP) with WIDA level ideas

But really...getting students excited about reading content area text

Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

Has anyone tried the content literacy strategy called GRASP (guided reading and summarizing procedure)?

I tried this with soon-to-be secondary teachers, and it worked like a charm. It intrinsically motivates students to read with purpose.

Also, lots of ways to differentiate language learning levels! I’ve shared a few here.

1. Preparation phase

Assign students to read a selection of a text (500 to 1500 words). Those at beginning language level (WIDA 1 to 2) can just read a few sentences. You’ll set a timer (5-10 minutes) for this reading activity so those students with greater fluency will read further along—no worries if the students don’t read the entire passage. Those with higher reading levels will summarize for them in the end. Conversely, you can give an easier reading on the same topic for WIDA levels 1-2.

Photo by Barney Yau on Unsplash

2. Remembering 

Ask students to turn the text face down or close their books. Tell them to share aloud all they can remember about what they read. You and a competent student can record all responses on the board exactly as they are given. Ensure students that it’s okay if they aren’t positive. I like to bring a student to the board with me because getting the information the students share quickly goes faster with two writing. Also, it engages students of greater ability so they don’t get bored.

Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash

3. Read again

When it becomes clear that students have given as much information as they can for the first reading, you ask students to go back to the selection again to correct errors in their initial recollection and add any significant information that may have been left out.

4. Purpose

Rereading takes place with the specific purpose of completing the information needed and to make corrections in the original listing. Following this rereading, the teacher calls on students to complete and correct their recollection of the selection. They get so excited to get back to the text—which isn’t usually the case because they want to see what they missed or got mixed up on.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

5. Interaction

During this phase of the activity, the teacher may have the students refer to the selection to resolve differences that might exist among individuals’ recollections. They can talk in pairs. I would suggest a WIDA level 1 with a WIDA 2 or 3…just one or two levels away from each other so that they can assist each other, but one doesn’t take over from the other.

Photo by Trung Thanh on Unsplash

6. Teacher Asks Guiding Questions

To facilitate this process, ask nonspecific, guiding questions such as, ”What is this section mainly about?”, “How does the information support this purpose?” and so on.

7. Summarizing

During the discussion, you can solicit students’ advice about which of the remembered information can serve as main headings or central notes, which would best serve as supporting details, and so on. Star those ideas. The more advanced students are naturally creating a skeleton text that makes it easier for the WIDA levels 1-3 to manage. Then all the students can write a summary down. It’s been scaffolded for them.

Have you tried this activity? What worked? What didn’t?

What questions do you have that I can clarify?

Click the heart below if you like this post. Thank you!

Photo by Nicola Fioravanti on Unsplash