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Instructional Strategy

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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Column Notes

Grade:

3-5, 6-8, 9-12, UNIV

Type:

Read Actively
/ Develop Language (MLL)
20-30

Minutes

When:

During and after reading

Materials:

Column Notes graphic organizer, preselected text, whiteboard or display, writing utensil
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Description

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© kopirin— iStock/ Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
The Column Notes strategy helps students analyze and synthesize information while reading, listening to, or viewing different sources. It provides a structure for recording important information across various source types, including video, audio, and text. It also encourages the use of illustrations and text to take notes that align with individual preferences and synthesize the source’s main idea and key details.
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Procedure

1
Tell students that they will be using a Column Notes graphic organizer to help them record and organize information from different sources. Explain that this strategy helps them focus on the text’s main ideas and supporting details. It also helps them identify their own questions, personal connections, and reactions, and develop a summary. Encourage them to use both words and illustrations to take notes.
2
Distribute a Column Notes graphic organizer to each student. Explain that each column represents a different aspect of the text.
3
Choose a short text or video and model using the Column Notes organizer. Begin by guiding students to fill out the citation information at the top of the organizer. Then think aloud as you fill in each column, demonstrating how to identify and record the main idea, details, quotes, questions, personal connections or reactions, and a summary of the text.
4
Have students use the Column Notes organizer independently to continue with the remainder of the text or with another text or video. Encourage them to apply the skills they have learned to take notes and record information using the organizer.
5
Allow students to share their notes with a partner or in small groups, facilitating a discussion about the main ideas, key details, questions, and personal connections or reactions they recorded. Encourage them to ask and answer questions about the text.
6
Review the completed organizers as a class. Reflect on how using the Column Notes strategy helped students understand and remember the information. Discuss how this strategy can be applied to different types of texts and subjects.
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Differentiation

Starters and Prompts: Provide sentence starters, visual aids, and differentiated prompts to support students’ understanding and use of the Column Notes organizer. This scaffolding makes the process more accessible and ensures students can effectively engage with and benefit from the strategy.
Main Idea: The main point of this text is…/The author wants us to understand that…
Details: One important detail is…/The text says that…
Questions: I wonder why…/What does it mean when the author says…
Quotes: A significant quote from the text is “…”/ The author states, “…,” which emphasizes…
Connections: This reminds me of…/I experienced something similar when…
Reactions: I feel that…/This part surprised me because…
Summary: In summary, this text discusses…/Overall, the author explains that…
Cite Text Evidence: Encourage students to strengthen their responses by citing specific text evidence, and identifying page numbers and paragraph references. This teaches students how to provide concrete examples to back up their ideas, improving their comprehension and analytical skills, and ensuring they can accurately reference and discuss the text.

Multilingual Learning Support

Beginning Proficiency: Pre-teach essential vocabulary related to the source material and provide sentence frames for each column of the Column Notes graphic organizer. When possible, model extensively using think-alouds in both English and the students’ home language. Provide visual supports for each column header, and encourage students to record their observations using a combination of their home language, English, and illustrations. Provide students with a word bank with key content vocabulary and common academic language needed for note-taking (e.g., main idea, detail, connection).
Intermediate Proficiency: Provide bilingual glossaries specific to the content area and partially completed examples in the Column Notes graphic organizer. Model the use of transitional phrases and academic vocabulary while encouraging students to elaborate on their ideas using both languages. Support students with sentence frames that promote higher-order thinking (e.g., “This reminds me of…,” “I wonder about…”) while maintaining the flexibility to express complex ideas in either language. For partner discussions, provide students with language stems that facilitate academic conversation about the content.
Advanced Proficiency: Focus on developing sophisticated academic language while maintaining cognitive complexity. Introduce discipline-specific vocabulary and language structures that appear in complex texts within the content area. Encourage students to make cross-linguistic connections and use metalinguistic awareness to strengthen their understanding. The Column Notes graphic organizer can include prompts for students to analyze how ideas are connected across sources and to evaluate the credibility of information using academic language appropriate for the discipline. Support advanced learners in developing their academic writing through the use of more sophisticated transition words and precise vocabulary while synthesizing information across columns.
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Variations

Collaborative Digital Column Notes: Utilize approved online collaborative tools to allow students to collaboratively fill in a digital Column Notes organizer, facilitating real-time feedback and interactive learning.
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