Middle elementary and above
- Comprehension
- Critical reading/thinking
- Look at issues from different perspectives
- Summarize
- Writing
Strategy steps:
- Students read the story/selection silently for comprehension.
- Older students think of different ways to look at the material they read. Write their ideas on the board. (For elementary students, the teacher discusses how ideas can be considered from different perspectives and helps the students identify those perspectives.)
Example: (older students) The article is about a big company, Super Value Mart, that wants to build a big box store at the edge of town next to a residential community. They would have to clear the land of a large forested area.
The students identify the perspective of different community groups such as neighboring home owners, nearby schools, environmental advocates, Chamber of Commerce, etc.
Example: (elementary students) The story is about a boy who wants Mom and Dad to buy him a puppy. They live in an apartment and his parents say ‘no’ to a dog.
The teacher helps the students understand that Mom and Dad have a different opinion than they boy. Guide them through the development of Mom’s and Dad’s perspective and the boy’s perspective. Initially, the teacher provides guided practice for the younger children for steps 3 through 7. As the students become familiar with the process, they do more of the work independently.
- Students may work in small groups, with a partner, or independently. Assign each student or group a different perspective.
- Students discuss their assigned perspectives and develop a chart explaining what the perspective is and why.
- Students reread the selection to gain more information/insight into the perspective they have been assigned.
- The groups reconvene and add to or revise the information on their chart. They write a statement(s) on the bottom of their chart summarizing the perspective.
- Students share their work with the other groups and discuss each perspective.