Chapter 3
Sentence Expansion & Note-taking: Elaborating on Information
Sentence expansion and note-taking require students to think analytically about the content they are learning and craft responses that reflect their understanding. Sentence expansion activities help students anticipate what the reader needs to know and serve as an excellent check for comprehension. Note-taking, often assumed to be an intuitive skill, requires explicit instruction. It is a powerful strategy for gaining and retaining knowledge, distinguishing essential from nonessential material, boosting comprehension, and preparing students to outline paragraphs and compositions before drafting.
Customizable Template
Sentence Expansion
Content Example
Sentence Expansion
Science I Plant Biology
Content Example
Sentence Expansion
History I Mesopotamians
Classroom Poster
Question Words
Grades K-12
Classroom Poster
Symbols
Grades 3-12
Teaching Resource
Abbreviations & Symbols
Appendix B.
Discussion Questions
- Why should students practice expanding sentences?
- What are important things to remember when creating sentence expansion activities?
- What are ways sentence expansion activities can be scaffolded and differentiated for students?
- Create a sentence expansion activity based on content you will be teaching.
- Why should students learn how to take notes?
- What are the steps to introducing students to note-taking?
- What can you do to ensure students become effective note-takers?
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