Power Reviewing

For the full guide to using this tool, see Tools for Classroom Instruction that Works, p 119-123

What should I use it for?

• Activate prior knowledge

• Set a purpose for reading

• Organize information

• Build a conceptual framework for new learning

How do I use it?

Don’t assume the Power Previewing steps are self-explanatory. Explain and model each one thoroughly, making sure to think aloud as you work your way through sample texts. Continue modeling the previewing process until students are clear about how to find important information and complete their organizers on their own.

1. Set a purpose for reading and communicate it with students. What should students know after reading the text? (This could be your Learning Intention)

2. Hand out the Power Previewing Organizer.

3. Have a conversation about the benefits of previewing a text before reading it. This will help students understand why they are using this tool:

   • Knowing how a text is organized can make the information easier to understand and remember

   • Generating predictions and personal connections can help you focus and process information

4. Thoroughly review the "where to look for important information" section of the organizer so that students know where to look and what to pay attention to while skimming.

5. Model working your way through the questions on the organizer, talking through your process as you:

   • Look for important information as you skim.

   • Ask yourself if anything in the text looks or sounds familiar

   • Identify aspects of the text that you find interesting or challenging.

   • Use what you learn by skimming to predict what the text might be about.

6. Help students reflect on and learn from the previewing process.

   • How did you skim the text?

   • What did you learn by previewing?

   • How did previewing affect what you paid attention to while reading?

   • Did previewing make the text easier to understand?

7. Read the text through, revisiting your purpose for reading.

After the first time

1. Instead of modeling (step 5), preview texts as a class and use guiding questions to focus students' attention on what's important. For example:

• Does anything on this page look like something we've seen before?

• Do you notice any words that look different than the others? Why might the author have done that?

• Once you've flipped through the entire text, review the questions on the organizer as a class.

2. Once students master previewing texts as a class, have them preview a text independently or in small groups. Intervene as needed to help them make the most of the previewing process. Among other things, you can

• Ask guiding and focusing questions (e.g., "Do you see any recurring themes in this section?").

• Suggest strategies for addressing specific challenges (e.g., vocabulary strategies if challenging terms are the issue or strategies for figuring out what's important enough to write down).

• Encourage students to check their predictions when they read the text "for real."

3. Remind students to use the Power Previewing strategy on their own, not just when you say so. To facilitate the process, post the Power Previewing steps in the classroom and give students copies of blank organizers to keep in their notebooks.