A Brief List of Text Reformulation* Possibilities
Students
demonstrate comprehension through briefly re-writing the story in a different
genre or expounding upon a particular element of the story as outlined below.
- Journal Entries – Date and compose four different journal entries from the
main character’s point of view. By reading these journal entries, someone should
be able to tell what happened in the story.
- Top Ten List –
Create a bulleted list based on the story. Examples: “Top Ten Things the
Main Character Learned”, “Top Ten Rules for Survival in This Story’s
Setting”, or “Top Ten Reasons to Read This Story”.
- Poetry/Song –
Write a poem or song that retells the story. By listening to this poem or
song, someone would know what happened in the story.
- Book Jacket –
Create a book jacket for this story. Be sure to include an illustration, a
summary, an interesting blurb, and a convincing quote from someone who has
read the story.
- Breaking News Update –
Write the script for a breaking news report about this story. Be sure to
include all the important facts. You may also include personal interviews in
order to give more information.
- Power Point Presentation –
Create a presentation, complete with words and graphics, re-telling the
story.
- Acrostic –
An acrostic is a poem or series of lines in which certain letters,
(usually the first) form a name or motto that can be pronounced as a single
word. Decide on a theme within the story. For every letter in the theme,
come up with a word or phrase supporting the theme selected from the
story. For example, if “LOVE” is a theme, your acrostic might be: Learn from your mistakes, Open your mind, Visit those you haven’t seen in a
while, Empty your heart of all
old grudges. Display your acrostic with artistic flare!
Try this strategy with "A Night to Remember" and "A Hard Lesson"
*Adapted from When Kids
Can’t Read by Kylene Beers, Heinemann, 2003.
