Summarizers: Activity Structures to Support Integration and Retention of New Learning

Summarizers is a collection of classroom-tested, practical activity structures for getting students cognitively active and involved with content during and after periods of instruction. Each structure provides a framework for guiding students to summarize for themselves what is important, what they have learned, and/or how it fits with what they already know. Many of the structures involve the use of higher-level thinking skills. Each structure is fully explained with examples and step-by-step directions. Some lend themselves to use with individuals while others are better used with pairs, small groups, or a full class. Most can be used at all levels with any content.