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About the Practice
GET THE GIST is a reading comprehension practice to help students identify and write brief main idea statements about sections of text.
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Students are taught to stop at predetermined points while reading and use a 3-step process to write their gist (main idea):
Step 1) “Who” or “what” is this section about?
Step 2) What is the most important information about the “who” or “what?”
Step 3) Write a gist (main idea) statement that combines the information from steps 1 and 2. (The gist should be in the students’ own words, rather than a sentence copied from the text.)
Teaching students to Get the Gist is important for several reasons:
**It encourages students to monitor their comprehension while reading.
**It helps students integrate important information across sections of text.
**It helps students remember the most important information when they read.
Professional Development Resources
PowerPoint Slides from August 2019 Professional Development
Audio and Slides from 2018 Get the Gist Professional Development
3-Steps to Get the Gist Infographic
Strategy Guides
English/Language Arts
Science
Social Studies
Planning Materials
Sample Implementation Calendar
Get the Gist Practice Opportunities Idea Chart
Goal Setting Chart
Lesson Materials
Get the Gist Log for Students
PowerPoint for Introducing Students to Get the Gist
Student Cue Cards
Reading Passages from Strategy Guides
- “Thank You, M’am” (English/Language Arts)
- “What are Clouds?” (Science)
- “Lewis and Clark: American Explorers” (Social Studies)