Purpose:This graphic organizer is designed to help students expand their thinking while focusing on a main idea, topic, or concept. Target Notes ask students to consider what is at the center of the inquiry. What is the student is aiming to discover? Designed to scaffold students’ thinking, the center circle holds the main idea, topic, or concept; the first tier calls for identifying characteristics or perspectives; and the second tier allows students to further develop their understanding by identifying details, examples, quotations, or further explanations of the first tier. Because information is organized, writers can easily compose highly organized pieces of writing that incorporate details and examples. This graphic organizer can be used in multiple ways for a number of different purposes.
Materials: Grade-Level Text Selection
Audience: Pairs, Independent, Group (PIG)
Strategy Type: Organizing & Comprehending
RBT-Z Alignment: All Zones of Progress Included
Procedure:
- After determining the topic of focus, have students set the purpose by filling in the center circle with the main topic, idea, or concept.
- Have students brainstorm or identify four categories appropriate for the subject of study based on pre-reading or scanning text and put these categories in the first tier.
- Students read for information that provides details, examples or further explanation of each of the four categories. These details should be recorded in the second tier. Students may divide the second tier into as many sections as deemed appropriate based on the reading selection.
- The summary box should be used for students to compile the information.
Differentiated Components: Readiness, Preference, Choice, Challenge, Content, Complexity, Process
TARGET NOTES EXEMPLARS
Download Target Notes Graphic Organizer
Download Half Target Notes Graphic Organizer
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