AVID Strategies for Reading: GIST

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AVID Strategies for ReadingGIST

• Renee Blackmon
• Michelle Chandler-Barnes

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What is GIST?

• Gist is a comprehension strategy that is used
  both during reading and after reading. It is one
  approach to summarizing a text. When using GIST,
  students create summaries that are 20 words or
  less for increasingly large amounts of text.
• The end product is a 20 word summary that is
  tight and precise.

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How does it work?

• 1. Define what the "gist" of something is.
• 2. Read the first paragraph/section of the
  assigned reading. The size of the section will
  depend upon the grade level and size of the
  complete text.
• 3. Write a 20 word summary that describes the
  main idea in that section.
• 4. Read the second paragraph/section of the
  assigned reading.
• 5. Write a 20 word summary that combines the
  material in the first gist statement and the new
  material.
• 6. Continue this procedure until a 20 word
  summary is created for the entire reading.

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How can GIST be used in your class?

1. Use as a class warm up to review the previous
   days learning.
2. Use as during the middle of the day to summarize
   key concepts learned already.
3. Use as a TOTD to summarize learning for the day.
4. Assign with reading homework, showing evidence of
   what the student has learned while completing the
   reading assignment.

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How can GIST be used in your class?

• 5. Assign as a formative assessment to evaluate
  learning.
• 6. Assign a GIST on your summative assessment.
• 7. Increase the number of words you want to use
  in your GIST until students get the hang of it.

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Final Thoughts

• If your students are reluctant to new strategies,
  consider using GIST with a fun topic to get them
  use to the idea of condensing their thoughts.
• AVID II Students GIST Three Little Bears
• Three pigs built houses of straw, stick and
  brick. The brick house survived, the others were
  destroyed by the wolf.