Herringbone Strategy

HERRINGBONE
Purpose:to help students summarize and synthesize what they have read; to provide a supportive framework
for students to sort through the information provided in expository text and make their own decisions about
what is important; to help students think about the main idea, significant details, and the relationships among
them.
Materials:fiction, nonfiction, and expository text
Procedures:
1. Students read and then work with partners to complete the chart.
2. Together they must decide on answers to each of the detail questions on the chart (Who, What,
When, Why, Where, How). This frequently involves rereading and always involves discussion as
students identify potential answers and settle on the most important.
3. Students combine these details to develop a main-idea summary statement for the entire passage.