Ready, Set, Summarize!

Katie Backer

Reading to Learn

Rationale

Comprehension and fluency are two important keys to understanding what you read. It is critical that students understand what the important information in a passage is, so that they can accurately summarize a story. By summarizing, students are learning to pick out important information so they can comprehend the story quicker. Through specific teacher modeling, students will learn how to pick out important information and delete non-sense information. Eventually, students will effectively use this strategy to summarize and comprehend. 

Materials

"Giant Jelly Fish" Article

"Rattlesnake Rustlers" Article

Computer

Smart board

Poster with summarization rules:

       Delete Un-Important Information

       Delete Repeated Information

       Select a Topic

       Write a topic statement that covers everything important in the passage

Highlighter

Pencil

Procedures

1. TODAY WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SUMMARIZATION. WHO CAN RAISE THEIR HAND AND TELL ME WHAT SUMMARIZATION MEANS? RIGHT, IT MEANS THAT WE PICK OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE JUST READ, AND WE ARE GOING TO DELETE THE UNNECESSARY INFORMATION. FOR EXAPMLE, IF THERE IS A SENTENCE TELLING WHERE A BOY WAS AND WHAT THEY ATE FOR LUNCH, AND THE QUESTION ASKED WHERE THE BOY WAS, YOU CAN DELETE THE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE BOY ATE FOR LUNCH.

2. LET'S LOOK AT THE RULES OF SUMMARIZATION TOGETHER AND READ THEM ALOUD. After reading each rule, teacher will explain how to use this strategy.

Delete un-important information

Delete repeated information

Select a topic

Write a topic statement that covers everything important in the passage

3. NOW, EVERYONE LOOK AT THE SMART BOARD. WE ARE GOING TO READ THIS ARTICLE SILENTLY. After reading the Giant Jellyfish article, use the black marker to cross out information that is not important. Then, use the red pen to underline important information presented in the article. WHO CAN POINT OUT A SENTENCE THAT CAN BE DELETED FROM OUR SUMMARY? RIGHT, THE LAST SENTENCE IS NOT IMPORTANT TO OUR SUMMARY, SO WE CAN MARK THAT OUT. Allow time for students to use the information that is highlighted and deleted to write a topic statement. Ask for volunteers to read their statement aloud.

4. SO A GOOD TOPIC STATEMENT FOR THIS PASSAGE WOULD READ: NOMURA JELLYFISH ARE INVADING THE WATERS OFF THE COAST OF JAPAN. FISHERMEN ARE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME FISHING, BECAUSE THESE JELLYFISH ARE BEING CAUGHT IN THEIR NETS. THE JELLYFISH CAN DAMAGE THE FISH THEY ARE CATCHING, WHICH IS HARMFUL TO THE FISHERMEN, BECAUSE THIS IS HOW THEY MAKE THEIR LIVING. FOR NOW, FISHERMAN WILL JUSTHAVE TO DESIGN SPECIAL NETS TO ENSURE THAT THEY JELLYFISH DON’T GET STUCK IN THEM ANYMORE.

5. Put students into groups of 2. Pass out Rattlesnake Rustlers Article and allow students to read and work together. They will use their highlighter to point out important information, and use their pencil to delete information that is not as valuable. Remind them to use the summarization rules that are posted at the front of the classroom. Book talk: IT IS HEATHER RAMIREZ’S JOB TO CAPTURE UNWANTED RATTLE SNAKES IN CALIFORNIA. SHE AND HER HUSBAND CAPTURE AND RELOCATE MORE THAN 1,000 PER YEAR! FINISH READING TO PASSAGE TO FIND OUT HOW THEY CAPTURE THESE DANGEROUS CREATURES.

6.Students will be assessed using the following checklist:

If a student receives a "no", they will be given the article back in order to correct their mistakes. This way, they will truly understand how to properly summarize a passage.

Resources

“Giant Jellyfish Invasion”  http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/animalsnature/giant-jellyfish-invasion/

“Rattle Snake Rustlers” http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/morestories/rattlesnakerustlers/

Lesson design: Woods, Rebekah. “What’s that you say?” http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/realizations/woodsrl.htm

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