Successful Spider Summarizing
Reading to Learn
By: Rebekah Beason
Rationale:
Comprehension is the crucial goal of reading instruction. Good readers are able
to comprehend enough of a passage to restate the main ideas of the passage in a
shorter form to another person. The process mentioned is known as summarizing.
This lesson is aimed to provide a model on exactly how to comprehend text by
reading a passage. This will be done by
selecting the significant words in the passage and summing the main idea up in
just a small amount of words.
Materials:
copy of the article for each student
"New
"Albino" Spider Found in Australia"
black marker
highlighter
pencil
paper
black widow spider passage
a passage on the smartboard to use as an example
Procedure:
1. Say: Today, our lesson is going to be on summarizing and how good readers
summarize a passage. Has anyone ever heard about summarizing, and does anyone
know what it means? Please raise your hand to be called on. (Pause for their
answers) You are correct!! Summarizing is taking the main ideas or most
important parts of the passage.
When good readers do this they leave out all the details that are not needed. To
do this, there are three very important things to keep in mind. First, we take
out the unnecessary information. Second, we organize items and events. Lastly,
we construct a topic sentence.
2. Say: Now, I am going to read a passage about black widow spiders and model
how to summarize it. But first let's go over a few vocabulary words from the
passage. First, let's look at the word
notorious. Notorious means well-known for a certain bad trait. A famous
baseball player would not be notorious for his excellent skills; however, a
restaurant could be notorious for its bad service. Which one of these things
would be notorious: a great actor or a criminal? Finish this sentence:
The evil villain notorious for…
The next word is temperate.
This words means to be mild or in the middle, not extreme.
The Arctic Ocean would not be temperate because it is freezing; on the
other hand, a day in Alabama in the spring would be temperate. Which of these
things would be temperate: a spicy taco or a turkey sandwich? Finish this
sentence for me: The temperate weather made me want to… Ok, now that you better
understand the vocabulary, listen while I read: (read the passage once then talk
through summarization) "Black widows are notorious spiders identified
by the colored, hourglass-shaped mark on their abdomens. This
spider's bite is much feared because its venom is reported to be 15 times
stronger than a rattlesnake's. In humans, bites produce muscle aches,
nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm that can make breathing difficult;
however, contrary to popular belief, most people who are bitten suffer no
serious damage. But bites can be fatal—usually to small children,
the elderly, or the infirm. Fortunately, fatalities are fairly rare; the
spiders are nonaggressive and bite only in self-defense, such as when
someone accidentally sits on them." To
summarize the passage, I will underline all the important parts and cross out
all the parts that are not needed. (Read it again and explain your thought
process.) I underlined black widows
because that is what the passage is talking about.
Next, I crossed out are notorious
spiders identified by the colored, hourglass-shaped mark on their abdomens. This
spider's bite is much feared because its venom is reported to be 15 times
stronger than a rattlesnake's. because
that is extra information about the black widow that is not needed.
Then, I crossed out however,
contrary to popular belief, most people who are bitten suffer no serious damage
because we only need to know that the bite can be dangerous.
Also, I underlined bite only in
self-defense because people need to know to stay away from these harmful
spiders, but that they just bite to protect themselves. So my summary of this
would be: Even though black widow spiders only bite in self-defense; it can
cause great dangers for human but seldom, death.
3. Say: Now it is your turn to practice in groups. At this time please split up
into groups of three and read the passage on the smartboard. Your group should
create a web about the passage you just read. A web is an excellent way to help
you summarize. (At this time, model on the smart board how to make a web as you
are explaining it) To create a web, start with a circle in the middle. In the
circle write the main idea which is the topic and most important part of the
passage. Then, someone in your group should draw lines coming out of the main
idea circle and draw different smaller circles at the end of these lines. These
circles show the supporting details which are definitions, examples, and extra
information about the main idea. (Let the students have time to read the passage
and collaborate to create a web summarizing the passage.
After this is finished, draw a web on the board and go through filling it
in using what the students wrote down. Ask different students to give the main
ideas of the story and the supporting details. While doing this, the students
should cross out the unnecessary information.)
4. Say: Now we are going to look at an article about a different kind of spider.
It is a new discovery of an unusual species of spider. To find out more about
the spider you are all going to read the article that I am passing out.
At this point, I would like you to get out a highlighter, a pencil and a
piece of paper. Please read this article silently, and as you are reading
highlight information you think is important and cross out material that you
think is not needed information with your pencil. When you are done reading, I
want you to make a web filling in the main idea and important information. After
you have arranged your thoughts using a web, I want you to turn your details
into a paragraph with complete sentences. After this is finished, hand in your
article, web, and summary for a grade.
Assessment:
To informally assess their knowledge of
the article, I will ask how and why questions. I will then evaluate the
students' assignment to assess their understanding of this skill.
The students will be graded by their ability to highlight significant
facts; cross out unnecessary information and make a web by writing a summary
that has complete sentences.
References:
Dell'Amore, Christine. New "Albino" Spider Found in Australia. National
Geographic News. November 8, 2011
Black Widow Spider. National Geographic.
2011
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/black-widow-spider/?source=A-to-Z
Holly Vanhooser. Ready, Set, Read!!!
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/invitations/vanhooserrl.htm