Reading to Learn
Jess Putnam
Rationale: In order for students to better understand what they are reading they must be able to summarize. In this lesson students will learn how to use summarization as a major part of their reading skills.
Materials:
ð Highlighter (1 per student)
ð Pencil (1 per student)
ð Notebook paper (2 pieces per student)
ð National Geographic KIDS (1 per student), November 2002 pages
16-19 (Whooo-o Are You? By Jan Banks) & pages 20-23(Treasures from
the Tomb by Sean Price) (1 per student)
Procedure:
1. Explain to the class that they will learn how to summarize when
reading. However, the students must review how to read silently,
which they learned last week. Have the students participate in a
class discussion about how they read silently to allow them to review.
ãToday boys and girls we are going to learn how to summarize when
we are reading.ä Explain to the students what summarization
is. ãSummarization is when we make a story into a shorter
version without changing any of the important information or changing the
meaning of the story.ä ãNow I am going to say three sentences
and then make them into one by using summarization: I rode my bike
to the pet store. My sister wants a puppy for her birthday.
Puppies are on sale at the pet store for $30.00. SUMMARIZATION:
ãI rode my bike to the pet store to buy my sister a puppy for $30.00.ä
ãCan you see how I used the important information to make one sentence?ä
ãI made these 3 sentences into 1 by taking only them important information
out.ä ãI made sure that there was no redundancies and
no trivial information.ä ãThis is what we
are going to learn to do today.ä
2. ãNow I am going to let you try to summarize and article on
your own.ä Pass out National Geographic KIDS and highlighters.
ãBoys and girls please turn to the story Treasures of the Tomb on
page 20.ä ãI want you to read this article silently,
while you are doing so highlight parts of the article that are the most
important.ä ãYou are going to do this by following my
model.ä ãMake sure there are no redundant sentences and
that you only use the most important text by taking out the trivial information.ä
When you are done highlighting then go back and mark through the trivial
information that you did not highlight.ä Have a class discussion
about the information that the students highlighted. ãWhat
part of the story did you highlight?ä
3. Next, pass out a blank sheet of notebook paper to each student.
ãBoys and girls now that you have all the important information
highlighted write it on the blank sheet of paper that I handed out to you.ä
ãThis will help you see more clearly the important part of the story.ä
4. Have the students stand up one by one and read what they wrote on
their paper. Discuss with the children what they wrote. Ask
why they think it is important to the story.
Assessment: In the same National Geographic KIDS have the students read Whooo-o Are You? on page 16. Allow them to summarize the story on their own. The students will then turn in a summarization of the article to the teacher. The teacher will read each one making sure every child knows how to summarize a story by using the checklist below.
Redundant information was taken out....................YES................NO
Trivial information was taken out...........................YES................NO
There are only main points in the summarization.....YES................NO
References:
Reading Genie Website: http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/elucid/kanuterl.html
Pressley, M., Johnson, C. J., Symons, S., McGoldrick, J. A.,
& Kurity, J. A. (1989). Strategies that improve childrenâs
memory and comprehension of text. The Elementary School Journal,
90, 3-32.