Science in Summarization!!!
Reading to Learn
Rationale: Comprehension
is important because it allows students to learn as they read because they can
recall information and remember it after reading.
One helpful comprehension strategy is
summarization. Summarization involves five steps that help students trace
and remember important information in a text. The five steps are delete
unimportant information, delete repeated information, substitute easy terms for
lists of items, substitute a series of events with one easy action term, and
select/invent a topic sentence.
The goal in this lesson is that students will learn how to use
these five steps to summarize the text as they read. After the students
learn how to summarize by using these five steps, they will be able to summarize
anything that they read.
Materials:
1. Marker board
2. Markers
3. 1 highlighter for teacher and each student
4. Paper
5. Pencil
6. Checklist listed below
7. Eight is Enough article on a transparency for an overhead
projector and copies for the class.
8. Overhead projector
9. Class set of the article Solar System Exploration: Dwarf Planets
Procedures:
1. Begin by asking, "Can anyone
tell me what it means to read silently?" Allow several students to
answer. That is a great answer!
It means that we read the words with our eyes, but we do not say anything with
our mouth. Then model the difference by first reading the text out
loud, and then reading the text silently emphasizing the eye movement so
students know you are reading silently and include silent gestures of
expression, such as an open mouth when something is surprising.” Does anyone
know why it is important for us to read silently?
It helps us to remember what we read. Today, we are going to
read silently, and then, we are going to learn how to summarize what we read.”
2. “What does it mean to
summarize what you read?” Allow several students to respond. “Right!
It means to give a shorter version of a story, only including the main points.
When we summarize, we will follow five basic steps.” Write the
steps on the board for the students to refer back to. “The
five basic steps we use to summarize are delete unimportant information, delete
repeated information, substitute easy terms for lists of items, substitute a
series of events with o$ne easy action term, and select/invent a topic
sentence. “
3. “Now I am going to pass out a copy of a passage about Pluto. This
passage talks about why Pluto is not a considered a planet. Do you know why? You
will have to read to find out? When you are finished reading, turn your paper
over, so I will know when everyone is finished reading.”
4.
“I am going to show you how to summarize this passage by using the five steps. “
Put the passage up on the overhead. Highlight the most important parts as you
read the paragraph about Pluto being a planet aloud. Let the students know
why you are highlighting certain information, such as
I highlight the parts I want to
remember. They are important or interesting. Tell the students your
thinking process as you model for them. “First
I am going to highlight Pluto is no longer a planet. I am going to highlight
rules because that is how scientist classify a planet. Next, I am going to
highlight orbits and round and cannot cross paths and Neptune because these are
the rules of planets. Dwarf planet is also important because that what
Pluto is classified as.” An example of a summary for the first section is:
Pluto is no longer a planet because of rules. The rules are they must orbit, be
round, and cannot cross paths. Now it is called a dwarf planet.
5. Give all of the students a highlighter and pass out the article
Solar System Exploration: dwarf planets. “Now,
I am going to let you practice summarizing. Read the paragraph about dwarf
planets. When you are finished, write your summary on a piece of paper.
Make sure you follow all five steps.” Walk around the room
and assist students who are struggling. When
the students are finished, discuss the summaries that everyone came up with, and
how they used the five steps. An example of a summary is: A planet
is light among the stars. Pluto, Eris, and Ceres are dwarf planets that lack
gravitational muscles to scatter objects in orbit. These planets orbit the sun
in zones. Allow students time to revise their papers and take them up.
Assessment:
The students will read the article Solar System Exploration: dwarf planets
and summarize it. We will discuss a few of the summaries then I will allow them
a few minutes to revise their papers. I will then take them up and assess them
with the checklist.
References:
The Eight is Enough article (found at: http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/ns/article/0,28391,1424116,00.html
Solar System Exploration: Dwarf Planets:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Dwarf
Sample Checklist:
1. Removed unimportant/ repeated information
Yes O No O
2. Topic sentence given
Yes O No O
3. Only used main points
Yes O No O
4. Created easy terms to classify items
Yes O No O