“Swimming into Summarization!!”
Rational: The ultimate “end goal” of reading is comprehension. A student who has reached this level of reading is at the stage in which they are ready to understand a text on a deeper level. This lesson will focus on the strategies of summarizing texts. Summarization is essential because it allows an understanding of the text without memorization of every single detail. An effective method of summarization is known as “about-point”. This method asks two critical questions about the text: 1.) What is it about?-while this question is seemingly simple, it makes sure that students are aware of the central subject located in the topic sentence. 2.) What is the main point the author is trying to make about the topic? This question is also significant because it will have students decipher between information that is essential, and what isn’t. This method, and summarization in general, will lead students to critical thinking questions, and better comprehension of texts.
Materials: Individual copies of an article written for kids on Great White Sharks. (URL below),
Pencil and paper for each student.
Dry Erase Board and Marker
Summary Checklist
Procedueres:
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Say: “Have you ever had something really cool happen to you, and you tell your friends and family? When you tell them, do you tell EVERY SINGLE detail, or do you tell them the really important parts? When you do this, you are summarizing. Summarization is a strategy that helps readers to comprehend a text by focusing on the most important parts . This is an important strategy because there is no way you can possibly remember everything you read in a book, but if you are able to summarize it, you can comprehend the main points, and what the author is trying to say.”
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Say: One of the best strategies when it comes to summarizing is one called “about-point”. When we use about-point, you will ask yourself two different questions about your reading. [Write the questions on the board for students to reference]. You will answer a more simple question, “What is the text about?” and a harder question, “What is the main point the writer is making about that topic?” When you answer the tough question, it will help you to identify the “umbrella term” that covers the important parts that the author has written. To find the important parts the author wrote, you must find and take away any unimportant information. It helps to cross it out so you can’t see it. When you have the answers to these questions, it will later help you to formulate your sentences, especially your topic sentence!
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Say: Later in this lesson, I will model how to practice the about-point strategy with a paragraph in an article called “Great White Shark” You are going to read this article today so we can get the hang of summarization! Does anyone think they’ve ever seen a bald eagle? Did anyone know they can weigh up to 5,000 pounds? That’s huge! We are going to learn more about Great White Sharks in today’s lesson.
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Say: One of the confusing words we need to go over before we can read the article is predator. [Write predator on whiteboard]. A predator is an animal that feeds on other animals. For example, sharks eat other fish in the ocean. This makes them a predator! Which of these sentences uses the word correctly: “The cow is a predator that eats all the grass.” Or “The alligator is a predator because it eats deer. Right, the second sentence is correct because the crocodile eats another animal, rather than a plant like the cow. Try finishing this sentence correctly: An animal that is a predator is…”
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Say: Now that we understand the word predator we will look at a paragraph from the article together.’ Few creatures strike more fear in humans than the great white shark. In reality, great white shark attacks on humans are rare—and it is even rarer for one of these attacks to be fatal. However, the size of the great white shark and its efficiency as a predator add to the perpetuation of unnecessary fear.’ This paragraph introduces the great white shark, but what is most important about it? Great White sharks are awesome hunters, or predators, and they are huge! But they rarely attack people. I can form a topic sentence from this information: Since great white sharks are so big, many people are unnecessarily afraid of them.
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Say: It’s your turn to try about-point! Read these sentences: Great white sharks are blue-gray on the dorsal, or top, of their bodies. This helps them blend in with the bottom of the ocean when viewed from above. The belly, or ventral, part of the body, white. This makes it difficult to see the sharks from below, with sunlight shinning in around them. They have strong, torpedo-shaped bodies and powerful tails that help them swim. Great whites can reach speeds up to 24 km/hr (15mph)
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Say: What is this paragraph about? Good, great white sharks colors, shape, and how they swim. What is another point? Yes, their colors help hide them in the water! Let’s make a topic sentence with this information: “Great white sharks are often blue-grey with torpedo shaped bodies that help them swim fast.”
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Say: Now, I want you to finish reading the article and write a topic sentence for each paragraph using about-point. By the time you have done this for every paragraph, you will have a very good summary about the entire article. Your summary will help you remember the key details about great white sharks. Remember to answer both questions in about-point to help you form a topic sentence. You can look at the board for the questions if you need help. Don’t forget to only pick out the key details that the author is making in each paragraph, and to summarize those in your own words. When you are finished, you can turn your sheet into me.
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I will look over each student’s submission to ensure the grasped the concept of summarization. I will use the checklist below to grade with. Students will also take a short quiz to make sure they understood the article.
Checklist:
Student Name: ________________
1. ____ Wrote a topic sentence for each paragraph
2. ____ Deleted unimportant or repetitive information
3. ____ Significantly reduced the text from original to form summary
4. ____ Identified important points
5. ____ Successfully conjoined the important points to form a topic sentence
Quiz:
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How many teeth can a great white shark have
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What are some things young great white sharks eat
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What are some things older great white sharks eat?
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Where is a great white shark in the food chain
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What oceans do normally live in?
References:
https://animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/great-white-shark/
Emily Atherton -roaring into summarization
Developments Lesson Design
http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/home/classroom/developments/
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