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Summarizing

Free resources to help students practice determining which details in a passage are most important.

Whole Week Overview

Overview:

This week students will engage in lessons that teach them how to write summaries for both fiction and nonfiction passages. 

Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2/4.2/5.2

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

Resources:

  • Teacher Guide
  • Daily Powerpoints with Teacher Notes
  • Printable Passages, Notes, Activities, Warm Ups, and Exit Tickets
  • Short Standards-Focused Assessment

Day 1 - Introduction

Launch

Activate students’ prior knowledge of summarizing.

Core Instruction

Using the guided notes and handouts, teacher will review four key elements of diction: setting, characters, key events, and theme. Teacher will review differences between fiction and non-fiction and present a cohesive definition of summarizing.

Guided Practice

Annotate the provided passage as a class and begin crafting a summary as a class.

Independent Practice

Students will independently read a new passage, annotate, and craft a scaffolded summary. Exit tickets and checks for understanding are built into the PowerPoint as well.

Day 2 - Whole Class Practice

Launch

Students will compare summarizing to tweeting.

Core Instruction

Using the guided notes and handouts, teacher will review the definition of summarizing.

Guided Practice

Students will annotate provided passages as a class. Students will then craft and share their summaries.

Independent Practice

Students will independently read a new passage, annotate, and craft a scaffolded summary. Exit tickets and checks for understanding are built into the PowerPoint as well.

Day 3 - Non-Fiction Summary Practice

Launch

Students will review the key components of a successful fiction summary.

Core Instruction

Using the guided notes and handouts, students will learn the components of a successful non-fiction summary.

Guided Practice

Students will annotate provided non-fiction passages as a class. Students will then craft and share their summaries.

Independent Practice

Students will independently read a new non-fiction passage, annotate, and craft a scaffolded summary. Exit tickets and checks for understanding are built into the PowerPoint as well.

Day 4 - Group Practice

Launch

Students will review the key components of a successful non-fiction summary.

Independent Practice

Students will independently read a new non-fiction passage, annotate, and craft a scaffolded summary.

Whole Class Review

Students will participate in a whole class review game for summarizing titled “Two Truths and a Lie.” Exit tickets and checks for understanding are built into the PowerPoint as well.

Day 5 - Assessment

The Assessment

Hand out the assessment for students and then go over the directions:

  • Read the passage carefully.
  • Circle or highlight details in the text you should include in your summary.
  • Write a summary.

Students will also be asked to apply what they’ve learned to a fiction and non-fiction text.

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