LESSON 1: EXPLORING SUMMARIZING

CONTEXT OF THE LESSON:

I will be completing this lesson with a group of third graders with varying abilities
and interests. My class includes fourteen students with a variety of socioeconomic and
family backgrounds. Three students are performing significantly below grade level and a
couple students are performing above grade level. This series of summarizing lessons
will be taught during a summarizing unit and follows comprehension strategy units on
identifying main idea and supporting details. Summarizing is an appropriate strategy for
students at this time because it builds on their understanding of main idea and supporting
details. I have noticed that some students are having difficulty comprehending the books
they are reading independently. Summarizing could be a useful strategy for students to
use to check for their own understanding as they read. This lesson series also focuses
solely on nonfiction. The students have focused primarily on fiction texts as of yet and it
is important that they begin to engage with the sometimes-challenging nonfiction texts to
become dynamic readers.
The students typically show a high degree of engagement during read alouds and
are quite often eager to share their thoughts and ideas about books in this instructional
setting. This initial lesson is developmentally appropriate for students in that it makes
connections between the students experiences and the purpose of summarizing as well as
serving as an important first step in teaching a metacognitive skill through modeling.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
UNDERSTAND
The students will
understand that
summarizing is an essential
part of comprehending what
they read and a useful
communication skill.

KNOW
The students will
demonstrate their
knowledge of:
The definition of a
summary (a brief
statement about the main
points of something).
The reasons summarizing
is a useful strategy (ex. It
helps us understand the
most important points
from a reading. It helps us
communicate efficiently
with others).

DO
The students will define
summarizing and its
purpose.

ASSESSING LEARNING:
OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT
The students will respond to the prompt, What is a
The students will
summary? How does summarizing help us? Responses will
demonstrate their
be recorded on sticky notes and collected by the teacher.
knowledge of the
definition of a
summary and the
reasons summarizing
is a useful strategy.
The students will
define summarizing
and its purpose.
RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING:
3.6 The student will continue to read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction
texts.
a) Identify the authors purpose.
b) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
c) Preview and use text features.
d) Ask and answer questions about what is read.
e) Draw conclusions based on text.
f) Summarize major points found in nonfiction texts.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Identify supporting details.
i) Compare and contrast the characteristics of biographies and autobiographies.
j) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading
process.
k) Identify new information gained from reading.
l) Read with fluency and accuracy.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Sticky notes
Almost Gone: The Worlds Rarest Animals by Steve Jenkins
Document camera
Summarizing graphic organizer (attached at the end of this document)
Enlarged summarizing graphic organizer
Writing utensils
PROCEDURE:
Engage:
1. Ask students if their parents or adults at home ever ask them about their school
days. Set the tone for summaries by describing a conversation about the events of a
day. The teacher should highlight an example of his or her own experience with
summarizing a day to a parent, friend, or spouse. Here is an example from my own
experience, Hi Mom! I know you are in a hurry so I will try to be quick. I just
wanted to tell you all about what my students did today. Well we started the day

with morning work on adding and subtracting and then Katie had to go to the
bathroom. Then, we did math and the kids are working on their multiplication still.
And then we switched for science and then the kids went to gym and Mrs. Reeser
and I planned for next week. And then I went to the bathroom and then the kids
came back and we went to lunch. And then at recess Highlight the length of
this explanation of the day, Wow do you think I will ever finish explaining my day
if I include all these details? Do you think my mom will be able to remember what
was important about my day? Provide an alternative example, Lets try this
summary a different way, Hey Mom! I had a fantastic day at school today. I got to
teach multiplication during math, which was new for me. My students are so great
they made me laugh a lot today! During reading we listened to music that told a
story and my students behaved so well. It was a great day! Highlight that the last
conversation is a better summary than the first because it points out the most
important details in a way that is clear to the listener.
2. Explain that the class will be starting a new comprehension strategy unit on
summarizing. Using the document camera record the definition of a summary, A
brief statement about the main points of something. Ensure that students
understand what the word brief means. Students should copy this definition in
their reading journals for the purposes of studying later. Drawing on the earlier
conversation example, ask the students why it might be helpful to use a summary.
Using the document camera, record the purposes of summarizing (It helps us
understand the most important points from a reading. It helps us get messages to
others in a clear and quick way.)
3. Introduce the students to the summarizing graphic organizer. Make connections
between summarizing and the students experience with identifying main idea and
supporting details. Explain that a summary is putting the main idea and important or
supporting ideas into sentences that tell someone about a passage or book.
Implementation:
1. Explain that we will now try out our summarizing skills with text. Direct students to
the reading carpet (bring a pencil). Introduce Almost Gone: The Worlds Rarest
Animals by Steve Jenkins. Highlight that this is a nonfiction text and that as we
read, the teacher will pause and explain when she thinks we come across an
important idea and write that idea on a sticky note to look back at later.
2. Read Almost Gone, pausing and thinking aloud to identify a possible main idea
(clues from title and introductory note) and identify important ideas (Some animals
are going extinct because their habitats are being destroyed. Other animals are
going extinct because of hunting. Some animals are being killed by humans
accidentally, others by pollution or boating accidents. Some animals are already
gone forever. It is possible for species to make a comeback when they are
protected).
3. After completing the book, go back through and pick up the important detail sticky
notes. Read each note and stick the notes in the important idea section of the
enlarged summarizing graphic organizer. Read the main idea sticky note and
explain that we know it is the main idea because all the other important ideas help
us understand it more.

4. Think through the process of crafting the summary aloud, When writing a
summary it helps to put the main idea first, so the reader can tell what the summary
will be about. Then, I add in the other important ideas. Whoa, I have a lot of
important ideas. I think I will combine some of them to keep my summary brief for
the reader. Read the final summary aloud to the students, Many animals are
disappearing from the earth. Some species are dying off because their habitats are
being destroyed, they are overhunted, or humans are killing them accidently
through pollution. For some species its already too late, they are gone forever.
Other species are making a comeback as a result of protection.
5. Point out that we told all the main points of a 33 page book in 4 sentences. Explain
that writing the summary helped the reader to remember the important things about
what they read and could help someone who did not read the book understand what
it was about. Highlight that the texts students summarize will be shorter than this
book and their summaries may not be as long as the one for Almost Gone.
Tomorrow it will be the students turn to try out summarizing.
Closure:
1. Give each student a sticky note. Each student will write their name on the sticky
note and their answers to the following questions,
a. What is a summary?
b. How does summarizing help us?
2. When students are finished they should raise their sticky notes in the air so the
teacher can collect them and then return to their desks.
DIFFERENTIATION:
I will make several adjustments to meet the needs of all learners in the class. One
student with a visual impairment has trouble seeing when texts are projected or written in
small font. I will ensure that this student has an individual copy of the graphic organizer
during the engage segment of the lesson. I will also make sure to read the definition and
purpose of summarizing orally and check in with her to ensure she was able to copy
down the definitions. During the read aloud, I will be sure to read the important ideas and
other writing on the sticky notes aloud so that all students can hear in the event they
cannot see. Three of the students struggle with taking notes in a timely manner, I will
take advantage of the extra adults in the room during this time by asking them to help
these three students during the engage segment of the lesson. Some students may already
understand what a summary is and may finish their notes early. In this event, I will
challenge these students to write a quick summary of their individual days they could
share with a parent at the end of the day.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
The engage segment of the lesson involves the students sitting at their desks for
some time. If the students seem to be running low on attention, we will take a brief brain
break after writing our notes in the reading journal. Almost Gone is a lengthy book with a
lot of specific information, if students attention is wearing thin, I will selectively read
about the animals most important to establishing the important ideas and skip the ones
that are repetitive or nonessential.

LESSON 2: INTRODUCING GUIDED READING 1

CONTEXT OF THE LESSON:
This lesson serves to familiarize the students with their first guided reading
passage for the week. Multiple exposures to these texts will help students comprehend the
texts and prepare them to engage with summarizing activities for the next guided reading
lesson.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
UNDERSTAND
The students will
understand that
summarizing is an essential
part of comprehending what
they read and a useful
communication skill.

KNOW
The students will
demonstrate their
knowledge of:
The first guided reading
passage.

DO
The students will read an
instructional level text and
discuss the text in a small
group setting.

ASSESSING LEARNING:
OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT
The teacher will monitor students as they read through the text
The students will
and ask students prompting questions following the
demonstrate their
completion of the reading. The teacher will make notes of
knowledge of
student progress and engagement with the text.
The first guided
reading passage.
The students will read
an instructional level
text and discuss the
text in a small group in
a small group setting.
RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING:
3.6 The student will continue to read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction
texts.
a) Identify the authors purpose.
b) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
c) Preview and use text features.
d) Ask and answer questions about what is read.
e) Draw conclusions based on text.
f) Summarize major points found in nonfiction texts.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Identify supporting details.
i) Compare and contrast the characteristics of biographies and autobiographies.
j) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading
process.
k) Identify new information gained from reading.
l) Read with fluency and accuracy.

MATERIALS NEEDED:
Copies of guided reading passages for each group:
o Group 1: Groundhogs Are Diggers (1st grade)
o Group 2: A Dangerous Landslide (2nd grade)
o Group 3: Ancient Greece (3rd grade)
PROCEDURE:
1. Discuss the title of the passage with the students. Ask students to share what they
already know about the passage. Encourage students to make predictions about
what they might learn from their passage.
2. Explain that the students will read their passage independently. As students read
they should think about what the passage means and some potential important
ideas in their passage.
3. After everyone finishes reading their passage, bring the group back together to
discuss the passage with the students.
What was the passage about?
What did you learn?
Did you learn something you did not know before?
What surprised you?
Were you confused by anything in the passage?
4. Rotate groups.
DIFFERENTIATION:
The guided reading groups and individuals within those groups are capable of
different levels of engagement. Some groups will be more prepared to discuss what they
read than others. I will adapt the questions I use to guide students thinking and meet
them where they are at in order to help them engage with and reflect on their texts.

LESSON 3: COMBINING IDEAS IN A SUMMARY

CONTEXT OF THE LESSON:
This lesson follows the think aloud lesson in which the teacher modeled the
process of identifying important ideas and creating a summary incorporating those ideas.
This lesson focuses more specifically on modeling how to combine ideas to create a
summary.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
UNDERSTAND
The students will
understand that
summarizing is an essential
part of comprehending what
they read and a useful
communication skill.

KNOW
The students will
demonstrate their
knowledge of:
The important things to
consider when writing a
summary (order, clarity,
and brevity).

DO
The students will recall two
important things to
remember when writing a
summary.

ASSESSING LEARNING:
OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT
The students will respond to the prompt, Write two things
The students will
that are important to remember when writing summaries.
demonstrate their
Responses will be collected through a commit and toss
knowledge of the
activity in which students write their responses on a piece of
important things to
consider when writing paper and toss the paper into a basket.
a summary (order,
clarity, and brevity).
The students will
recall two important
things to remember
when writing a
summary.
RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING:
3.6 The student will continue to read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction
texts.
a) Identify the authors purpose.
b) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
c) Preview and use text features.
d) Ask and answer questions about what is read.
e) Draw conclusions based on text.
f) Summarize major points found in nonfiction texts.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Identify supporting details.
i) Compare and contrast the characteristics of biographies and autobiographies.

j) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading

process.
k) Identify new information gained from reading.
l) Read with fluency and accuracy.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Paper
Basket (for collecting assessments)
Writing utensils
Barnums Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in
the World by Tracey Fern
PROCEDURE:
Engage:
1. Engage the students prior knowledge by completing a Whip Around or Pass.
Inform students that todays read aloud is about uncovering dinosaurs. Explain
that for this activity, students will each think of something they know about
dinosaurs or fossils. We will whip around the room and each student will share
what they know. Highlight that its a good idea to have a backup fact in case
someone else takes the idea a student planned on sharing. Explain that it is ok if
the students draw a blank or if someone takes all their ideas. If this happens they
can say, pass and we will come back to them at the end.
2. Allow about 30 seconds for students to think about their fact and a backup fact.
Choose a student to start with and go around the room to allow students to share
their facts. Keep track of which students pass and come back to them at the end.
Implementation:
1. Read through Barnums Bones. While reading, identify important ideas and write
each of them on a sheet of printer paper. Depending on readiness assessed in
previous lessons, allow students to identify the important ideas during the reading,
checking to make sure they do not miss any important ideas and adding to their
suggestions when necessary. If students are not ready to identify the important
ideas while reading, this is another opportunity to model the thinking process for
identifying important ideas. Important ideas for this book include, but are not
limited to:
a. Barnum Brown loves fossils.
b. Barnum is on a mission to discover a new species of dinosaur.
c. Locating dinosaur fossils can be very frustrating.
d. Barnum Brown discovered the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
2. After completing the read aloud, arrange the important idea pages on the board so
students can see. Ask the students if any of the important ideas we identified are,
in fact, the main idea of this book. After identifying the main idea emphasize that
the main idea usually comes first in a summary and the important ideas that
follow help explain and support the main idea. Write the main idea on a
whiteboard/paper so students can see.
3. Encourage students to read through the remaining important ideas. What might
go next in our summary? As students make suggestions highlight ideas that may

not be essential to the summary. It may also be necessary to model how to put two
or more ideas together to keep our summary brief. Prompting questions to guide
students thinking about the summary might include, Is there a way we could say
this more briefly? Would the reader be able to understand the main idea of our
summary without this detail? Be sure to record the entire summary on a poster or
sheet of paper.
4. After consensus is reached, read the summary to the students and highlight how
the summary tells us about the most important ideas from the book in a brief way.
Reiterate the things we did to help us write a good summary: we began with the
main idea, we combined some of our ideas to keep our summary brief, we thought
about the best order to include the ideas, and we read over our summary to see if
it was clear for a reader.
Closure:
1. Explain that students are going to participate in a Commit and Toss. The students
will write their answers to a prompt on a sheet of paper and ball the piece of paper
up. As students finish their responses they will individually toss the paper into a
designated basket and return to their seats.
2. Ask the students to think about what we did to write a good summary. On a sheet
of paper, Write two things that are important to remember when writing
summaries. Complete the Commit and Toss activity.
DIFFERENTIATION:
At this point in the progression of our work with summarizing, the students may
or may not be ready to identify the important ideas during the reading. This lesson can be
altered to serve as another opportunity for modeling summarizing if students are not yet
ready to engage in the thinking process. Three of our students struggle with writing and
organizing their ideas. I will enlist the help of the extra adults in the room during this
time to ensure that these students have the support they need to show what they know on
the assessment. I will ask the student with the visual impairment to sit close to the front
of the group so she can see the book and summary writing process. I will also be sure to
read the important ideas and summary aloud so she and the other students have access to
visual and auditory information.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
Some students in this class struggle with understanding directions or prompts as
originally stated. It may be necessary to rephrase the prompt or guide the students
thinking about the prompt in order to assess their knowledge of summarizing. What are
two things we did to make sure we wrote a good summary? If we had a new student in
our class and you needed to tell them about how to write a good summary, what would
you tell them? The Commit and Toss assessment will require a good deal of self-control
and responsibility on the part of the students. Students who participate in the activity
appropriately will receive a Brave Buck.

LESSON 4: GUIDED READING SUMMARIES

CONTEXT OF THE LESSON:
This lesson will give students the opportunity to take on the responsibility of
summarizing with the support of the teacher. This will allow the teacher to scaffold the
metacognitive aspects of summarizing as necessary to support increased independence
with summarizing as a strategy.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
UNDERSTAND
The students will
understand that
summarizing is an essential
part of comprehending what
they read and a useful
communication skill.

KNOW
The students will
demonstrate their
knowledge of:
Important ideas/main
ideas and less significant
details.

DO
The students will identify
the main ideas and
important ideas in an
instructional level
nonfiction text with
teacher support.
The students will
summarize an
instructional level
nonfiction text with
teacher support.

ASSESSING LEARNING:
OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT
In guided reading groups, students and the teacher will work
The students will
cooperatively to identify important ideas and summarize an
demonstrate their
instructional level nonfiction text. As the students read they
knowledge of:
Important ideas/main will write the important ideas on index cards. As a group, the
teachers and students will decide which ideas are important
ideas and less
for a summary and which ideas are too specific. After the
significant details.
important ideas are identified, the students will write a
The students will
identify the main ideas summary as a group incorporating the main and important
ideas.
and important ideas in
an instructional level
nonfiction text with
teacher support.
The students will
summarize an
instructional level
nonfiction text with
teacher support.
RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING:
3.6 The student will continue to read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction
texts.
a) Identify the authors purpose.

b) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.

c) Preview and use text features.
d) Ask and answer questions about what is read.
e) Draw conclusions based on text.
f) Summarize major points found in nonfiction texts.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Identify supporting details.
i) Compare and contrast the characteristics of biographies and autobiographies.
j) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading
process.
k) Identify new information gained from reading.
l) Read with fluency and accuracy.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Instructional level nonfiction texts for each guided reading group (see Lesson 2)
Enlarged summarizing graphic organizer
Index cards
Writing utensils
Highlighter
PROCEDURE:
Engage:
1. Review what a summary is and the purposes of summarizing.
2. Before allowing the students to begin reading, ask for some examples of an
important idea from the Almost Gone book from yesterday. Ask for some
examples of specific details from the book that might not have been important
ideas.
3. Review that important ideas cannot always be copied directly from the text. Many
times important ideas come from thinking about many specific details that are
written out in the text and drawing our own conclusion about what those details
mean.
Implementation:
1. Explain that the students will read through the text independently. While reading,
their job is to be on the lookout for the main idea and other important ideas. When
the students think they have found an important idea, they are to highlight it and
write the idea on an index card. Encourage students to really think about whether
they have identified a specific detail or an important idea.
2. Students will read through the text independently, writing the important ideas they
identify on index cards.
3. After students finish their reading, we will read each important idea identified
together and decide whether this idea is actually an important idea or a specific
detail. When all the important ideas are identified, the teacher will ask, What is
our main idea? Highlight that sometimes one of the important ideas we identify
is actually a main idea and other times we must think about the important ideas to
realize what the main idea is.

4. Ask students, So, what could we write for our summary of this passage? Allow
students to think for a few moments and share their attempts at summarizing the
important ideas and main idea. Students may also write their summary on an
index card if it helps. As students share their thoughts on the summary, utilize
guiding questions like, Is this summary brief? Does this summary include the
most important ideas? Provide feedback about the parts of students summaries
that are exemplary and the parts that may need to be rethought a bit. When a final
decision is reached, be sure to record the summary and read it aloud.
Closure:
1. After completing the summary ask a series of questions based on what the
students struggled with (ex. important idea vs. specific detail). Other questions
might include: How did summarizing help you understand this passage? How
could your summary help someone else?
DIFFERENTIATION:
These guided reading groups are differentiated based on reading level, however,
within each group there is still a degree of variation. It may be necessary to read through
the passage with some students instead of reading the passage independently. I need to
ensure that the text is large enough for the student with the visual impairment. Students in
the lower level group may struggle with writing the important ideas when they find them,
in order to avoid frustration, it may be helpful to assist these students in transcribing their
ideas. The highest level reading group may find this activity too easy. If so, I may choose
to engage in a deeper discussion about how they thought about the specific details to
reach their important ideas, requiring them to engage at a high metacognitive level.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
This lesson serves as a sort of transition between learning about summarizing and
actually summarizing something independently. It is possible that all the students or
certain groups are not ready to engage with summarizing independently yet. I will
monitor students identification of the important ideas as they read and if they are really
struggling we will pause and read through the passage together while I model identifying
the ideas. After identifying a couple of ideas together I will release responsibility back to
the students to finish the passage and idea identification. I also anticipate that students
might struggle with putting the ideas together in a concise summary. I will ask questions
that will help guide their thinking, How could we capture all the important ideas in the
shortest way? Is there a way we could say that more briefly? I may also remind the
students that its a good idea to start the summary with the main idea or get them started
on the summary by modeling and allow them to finish the rest.

LESSON 5: SEGMENT SUMMARIES

CONTEXT OF THE LESSON:
This lesson follows initial instruction on identifying important ideas and crafting
summaries to help students understand the usefulness of summarizing in segments. It is
important to expose students to summarizing nonfiction texts in segments to help prepare
them to engage with challenging nonfiction texts in their future education.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
UNDERSTAND
The students will
understand that
summarizing is an essential
part of comprehending what
they read and a useful
communication skill.

KNOW
The students will
demonstrate their
knowledge of:
Summarizing a text in
segments.
Ocean food chains.

DO
The students will explain
why summarizing a text in
segments is helpful.

ASSESSING LEARNING:
OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT
After completing the read aloud and discussing how to use the
The students will
segment summaries to create a summary for the whole book,
demonstrate their
the students will find a partner and explain one reason why
knowledge of:
summarizing a text in segments is helpful. Then, the partner
Summarizing a piece
will share something he or she learned about ocean food
of text in segments.
chains. After the team shares, they will write down their
Ocean food chains.
responses. It is each team members responsibility to check
The students will
both of their statements to ensure accuracy before turning in
explain why
their responses to the teacher.
summarizing a text in
segments is helpful.
RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING:
3.6 The student will continue to read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction
texts.
a) Identify the authors purpose.
b) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
c) Preview and use text features.
d) Ask and answer questions about what is read.
e) Draw conclusions based on text.
f) Summarize major points found in nonfiction texts.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Identify supporting details.
i) Compare and contrast the characteristics of biographies and autobiographies.
j) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading
process.
k) Identify new information gained from reading.

l) Read with fluency and accuracy.

Science:
3.5 The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic
and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include
a) producer, consumer, decomposer;
b) herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and
c) predator and prey.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Down Down Down by Steve Jenkins
Easel
Paper
Writing utensils
PROCEDURE:
Engage:
1. Ask students to share about a time when they had difficulty understanding
something they read. Explain that today we will learn how summarizing can help
us understand difficult texts.
2. Give an example of a time when reading nonfiction was difficult. My friend
Kaitlyn is studying engineering at JMU. She has to read a lot of really long and
confusing textbooks. She told me that she reads the textbooks in sections and then
writes about each section to help her understand. Explain that dividing the text
into segments or chunks can help make the text more manageable. To help even
more, these summaries help ensure that the reader understands each section before
moving on to the next section.
Implementation:
1. Complete a picture walk with Down Down Down. Ask the students, What do you
notice about this book as we flip from beginning to end? Use student responses
to highlight the point that this book is divided into sections or segments that
describe the different levels of the ocean. Explain that our summaries of our
reading today will be different from the summaries we have done so far. Because
the author has already divided the book into sections we will summarize after
each section and then combine those section summaries in one big summary.
2. Read Down Down Down, pausing to summarize after each section (the surface,
the sunlit zone, the twilight zone, the dark zone, the abyssal plane and
hydrothermal vents). Model summarizing the first few sections and then ask
students to share summaries of the remaining sections. Record the summaries on
pieces of paper and arrange them in order on an easel.
3. After completing the book and the summaries, read through the summaries of
each major section. Point out that, together, the segment summaries give us an
idea of what the whole book was about.
4. Highlight that summarizing in sections made us think about what was important
to know about each section and how this helped us understand as we read.

Emphasize that after we put all the section summaries together we could review
the whole book.
Closure:
1. Display the instructions for the assessment activity on the board.
a. Greet your partner.
b. 1 partner will share a way summarizing in sections is helpful.
c. 1 partner will share something they learned about ocean food chains.
d. On one piece of paper, write down what each partner shared.
e. Each partner should double check both of the statements to make sure they
are true and correct.
2. Selectively pair students and remind them that one partner will share how
summarizing a text in segments is helpful, the other partner will share one thing
they learned about food chains. Both partners should double-check their
responses. Collect and examine student responses.
DIFFERENTIATION:
I will ensure that the student who has a visual impairment is seated close to front
of the reading carpet. I will also ensure that all written information is shared verbally in
case some students cannot see. Some of the students in the class struggle with writing and
verbalizing their thoughts, I will be sure to monitor and support these students during the
closure segment of the lesson by rephrasing the directions and helping them write down
their thoughts if necessary.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
I plan to allow the students to summarize the last few sections of the book. If the
students really struggle with summarizing one section, I will model summarizing another
section in order to scaffold the process for the students. If students struggle to verbalize a
summary for a section, I may use guiding prompts to help them think, What is important
about this section? If you could only say one sentence about this section what would
you say? Sometimes, this group of students struggles to work productively in groups or
pairs. I plan to make the directions clear and encourage the students to make good
choices, but if the students cannot handle partner work on this day, they can complete the
closure section of the lesson independently.

LESSON 6: INTRODUCING GUIDED READING 2

CONTEXT OF THE LESSON:
This lesson serves to familiarize the students with their second guided reading
passage for the week. Multiple exposures to these texts will help students comprehend the
texts and prepare them to engage with summarizing activities for the next guided reading
lesson.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
UNDERSTAND
The students will
understand that
summarizing is an essential
part of comprehending what
they read and a useful
communication skill.

KNOW
The students will
demonstrate their
knowledge of:
The second guided
reading passage.

DO
The students will read an
instructional level text and
discuss the text in a small
group setting.

ASSESSING LEARNING:
OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT
The teacher will monitor students as they read through the text
The students will
and ask students prompting questions following the
demonstrate their
completion of the reading. The teacher will make notes of
knowledge of
student progress and engagement with the text.
The first guided
reading passage.
The students will read
an instructional level
text and discuss the
text in a small group
setting.
RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING:
3.6 The student will continue to read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction
texts.
a) Identify the authors purpose.
b) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
c) Preview and use text features.
d) Ask and answer questions about what is read.
e) Draw conclusions based on text.
f) Summarize major points found in nonfiction texts.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Identify supporting details.
i) Compare and contrast the characteristics of biographies and autobiographies.
j) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading
process.
k) Identify new information gained from reading.
l) Read with fluency and accuracy.

MATERIALS NEEDED:
Copies of guided reading passages for each group:
o Group 1: Some Birds Dont Fly (1st grade)
o Group 2: Big Waves (2nd grade)
o Group 3: Coral Reef Goes Digital (3rd grade)
PROCEDURE:
1. Discuss the title of the passage with the students. Ask students to share what they
already know about the passage. Encourage students to make predictions about
what they might learn from their passage.
2. Explain that the students will read their passage independently. As students read,
they should think about what the passage means and some possible important
ideas in their passage.
3. After everyone finishes reading their passage, bring the group back together to
discuss the passage with the students.
What was the passage about?
What did you learn?
Did you learn something you did not know before?
What surprised you?
Were you confused by anything in the passage?
4. Rotate groups.
DIFFERENTIATION:
The guided reading groups and individuals within those groups are capable of
different levels of engagement. Some groups will be more prepared to discuss what they
read than others. I will adapt the questions I use to guide students thinking and meet
them where they are at in order to help them engage with and reflect on their texts.

LESSON 7: SUMMARIZING IN SCIENCE

CONTEXT OF THE LESSON:
Todays whole group science lesson will reinforce summarizing sections of a passage as
it is read. This is an important component that builds on students initial understanding of
summarizing a text in segments from the Segment Summaries lesson.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
UNDERSTAND
The students will
understand that
summarizing is an essential
part of comprehending what
they read and a useful
communication skill.

KNOW
The students will
demonstrate their
knowledge of:
Summarizing a text in
segments.

DO
The students will write onesentence summaries for
segments of a passage
independently.

ASSESSING LEARNING:
OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT
After modeling the one sentence summary format with
The students will
examples, the students will independently write one-sentence
demonstrate their
summaries for each of the remaining sections of a nonfiction
knowledge of:
science passage. These summaries will be collected for
Summarizing a piece
analysis.
of text in segments.
The students will write
one-sentence
summaries for
segments of a passage
independently.
RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING:
3.6 The student will continue to read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction
texts.
a) Identify the authors purpose.
b) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
c) Preview and use text features.
d) Ask and answer questions about what is read.
e) Draw conclusions based on text.
f) Summarize major points found in nonfiction texts.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Identify supporting details.
i) Compare and contrast the characteristics of biographies and autobiographies.
j) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading
process.
k) Identify new information gained from reading.
l) Read with fluency and accuracy.

Science:
3.5 The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic
and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include
a) producer, consumer, decomposer;
b) herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and
c) predator and prey.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Nonfiction text relating to food chains
Science notebooks/paper
Writing utensils
Document camera
PROCEDURE:
Engage:
1. I See, I Think, I Wonder: The teacher will display an image or series of images
relating to food chains. The students will spend a few minutes looking at the
image. The students will record the things they see and what the image makes
them think and wonder about.
2. The teacher will allow students to share what they wrote with the whole group,
encouraging the diversity of ideas students share. The teacher will review some of
the wonderings and explain that the class will read a passage and see if any of
these wonderings are answered.
Implementation:
1. The teacher will review the definition of a summary and the purposes for
summarizing from the previous lesson. The teacher will highlight that
summarizing can help us comprehend/understand what we read.
2. Give an example of a time when reading nonfiction was difficult. My friend
Kaitlyn is studying engineering at JMU. She has to read a lot of really long and
confusing textbooks. She told me that she reads the textbooks in segments and
then writes about each segment to help her understand. Explain that dividing the
text into segments or chunks can help make the text more manageable. To help
even more, these segments can be summarized to ensure that the reader
understands each section before moving on to the next.
3. Handout copies of the science text to each student and ask them to get out their
science notebooks.
4. Read the first segment of the text and model writing a one-sentence summary that
tells about that segment.
5. Ask for a volunteer to read the next segment. Ask another volunteer to craft a onesentence summary of that segment.
6. Read the rest of the text together, but encourage students to write their own
summaries for each of the following segments.
Closure:
1. After students complete the last segment summary, ask the class to read back over
their one-sentence summaries for the whole passage. Point out that by reading
back over these short summaries we can remind ourselves of what the passage

was about. This is especially helpful with long or difficult passages. Highlight that
we understand texts better when we pause and think about what we read, one
great way to do that is with one-sentence summaries. Collect the summaries.
2. Display the image(s) from the I See, I Think, I Wonder again. Ask students,
Were any of the things you wondered about answered in our reading today?
Did the knowledge you gained from reading today make you look at these
pictures in a different way?
DIFFERENTIATION:
Because the same text will be used for all students in the class I decided that
students will read the text aloud to help scaffold the reading for the students who would
not be able to read the text independently. I will check in with the student who has the
visual impairment to ensure she can see the images and the text on the document camera.
If she is struggling, I can zoom in to a greater magnification. Some students will write
their summaries faster than others. When students finish their one-sentence summaries,
they will be challenged to predict what the next segment will be about based on the
heading.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
This lesson requires that students be seated for about a 30 minute time period.
This is a lot for 3rd graders, if their attention is running thin about half way through, we
will take a quick brain break to get refocused. Students may struggle initially with the
idea of one sentence that captures the meaning of a whole section. I will make
connections between the one sentence summary and identifying the main idea of each
segment. I may also decide to model or complete more of the summaries as a whole
group if students continue to struggle.

LESSON 8: BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

CONTEXT OF THE LESSON:
This lesson is designed to release the responsibility for summarizing completely
to the students. We will do a brief review as a whole group, drawing on student input and
then the students will read and summarize a passage on their own. Feedback from this
lesson will provide formative assessment to determine the need for further whole group
or small group lessons relating to summarizing.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
UNDERSTAND
The students will
understand that
summarizing is an essential
part of comprehending what
they read and a useful
communication skill.

KNOW
The students will
demonstrate their
knowledge of:
The components and
characteristics of quality
summaries. (Brief and
including the important
details)

DO
The students will
independently identify
the main ideas and
important ideas in a
nonfiction text.
The students will
summarize a nonfiction
text independently.

ASSESSING LEARNING:
OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT
Students will read an instructional level nonfiction text. Using
The students will
the graphic organizer, students will identify the main ideas
demonstrate their
and other important ideas followed by a summary of the
knowledge of:
The components and passage. The graphic organizers will be collected and
evaluated to determine the need for further instruction.
characteristics of
quality summaries.
The students will
independently identify
the main ideas and
important ideas in a
nonfiction text.
The students will
summarize a
nonfiction text
independently.
RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING:
3.6 The student will continue to read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction
texts.
a) Identify the authors purpose.
b) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
c) Preview and use text features.
d) Ask and answer questions about what is read.

e) Draw conclusions based on text.

f) Summarize major points found in nonfiction texts.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Identify supporting details.
i) Compare and contrast the characteristics of biographies and autobiographies.
j) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading
process.
k) Identify new information gained from reading.
l) Read with fluency and accuracy.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Nonfiction text for the whole group review
28 copies of the summarizing graphic organizer
Document Camera
Writing Utensils
Nonfiction passages leveled for each guided reading group (see Lesson 6)
PROCEDURE:
Engage:
1. Begin the review by asking students the following questions:
a. What is a summary?
b. How do summaries help us?
c. What is important to remember when writing summaries?
Implementation:
1. Distribute the graphic organizers. Display the whole group passage using the
document camera. Read through the passage with the students. Encourage the
students to jot down important ideas as they read.
2. Explain that the students are going to complete the summarizing graphic
organizer for this passage independently and then we will discuss their summaries
as a group. Allow time for students to review the passage, identify important
ideas, and write their summary.
3. As a group, discuss the summaries the students wrote. Point out successes and
opportunities for improvement to promote student success on the independent
summary that follows.
Closure:
1. Distribute the passage for the independent summary and additional graphic
organizers. Explain that the students are going to read and summarize on their
own. Emphasize that the most important part of this assignment is the summary.
Encourage students to use the graphic organizer to help them think through and
plan their summary.
2. Allow ample time for students to read and summarize the passage. As students
finish their summaries, collect their work and direct them to read their
independent reading books.

DIFFERENTIATION:
I will check in with the student who has a visual impairment to ensure she can see
the text displayed with the document camera. I will also enlarge the text for her copy of
the independent passage. Even though the passages for the closure segment of the lesson
are at an instructional level, two students who are between a pre-primer and first grade
reading level may still need support. One of the instructional aids in the room or myself
will read through the passages with these students.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
This lesson requires a lot of the students attention and focus for quite some time.
If students seem to be zoning out, we will take a brain break between the implementation
and closure segments of the lesson. The whole group review may reveal that some
students have not mastered summarizing. If this is the case, I will still give the students
the independent passage because it is necessary at this point to see who needs more time
with summarizing and who is ready to move on to another comprehension strategy.

Summarizing

Important
Ideas: Ideas
that are
important for
understanding
the reading.

Name:__________________________

Main Idea:
The biggest
idea or take-
away message.

Summary:
Write a few
sentences that
tell about the
main idea and
important
ideas.

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

References
Fern, T. Barnums bones: How Barnum Brown discovered the most famous dinosaur in
the world. New York, NY: Margaret Ferguson Books.
Jenkins, S. (2006). All about animals: The worlds rarest animals. New York, NY:
Harper Collins.
Jenkins, S. (2009). Down down down. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Read Works. (2015). Reading passages. Retrieved from readworks.org