Rationale: In this lesson, we will focus on students reading to learn. In order to ensure students are learning what they read, it is important to teach summarization. Summarization makes sure students are comprehending the reading. Students can use about-point method to help summarize larger texts. The about-point method is when students ask themselves two questions after reading the text: what is this text about? and what is the main point the author is trying to make about this topic? The first question serves as the subject of the topic sentence which covers the general idea of what the text explains. The second question comes from analyzing the text at a deeper level by subordinating points from the passage. Readers must find an umbrella term that identifies the main points the author is writing about which will then become the predicate of the topic sentence. Students will learn how to summarize a specific text in this lesson by using the about-point method.

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Materials:

1. pencils (one for each student)

2. paper

3. copies of "Snakes Facts For Kids" (one for each student)

4. summarization checklist for the teacher

5. comprehension quiz (one for each student)

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Procedures:

1. Ask the class: "Does anyone know what it means to summarize something? [Let students answer and explain.] Summarizing is when we take all of the important parts an author makes in a text, like a book or an article, and leave behind the information that is not as important. We can't always remember everything that happened in a story or all the facts in an article, so we use summarization to help us remember everything that was important. Today, we are going to learn more about summarization by reading a text and then narrowing down the important points by writing a few sentences to help us remember the key points the author made about the topic."

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2. Say: "We are going to summarize our text by using the about-point method. How this method works, is after we read the article we are going to ask ourselves two questions: what is this text about? and what is the main point the author is trying to make? In order to answer the second questions we need to think of an umbrella term or category to combine all the important points made in the text."

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3. We are going to practice the about-point strategy with an article about Snakes! What do you already know about snakes? [Let students answer and explain.] I know that snakes eat mice and that some are poisonous and others aren't. In this text we are going to learn some fun facts about snakes." Pass out articles to students.

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4. Say: “Before we read, we are going to talk about an unfamiliar word that some of us may not know. The unfamiliar word is venomous. Venomous means it can bite or sting venom which is a type of poison. Some snakes can be venomous. Let’s see the word venomous in a sentence: “A  venomous snake is something we should all stay away from because it can bite you.” What are some other things that are venomous? Raise your hand to finish this sentence: A rattlesnake is…” [Call on one student to finish the sentence and explain].

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5. Say: “Let’s read this paragraph from the article about snakes!”

 

"Ooohhh snakes; you either love them or hate them. In some countries they are seen as bad luck, while in other countries they are good luck.

And in other places, you just run and hide! First, did you know that many people believe that snakes have healing powers? Well, here’s a strange one for you, If you know someone who can’t see properly or their hair is falling out, then suggest that they drink some snake wine. Sounds gross, doesn’t it? Let’s see how it’s made. First, you have to put a large venomous snake in a bottle of rice wine with turtles, insects, birds and herbs and leave it for several months then serve it in little cupfuls."

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“We can see this paragraph is about snakes and how some people find good luck in them and others don't. What are some of the points the author made? Snakes can be believed to have healing powers in some countries and they suggest you drink a snake wine to repair you. After reading and recognizing the main ideas, I can combine these ideas to make a topic sentence: "In some countries snakes can be seen as good luck and have the ability to heal people, while in other countries they can be seen as unlucky or scary.”

 

6. Say: “Now it’s your turn to try the about-point method using this paragraph from the article!”

 

“If a snake gets into your outside sewer pipe (the place that gets rid of all your toilet stuff), take a wild guess where that snake is going to come out?

Yup, we don’t even have to say it…but yes in your toilet maybe! An Australian man says that when it gets really stormy the heavy rains flush the rats and mice out of their holes in the garden. If there’s a hungry snake prying about, and he chases his prey he’ll land up in the sewer pipes and there’s no turning back for him! He just has to keep on going. So, sometimes, and only sometimes snakes have been found in people’s toilets."

 

“What is this paragraph telling us? It is talking about how sometimes snakes can end up in peoples toilets. What points is the author making? Snakes are more likely to stumble into a sewer pipe chasing mice and rats after a storm comes through. How can we combine both of these points? [Have students respond.] Good! Sometimes after storms, snakes can end up in the sewer pipes of toilets!”

 

7. Say: “Now I want you to finish reading the article and use the about-point method to make your own topic sentences for each section. When you finish, you should have summarized the whole article on your own! This will help you remember facts about snakes. The point of summarizing is to condense or shorten all the main points into simple sentences so remember to just pick out the meaningful information. After everyone has finished, we will take a short quiz to see what you remember about snakes.”

 

Assessment: Collect each student’s summary of the article and evaluate their summarization abilities with the “Summarization Assessment Checklist”.

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Summarization Assessment Checklist:

 

__ Used important information specifically from the article

__ No trivial examples from the article

__ Significantly reduced text from the original

__ Contains an idea from each section of the article

__ Organized summary into a paragraph

__ Answered both questions provided by the about-point method

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Comprehension Quiz:

1. Can you explain how the game of Snakes and Ladders was invented?

2. If a snake gets into your outside sewer pipe, where might it then appear?

3. What is a Coachwhip snake?

4. How long are some of these Coachwhip snakes?

5. How long is the biggest snake in the world?

6. What is its name?

7. Where does it live now?

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References:

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Bruce Murray, The Reading Genie, http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/

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Cool Kid Facts, Snakes Facts For Kids https://www.coolkidfacts.com/snake-facts-for-kids/

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Langman, Meredith, It's Smart to Summarize!, Reading to Learn, https://meredithlangman.wixsite.com/readinglessons/reading-to-learn

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Lee, Hannah, Surprise! Let's Summarize!, Reading to Learn https://hml0015.wixsite.com/mysite-2/reading-to-learn

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