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BEARable Summarization

By: Maggie Neal

Reading to Learn

 

Rationale: The goal of this lesson is for students to be able to read to learn in order for them to comprehend text. When a student is reading for comprehension that means they no longer have to spend time decoding words but instead can read correctly and fluently and are focused on understanding the message of the text. The key to reading to learn is summarization. Summarizing allows for students to leave out any insignificant information so that they can turn their attention to the essential ideas and details. This lesson will test a student's comprehension through the summarization of texts. The teacher will model for the students how to use the rules of summarization to detect important information in a text and efficiently write a summary. Being able to summarize will allow for the students to grasp the meaning behind a whole text as they distinguish between the text's relevant and unimportant information. 

Materials:

·       Pencil and Paper

·       Poster with summarization rules

o   Mark out unimportant or repeated information

o   Highlight important information

o   Underline unfamiliar vocabulary

o   Create a topic sentence for your summarization

·       Individual copies of an article written about koalas for kids “Animal Fact Guide: Koala”

·       Individual copies of an article from National Geographic Kids “Polar Bears Listed as Threatened”

·       Rubric for grading summaries and class copies of comprehension questions

 

Procedures:

1.Say: Today we will be learning how to summarize what we read! In order to do this, we will be reading an article on Koala Bears and an article on Polar Bears. Summarizing is important for reading because it allows us to only focus on the main and important points of a text so we are not trying to remember every little word.

2.Say: Now let’s go over some important rules for summarization that we will need to know and remember while we read to help us write summaries. First, when summarizing we need to mark out any unimportant information and any repeated information in a text. Then we have to create a topic sentence that will begin our summarization of the text. A great way to create a topic sentence is to find an "umbrella term" because it is one key word that covers and relates to all the parts in a text! Finally, we need to pick out the important information left and summarize it in an orderly and easier fashion.  We are going to practice using these rules in the articles we read today in class.

3.Say: In the article we are going to read as a class their may be some big and unfamiliar words we come across that you may not know. Let’s take the word “territorial” for example. To be “territorial” means to defend or guard an area that belongs to the person or thing. I could use the word in a new context by saying “I am very territorial over the food I bought and stored in my pantry”. As you come along other words in the text you do not understand I would like you to make a note of them by underlining the word and at the end we will go over them as a class. I will then have you write down the unfamiliar words and their definition and use the word we have just learned in your own sentence so we familiarize ourselves with the new vocab we come across.

4.Say: Now that we have covered the rules for summarization and gone over what to do when we come across unfamiliar vocabulary we are ready to look at a paragraph together and try summarizing. I will put the paragraph on the overhead so we can all see the text and work on it together (put paragraph on board). I am going to model to the class how we mark out unimportant information and repeated information, how to highlight main points we need to keep, and how to underline vocab I do not understand. Then we will pick out a topic sentence (having an "umbrella term" will aid us in creating a topic sentence) by doing all of these things will create our summary. The article we will be working on today is about Koala bears! Raise your hand if you have ever seen a Koala bear before? Do you know much about them? Well, today we are going to find out all about these bears. Let’s get started.

 

Paragraph from Article: Koalas have special adaptations that enable them to feast on eucalyptus leaves. Very fussy eaters, they use their excellent sense of smell to select the best tasting leaves. Although there are 600 types of eucalyptus trees, koalas generally limit their diet to two or three favorite kinds. In addition, eucalyptus leaves are highly fibrous and poisonous to other animals. But koalas have bacteria in their stomachs that break down the fiber and toxic oils and allow them to absorb 25% of the nutrients. In order to survive on such a low calorie diet, they conserve energy by moving slowly and sleeping around 20 hours a day.

 

First, I would delete the second and third sentence because all I really need to know is that they eat eucalyptus leaves. I will also delete any unneeded or repetitive parts. Then I will go on to highlight that the leaves are fibrous and poisonous to other animals but that they can break this down. I would go on to underline words such as “eucalyptus” and “fibrous” and “conserve” because those are words I do not fully understand. My new paragraph is this: Koalas have special adaptations that enable them to feast on eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves are highly fibrous and poisonous to other animals. But koalas have bacteria in their stomachs that break down the fiber and toxic oils and allow them to absorb 25% of the nutrients. In order to survive on such a low calorie diet, they conserve energy by moving slowly and sleeping around 20 hours a day.

 

5.Now I am going to pass out another paragraph for each of you to work on with a partner. This is another paragraph from our article on Koalas as you and your partner go through it I want you to remember our rules. Mark out any unneeded and repeated information, highlight main ideas and underline unfamiliar vocab. Then pick a topic sentence and create your summary.  As you work I want you to think about some of the following questions that will help you with the process: What is the main idea? What words are keeping me from fully understanding? What is not needed in the text that I can do without?

 

Paragraph from article: Koalas have special physical characteristics that complement their tree-dwelling lifestyle. With two opposable digits, their forepaws are well-adapted to gripping branches and picking eucalyptus leaves, their main form of nourishment. Tough textured skin on the soles of their feet along with long sharp claws provide traction, and strong thigh muscles aid in climbing. Extra thick fur on their bottoms and a cartilaginous pad at the base of their spines provide cushioning so koalas can sit comfortably on branches for hours. They also have a curved backbone and two fewer pairs of ribs than most mammals (11 instead of 13) creating a curled skeletal structure that fits well into the forks of trees.

 

Say: Once you have finished summarizing this paragraph with your partner I want you to raise your hand and I will come collect your summaries. We will then decide together as a class what is the most precise and efficient summary of this part of the text.

 

6.Say: Okay now that we have summarized as a class and with a partner, I want you each to try to summarize on your own! I will be coming around to give you the article I would like you to summarize. (pass out individual copies) This article is about Polar Bears and how they are listed as a threatened species. Does anyone know what it means for an animal to be threatened? Let’s read and summarize the article to find out! Remember our rules for summarizing as you mark up the article. Don't forget about those umbrella terms! I will be walking around the room as you all read and summarize so do not hesitate to ask questions or for help if you need. Remember our rules for summarization as you mark up and summarize the article!

 

Assessment:

To assess reading comprehension, I will look at the student’s summaries. I will assess their topic sentences, their summarization as a whole, and their markings on the article. I will use the checklist below to assess these components:

 

Summary Checklist: Did the Student…

·       Highlight the significant information?  YES / NO

·       Mark through the unimportant and repeated information? YES/NO

·       Underline any unfamiliar vocabulary? YES/NO

·       Write a topic sentence and Had an umbrella Term? YES / NO

·       Write 3-5 good, concise sentences to summarize?  YES / NO

·       Identify the correct and main topic for the article?  YES / NO

 

Comprehension Questions:

I will also create questions as a reading comprehension check for the students at the end of the lesson. The questions will include:

·       What do they say is responsible for the melting sea ice?

·       What do the polar bears need the sea ice for?

·       What are steps we can take to help save the polar bears?

 

References:

Laws, Anna: Swimming into Summarization: http://afl0003.wixsite.com/website/reading-to-learn

Kerr, Kelly: The Key to Unlocking a Perfect Summary: http://klk0024.wixsite.com/design/copy-of-begninning-reading-design

Animal fact guide for kids: http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/koala/

Polar Bears Listed as Threatened: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/animalsnature/polar-bears-threatened/

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