Rationale: Once students have learned to read fluently, the must move to the next level of reading: summarizing. Summarization is a great way to help readers focus in on the important parts of a text and comprehend what they are reading. An effective way to summarize is to use the method called “about-point”. Two questions should always be asked when using this method: What is the text about? (This helps a reader identify the topic sentence) And what is the main point that the author is making? (This question can be a little more challenging because the author could be making multiple points) When the reader is considering this question, they should carefully decide which message is the MOST important. This message will ultimately become the predicate of the topic sentence.

 

Materials:

• Individual copies of National Geographic Kids article about Pigs https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/pig/

• Pencil

• Paper

• Board with modeling on it

• Summarization Checklist

• Comprehension Quiz

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Procedures:

1. Explain to children why summarization is such an important skill. Say: Have you ever noticed how when you read a text, you are not able to immediately memorize it? Well, that is because it just has too many words and details. A good reader realizes this and uses a summarization strategy to remember only the really important points that the author is making. By doing this, they break a large text that could have hundreds or thousands of words into a few key ideas to help them remember it more easily.

2. Say: The best way to summarize is to use the “about-point” method. When using this method, you must ask yourself two questions. The first question, which is also the easiest, is “What is the text about?” The tough question is “What is the main point the writer is making about that topic?” To answer this question, you have to think of a way to summarize all of the important points that the author has made. Once you form your answers, you can use them to create a topic sentence.

3. Say: In a few minutes, I am going to model how I would do the about-point method with a Was the pig dirty or clean? Do pigs have another name? Where are pigs found? These are just a few of the questions that you will learn how to answer today!

4. Say: Let’s talk about an important vocabulary word you’ll be reading: domesticated.  Domesticated refers to an animal whose breeding and living conditions are under human control. This means that the animal is not living alone in the wild.  For example, we would say “That is not a domesticated dog, it lives in the wild!” Could any of you guys give me some examples of some domesticated animals? What about wild animals? (Allow time for response/discussion)

5. Say: Here is a paragraph from the story: (show on board)

 

“Despite their reputation, pigs are not dirty animals. They’re actually quite clean. The pig’s reputation as a filthy animal comes from its habit of rolling in mud to cool off. Pigs that live in cool, covered environments stay very clean.”

 

Say: This paragraph is talking about the cleanliness of pigs, but what is the main idea that the author is trying to tell the reader? Regardless of what people say, pigs are actually clean animals. They only get muddy when they are trying to cool off. If I put these points together, I can create a great topic sentence: Pigs are mistaken as filthy animals because of the way they use mud to lower their body temperatures.

 

1. Say: Now, it is your turn! I’d like you to finish reading the article and use the about-point summarization technique to make a topic sentence for each paragraph. When you are finished, you should have a good summary of the entire article. This will help you remember the important facts about little piggies. Remember, we shouldn’t summarize examples or trivia; these are only written to help you understand the main ideas. Your job is to write a short version of the article by summarizing it in your own words. After everyone finishes, we will have a quiz to check for our understanding.

 

Assessment: Using the summarization checklist listed below, collect and evaluate each student’s article summary using that criteria.

 

SUMMARIZATION ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST

 

• Collected important information

• Ignored trivia and examples in summary

• Significantly reduced the text from original

• Sentences brought ideas together from each paragraph

• Sentences organized coherently into essay form

 

Quiz:

1. What gives pigs the reputation of being dirty animals?

2. What are some other names given to pigs? (Be specific)

3. What products are pigs used for across the globe?

4. How do the diets of wild pig and domesticated pigs differ?

5. How long do piglets nurse for?

6. Explain the difference between a piglet and a shoat.

7. What is the average weight of a pig as a piglet and as an adult?

8. How do pigs compare to dog’s intelligence-wise?

 

References:

Reading Genie: http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/

Mary Margaret Beck Lesson Design: https://marymargaretbeck1.wixsite.com/missbecksclass/reading-to-learn-lesson-plan

National Geographic Kids Article: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/pig/

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Click here for a link to the Reading Genie's Communication Index.