LESSON PLAN: Summarizing your summary

Grade: 5
Topics: ELA test prep, nonfiction, annotation
Standard: 5R2: Determine a theme or central idea and explain how it is supported
by key details; summarize a text. (RI&RL)

Objective: Students will be able to determine the main idea of a nonfiction passage by
using the “summarizing your summary” method.

Materials: Text (non-narrative, non-fiction), ELMO, pencils, exit ticket

Background:
Students have been struggling with finding the main idea of nonfiction texts
outside of multiple choice questions, but have shown skill at finding the main idea of
individual paragraphs. This strategy is intended to show students how to link the act of
summarizing a paragraph with the broader task of summarizing a passage.

FOR TEACHERS: Summarizing your summary is a method for determining the main
idea of a nonfiction passage, intended for use in ELA test prep. Students summarize
individual “chunks” (usually paragraphs) of a nonfiction passage, but keep in the back of
their mind that their summary sentences should sound like parts of a paragraph. If you
read each summary in a row, they sound like their own paragraph. By summarizing or
coming up with the main idea of that meta-paragraph, you find the main idea of the
whole passage.

TW = Teacher will

DIFFERENTIATION: For lower groups, use a 4th grade or lower text rather than a 5th
grade text

PART 1: Intro (5 minutes)

TW give students background: we’re good at finding the main idea or
summarizing individual chunks, but not whole passages.
TW explain that we’re going to try a new form of annotation that will allow us to
summarize the whole passage like it is a chunk/paragraph.
TW engage students via dinner metaphor (IE passage = meal, paragraph = bite.
Easier to summarize if we take bites out of it first)
TW display BMX Racing.
PART 2: MINI-LESSON (15 minutes)
TW read aloud and live-annotate the first paragraph of BMX Racing, focusing
on coming up with a strong but brief summary for each paragraph. TW will point out that
the two summaries, when read one after the other, almost sound like the first two
sentences of their own paragraph.
TW show that you can summarize either the paragraphs separately or together-
it’s up to you.
TW will read aloud paragraphs three and four. Students will independently work
to make summary-sentences for each paragraph, and after a few minutes share with a
partner. TW supervise, lean in.
TW ask for volunteers or call on kids based on their performance during
partner-share to add summary-sentences to paragraph three and four.

PART 3: Small Group Work (20 minutes)

TW assign students into groups (ideally they’ll have preset test prep groups)
Students will read paragraphs 5-15 and create annotations in the same way-
each group will be assigned a different section to tackle.
TW supervise, lean in, make sure those who aren’t participating get involved.

PART 4: Share out (20 minutes)

TW redisplay BMX Racing and call attention.
TW go through paragraphs 5-15, adding annotation summaries from the groups.
TW suggest edits and take multiple volunteers.
TW require each group to share at least one.

When the teacher's copy has annotations for every paragraph, TW read them out
loud to show how they come together to create a summary of the work, or a
paragraph/chunk unto itself. TW challenge the group to come up with the “main idea”
based on their “summary paragraph.”

‘
EXAMPLES OF SUMMARIZING YOUR SUMMARY ANNOTATION

1: BMX is a challenging sport played on a bike.

2: You have to be good at bicycling and physically fit to do BMX.

Or

1+2: BMX is a challenging sport where you race on a bike- you need to be physically fit
to do it