Summarizing | Teacher Guide

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Distinguish between main ideas and supporting details in literary and informational texts
Summarize a literary text including plot and theme development
Summarize an informational text with main idea, key details, and logical connections
Write objective summaries without personal opinions
Use appropriate summarizing strategies for different text types

Lesson Overview

Total Time: 45-60 minutes

Materials Needed

Student Concept Worksheets (one per student)
Practice Worksheets (one per student)
Chart paper or whiteboard for SWBS anchor chart
Highlighters in two colors
Sample short texts (literary and informational)
Timer for pacing activities

Key Teaching Strategy: The SWBS Method

Somebody - Wanted - But - So (For Literary Texts)

Element	Question	Example
Somebody	Who is the main character?	Kayla, a shy middle schooler,
Wanted	What did they want?	wanted to make the soccer team,
But	What was the problem/conflict?	but she had never played before and lacked confidence,
So	How was it resolved?	so she practiced every day and earned a spot as a backup player.

Add "Then" for more complete summaries: "Then, she learned that hard work matters more than natural talent."

Main Idea + Key Details (For Informational Texts)

Element	Question	Example
Topic	What is this text mostly about?	Coral reef decline
Main Idea	What is the author's central point?	Coral reefs are dying due to climate change and pollution.
Key Detail 1	What important fact supports this?	Ocean temperatures have risen 1.5 degrees, causing bleaching.
Key Detail 2	What other evidence is given?	50% of the Great Barrier Reef has died since 2016.
Key Detail 3	What else should readers know?	Scientists are working on heat-resistant coral species.

Lesson Sequence

1 Hook & Activate Prior Knowledge (5-7 min)

Activity: Show students a movie trailer and a full movie synopsis. Ask: "Which gives you a better understanding of what the movie is about? Why?" Discuss how a summary captures the essential elements without all the details.

Discussion questions:

When do you summarize in real life? (Telling a friend about a book, explaining a game)
What makes a summary different from retelling everything?

2 Direct Instruction - Literary Summaries (10-12 min)

Teach the SWBS Method:

Create an anchor chart with Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then
Model with a familiar story (fairy tale or popular book)
Show how to condense plot while capturing the theme
Emphasize: A summary is NOT a retelling - it's the essence

Key Point: "A good literary summary tells WHO the story is about, WHAT they wanted, WHAT stood in their way, and HOW it ended - in 2-4 sentences."

3 Direct Instruction - Informational Summaries (10-12 min)

Teach Main Idea + Key Details:

Model identifying the topic vs. main idea (topic is ONE word; main idea is a SENTENCE)
Demonstrate finding 2-3 key details that support the main idea
Show how to connect details logically in a summary
Practice distinguishing main ideas from minor details

4 Guided Practice (10-15 min)

Distribute Student Concept Worksheets. Work through the first example together:

Read the text aloud as a class
Use think-aloud to model finding main ideas
Have students highlight key details in one color, minor details in another
Construct a summary together on the board

5 Independent Practice (10-15 min)

Students complete remaining questions on the concept worksheet independently or with a partner. Circulate and provide support as needed.

For early finishers: Have them write alternative summaries or evaluate sample summaries for completeness.

6 Closure & Assessment (5 min)

Exit Ticket: Give students a paragraph and ask them to write a one-sentence summary. Collect to assess understanding.

Quick Check: "Thumbs up if you feel confident summarizing literary texts. Thumbs sideways if you need more practice. Thumbs down if you're still confused."

Differentiation Strategies

Approaching Level

Provide sentence frames for summaries
Pre-highlight main ideas
Use shorter texts with clear structure
Allow verbal summaries before writing
Provide SWBS graphic organizer

On Level

Use standard concept worksheet
Partner practice with peer feedback
Compare and revise summaries
Self-assess using checklist

Advanced Level

Summarize longer, complex texts
Write summaries for different audiences
Analyze author's choices in summary
Create summaries of different lengths (25, 50, 100 words)

Assessment Checklist

Criteria	Literary Text	Informational Text
Captures central idea	Includes main character and conflict	States the main idea clearly
Includes key elements	Shows plot progression and resolution	Includes 2-3 supporting key details
Maintains objectivity	No personal opinions or reactions	No personal opinions or reactions
Uses own words	Paraphrases rather than copies	Paraphrases rather than copies
Appropriate length	Condensed (not a retelling)	Condensed (not a list of facts)

Extension Activities

Summary Showdown: Groups compete to write the best summary in the fewest words
Before/After: Students revise weak summaries to make them stronger
Cross-Text Summaries: Summarize how two texts address the same topic differently
Visual Summaries: Create one-page visual summaries with key images and captions
Podcast Pitch: Students summarize a text as if pitching it for a podcast episode

Summarizing - Teacher Guide