Teaching kids concrete ways to summarize makes the process much easier to learn and much easier to duplicate when it comes time to do it independently. There are so many terms students need to think about: main idea, gist, central idea, theme - the list goes on! I try to give them clear guidelines so these words don’t get cloudy in their minds. In this post I will share two strategies I have found work well with my students. Whether you are working with fiction or nonfiction text, these strategies will hep your students summarize!
Fiction Summary
I call this the 5 finger method. I like providing them with a graphic organizer that they can identify and create for themselves. To start, I have them trace their own hand to create a thinking space. Within the traced hand there is space for different information. I have them label each finger with the 5 Ws: who, what, where, when, and how/why. These question words will help the students make quick notes about the text.
Once I have them fill in all of the important pieces, they start building the gist statement (introductory sentence) that will start their summary.
Who: Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf
What: Big Bad Wolf is trying to out smart Little Red
Where: In the Woods
When: In the morning
How/Why: The Wolf impersonates Grandma but Red wins in the end
For organizational purposes, I like to have them start with the where and when to set the scene of the gist. Students seem to have an easier time with the rest of the summary once they have those parts figured out.
Sample Gist Statement
One morning, deep in the woods, Little Red Riding Hood meets up with a Big Bad Wolf who is trying to outsmart her.
Once the gist statement is complete, I have them trace another hand to use as a main idea catcher. In each finger, I have them write a main idea statement from the sections of the story. These sentences will then be added to the gist statement to begin telling the main ideas from the beginning, middle, and end of the story. I also encourage them to write their main idea sentences in their own words. This allows them to paraphrase in their notes and avoids a direct copy of the text. The gist statement along with the main idea sentences will make a complete summary.
I use this approach to summarizing fictional text over and over. The combination of a predictable organizer, ease of duplication, and structured format helps students stay focused on the content.
Nonfiction Summary
I have found that the 5 finger method can work with non-fiction texts as well, but I recently found a strategy that makes a nonfiction summary even easier.
First, I have the student number the paragraphs or chunks of information so they can be organized into numbered parts. I create a chart that is divided into 2 columns. Each row is numbered to help with organization. In the left column I paraphrase the paragraphs into main ideas statements. On the right hand column you can have the students add detail statements that supports the main idea. The first time I modeled this to the students I had them just focus on the main ideas. This limited the size of the summary paragraph so they didn’t get overwhelmed. After all of the main idea sentences are complete, I move into creating a gist/topic sentence for the summary.
I used a strategy called SAAC which breaks down the parts of the topic sentence.
S: State It - (name of article, type of writing)
A: Assign - (use the author’s name or publication)
A: Action - (choose a verb like explains or tells)
C: Complete the Sentence (use your main topic)
Sample Gist Statement:
In the article, “The Sounds Around Us” the author explains all about sound.
The last step is to put the gist statement (introductory sentence) at the beginning of the summary. If the main idea sentences are already paraphrased, then the students are ready to add them after the topic sentence. I have the students choose the order of effectiveness of the main idea sentences.
Whichever way you teach your kids to summarize make sure to keep your strategies consistent. When you lessen the cognitive load for your students by using predictable organizers or processes, your students will be able to put more thought into the content. Good luck getting your students summarizing like champs!