“Though our memories of being asked to summarize might not be fond, research has long indicated that teaching children to summarize is a helpful tool in teaching reading comprehension” (Keene & Zimmerman, 2007, p. 230).
Oh, to summarize. It can be as simple as asking a child: “What was the book/paragraph/page about?”
An easy informal way to assess a child’s comprehension is to ask them to summarize what they have read. Does their summary make sense? Then they understood the reading. If not, they did not fully comprehend the reading.
Modeling and Thinking Aloud while you read can be the best ways to teach a child to summarize. Modeling, in the literacy world, refers to demonstrating or showing a child how to read a passage and put the information into their own words. Thinking Aloud is sharing your thoughts with your listener. Saying statements like, “This reminds me of…” “I had an experience like that…” etc. while you read – setting a positive example of how to connect with the text and ultimately be able to summarize and comprehend the text.
There are many fun ways to have students summarize texts.
Haiku: Somebody Wanted…, But…, So…
One strategy I have learned and loved having my students complete was a summary Haiku. You explain to the child the ‘Somebody Wanted…, But…, So…’ strategy and write the Haiku in this format. (Haiku: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables format). The first line will be the exposition/rising action of the story, the second line the climax/conflict, and the final line the falling action/resolution.
Hot Seat
In the ‘hot seat’ a child takes on the role of a character from the book and the ‘audience’ asks the ‘character’ questions about the book. This strategy is great for asking kids to summarize or to share specific information from the text.
Sketch-to-Stretch
A fun way to have a student summarize their reading is through drawing their summary. Kids can draw scenes, create comic book style drawings, or create a new book cover based on their summary.
Parents & Teachers – try this out right away! Pick one of these strategies or just get in the habit of asking your children/students to verbally explain the stories they read. Learning to summarize will be beneficial for your kiddos for years to come!
Happy Reading!
Dr. Precise
Resource: Mosaic of Thought: The Power of Comprehension Strategy Instruction by: Ellin Oliver Keene and Susan Zimmermann, 2007
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