• During the lesson, emphasize the importance of identifying story structure and summarizing to check for understanding and to recall important information. Observe students to determine if they understand how to summarize fiction.
• Informally, assess if students are able to summarize the text through your anecdotal observation and notes.
• At the end of the lesson, have partners read a selected piece of fiction, fill in a story map, and write a summary statement.
• Use the following checklist to evaluate students’ understanding:
  • Student demonstrates the ability to identify important information in a piece of fiction and to complete a story map.
  • Student accurately uses the information in the story map to write a summary statement.
• Collect and use the story maps to assess students’ understanding. Provide specific feedback to each student.

Focus question: How can we use a story map to summarize fiction?

         Provide each student with a copy of a short fiction text from a basal reading series or a magazine. Ask students to read the story and highlight the most important parts. Discuss which ideas students felt were the most important. Record their responses on chart paper. Together, sequence the information to reflect the actual text. Read aloud the statements in sequence and have students determine if they provide an accurate summary of the text.

         Part 1

         Ask students to list the components of fiction story structure on the board/interactive whiteboard. Ask, “What are the most important parts of a story?” (character, setting, problem/conflict, solution, outcome, theme) Tell students that this lesson will focus on character, setting, problem/conflict, and solution. Discuss that it is important to know story structure and to be aware of it as you read because it helps to check your understanding of the text and to remember the story. Ask, “What does it mean to summarize?” (to restate the story in a much shorter way, using only the most important information)

Part 2

Display a copy of the Lesson 1 Story Map (L-4-3-1_Lesson 1 Story Map.docx) on the board/interactive whiteboard. Say, “When you are reading a story, you need to be aware of the parts of the story. This will help you understand the story. It will also help you summarize the story. To be more aware, we are going to use a story map to record those important parts. These parts are what we listed on the board: character, setting, problem/conflict, and solution. We will then use those important parts to write a summary of the story.”

Distribute a copy of the Story Map to each student.

Say, “As we read this story, think about the story structure and write the information in the story map. The goal is to recall the most important parts of the story and write a short summary of the story.” Tell students that the summary should be about five or six sentences.

Read aloud the book A Bicycle for Rosaura as students follow along. Stop periodically throughout the reading to think aloud and fill in the information on the story map while students fill in the information on their own story maps. To extend thinking, ask students about the character’s reaction to events and how that impacts the story.

When you get to the end of the story, review the information on the story map. Say, “If we look at the information on the story map, we can write a few summary sentences that will give us the main idea of the story.” Model for students how to write the sentences. (This story is about a chicken and her owner who live in Puerto Rico. Rosaura wants to ride a bike, but there are no bikes made for chickens. A man comes to town and makes a bike just for Rosaura.)

Ask, “What are the main parts of a story? Why is it helpful to write a summary? What information can help you write a summary?”

         Have students practice using a story map and writing a summary based on information in the story map. Have students work independently or in small groups. Distribute copies of Amelia’s Road or another fictional text to each student or group of students and copies of the story map to each student.

Say, “You are now going to read a short picture book called Amelia’s Road. As you read, complete the story map. Then review the information on the story map and write a summary of the story at the bottom of the story map.” Encourage students to meet with a partner to compare their work.

You might also teach summarizing by having students read a simple story and complete a four-square graphic organizer, like the one below, called “Somebody, Wanted, But, So.”

Part 3

Have students complete a different story map that requires them to sequence the events in the story. Direct students to write their summary based on the sequence of events in the story. Suggest that students determine which events are most important before writing their summary. Have students explain how the character’s response to events impacted the story.

Observe students to determine their understanding of story mapping and summarizing.

When students are finished, collect the story maps to determine if reteaching is necessary.

Extension:

• For additional practice, have small groups summarize a favorite story based on fiction text structure. Students might also use one of the books listed in Related Resources.
• For students who are ready to go beyond the standard, blogging can be used to apply summarizing skills. Establish a blog site (through your technology coordinator). Using a short novel, create a blog correspondence with your students, having them blog you a summary of each chapter they read. As you read their blogs, comment on the summary. (Does it contain all the major components in a story map? Is it logical and sequenced? Does it have the main idea of the chapter?) Tell students that they are responsible for reading your comments, correcting their previous summary, and then working on the next chapter. When students have read the entire novel, have them blog a summary of the novel. You can then evaluate the summary and blog any comments to students.