Reading to Learn Design

Reading to Learn: Sharks and Summarization

By: Kathryn Stubblefield

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Rationale: The ability to summarize is one of the two most powerful strategies we can use when comprehending text. There are many different ways to approach summarization, and one especially effective method of doing so is called about-point. About-point asks two critical questions about the text: a) What is the text about? This is usually the easier question. The answer to this question will identify what the subject of the topic sentence is. The second about-point question is: b) What is the main point the writer is making about that topic? This is a harder question. Since the author usually makes several points throughout a piece of text, the reader must “superordinate” the points, i.e., find an umbrella term that covers all the main points the author is making. The main point becomes the predicate of the topic sentence. To review, the first question provides the reader with the subject of the topic sentence, and the second question provides the reader with the predicate of the topic sentence.

 

Materials: Individual copies of an article written for kids about Sharks from Reading Sage (URL below), pencil and paper for each student, summarization checklists for each student (the teacher fills out), and comprehension quizzes for each student (below).

 

Procedures:

1. Start by explaining the importance of summarization: “Sometimes when we read a text, it can be a little overwhelming to take in all of the details and points. We could spend all day trying to memorize the words and messages in the text, but being the rockstar readers that we are, we do not want to waste our time going over texts too many times. So, instead of memorizing every little detail, we use summarization strategies to remember the important points the author is conveying about the topic. As a result, we transform a text that may have hundreds or thousands of words to a compact gist that is easy to remember.”

 

2. “The best way we can summarize is by using a strategy called about-point. When using this strategy, there are two important questions to ask, and once you come up with their answers, you can form a topic sentence that effectively summarizes and captures the message of the text. The first question is “What is the text about?”, and I think this is the easier question to answer. You just have to find the main topic of the text! The second question is “What is the main point the writer is making about that topic?”. This one is a little bit trickier because sometimes the author makes many different points. Therefore, it is up to us to find an umbrella term that captures all of the important points.”

 

3. “In a minute, I am going to show you how to summarize a paragraph about sharks. Have you ever seen a shark in real life? What do you think sharks eat? How are sharks able to breathe underwater? These are some of the questions you’ll be able to answer after reading this text.”

 

4. “Before reading this text, let’s review an important vocabulary word you’ll encounter in the text: population. Population means a particular group of people or animals living in an area. For example, 'A population of deer lives in the woods behind my house.' It’s not just one deer that occasionally comes by; instead, it’s a whole group of deer that have made a home in the woods. What is another example of a population? Help me finish this sentence: When more houses were built in my neighborhood, the population of people living there…”

 

5. (Pass out the article) "Let’s practice using our about-point strategy with the first paragraph. Let’s read!"

 

            “There are almost 400 different kinds of sharks. Each kind of shark looks different, has a unique diet, and behaves differently. There are sharks in the four oceans of the world. Some sharks are longer than a school bus, while others are so small they can live in fish tanks. Sharks come in all kinds of colors. Most of the time, their skin color helps them blend in with their surroundings. But, some sharks that live in the deepest part of the ocean actually have parts that glow in the dark. Most sharks live in saltwater, but some can live in freshwater.”

 

            "This paragraph is about sharks, but what important points is the author trying to make? The author talks a lot about the different characteristics of sharks. The author describes their different appearances, diets, habitats, and behavior. To make my topic sentence, I know I need to find a way to bring all of these points together. I think I’ll make this sentence: Sharks are very diverse organisms in terms of their different appearances, diets, habitats, and behavior."

 

6. “Now I want you to use the about-point strategy for the second paragraph":

 

            "Sharks are actually a type of fish. There are some similarities as well as differences between sharks and typical fish. Shark skeletons are made of cartilage. Fish skeletons are made of bones. Cartilage is the bendy, tough substance in people’s ears and noses. Like other fish, sharks have gills that help them breathe. Unlike fish, people use lungs to get oxygen from the air. Fish get oxygen from the water using their gills. Water needs to move over the gills so the sharks can get enough oxygen. To keep the water moving, most sharks need to be swimming in water that has a very strong current."

 

            "What is this paragraph about? (Wait for students’ response) Yes- sharks! What are the main points the author is making about sharks? Sharks breathe through their gills like other fish while they do not breathe through lungs as humans would. They also need water moving across their gills to breathe. (Wait for students’ response) --- How could   we combine those points in one sentence beginning with: 'Sharks…?' (Wait for

students’ response) That sounds great! 'Sharks do not have lungs like humans, so they, therefore, use the water moving across their gills to breathe like fish.'”

 

7. Now I want you to try to finish the article on your own and use the about-point strategy to make a topic sentence for the third and final paragraph. When you finish the article, you will have three incredible topic sentences, and combined, they will all help to make an effective summary of the article. Remember we are focusing on the main and important points- don’t summarize examples or trivia. Examples are just used in the text to help you understand those main ideas. Through this summary, you are writing a short version of the article in your own words, including the important ideas we want to be sure to remember. After we’ve completed all of these steps, we will have a quiz that will let you show off all of your new knowledge about sharks.

 

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References:

Article: “Shark Facts” from Reading Sage. http://reading-sage.blogspot.com/2014/07/fifth-grade-expository-reading-passages.html (Reading Sage Site)

https://projects.ncsu.edu/project/lancet/fourth_grade/Sharks1.pdf (Shark Article)

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Chase, Mary Clai. “Super Summarizer”. https://mcc0087.wixsite.com/readinglessons/readign-to-learn

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Murray, Bruce. “Using About-Point to Awaken the Main Idea”.  

https://murraba.wixsite.com/readinglessons/reading-to-learn

^ Comprehension Checklist is derived from this lesson as well.

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Assessment: Collect each student’s summary of the article, and evaluate the summarization using the following checklist:

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__ Collected important information.

__ Ignored trivia and examples in summary.

__ Significantly reduced the text from the original.

__ Sentences brought ideas together from each paragraph.

__ Sentences organized coherently into essay form.

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Quiz:

1. Why are a shark’s gills so important?

2. How do sharks breathe differently than humans?

3. Do all sharks live in the same body of water?

4. How can a shark’s skin color be a useful tool?

5. What are three ways sharks often differ from one another?

6. Why is a shark’s position at the top of a food chain important?

7. What happens when a shark’s front row of teeth begins to fall out?

8. Why is it important that no animal populations grow out of control?​

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