For several weeks, first graders worked as a class to summarize books we read together, thinking carefully about characters, setting, and important plot points in the beginning, middle, and end of a fictional story. Once students understood these key elements, they were ready to begin summarizing on their own! Students learned to use a rubric to structure and evaluate their summaries. Students used excellent learning strategies during our introduction to summarizing! Each student stayed focused on writing a summary in their own words, but then consulted with members of their guided reading group to evaluate what they wrote and figure out what else to write. Students also used the text, our Word Wall, and their peers to spell unknown words.
