READING TO LEARN

Rationale: The goal of reading is being able to comprehend what has been read. Understanding the main idea is the goal of comprehension.  This lesson will help teach children how to understand and comprehend a story through summarization.

Materials: Paper, pencils, a copy of the book Who Was George Washington? by Roberta Edwards for each student

Procedures: 
 1. Introduce the lesson by explaining to the children that understanding what is being read  is very important.  When we read books, we should be able to comprehend enough information so we can give a summary.  A summary is when you have lots of information but you combine that information into a short paragraph.  Usually the summary will contain the main points of the story read. 
 2. I want to see how well each of you can write a summary.  To do this, I want each of you to take a copy of the book Who Was George Washington?.  As you read this book be thinking of what the main point of the story is going to be.  
 3. Since we are all finished, I want you to take out your paper and pencils and write down what you think is the main point of the book.  When you finish that, I want you to write down any other ideas you think are important from the book. 

4. I will be taking these up so think very carefully about what you think is important. Remember, we only want the main point and a few other important ideas.
 5. For assessment, the teacher will read each child's summary to see if they have  comprehended the main points.

 

Reference:

Edwards, Roberta, and True Kelley. Who was George Washington? Grosset & Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Group Inc., 2013.
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie

http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/breakthroughs/cowhickrl.html

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