Students summarize a piece of fiction. After reviewing the correct way to read and summarize, students work in groups to summarize a piece of text assigned by the instructor. They write a summary paragraph by creating a story map and...

Students are introduced to the concepts of comprehension and summarizing information. They review a summerization poster which shows the information they are looking for and read a book silently. They watch the teacher model...

Students take notes and summarize information. In this communication lesson, students summarize information by taking notes using the various methods that their instructor presents to them. Students then write summaries of the information.

Have your class participate in an interview activity using an informational text about the Amazon. After reading a Cultural Connections story about a person from the Amazon, middle schoolers write interview questions based on the text....

Explore how lack of access to water impacts peoples' lives in poor countries. Through text reading and discussion, middle schoolers are presented with the story of a young girl who lives and functions with limited water resources. They...

It's all about the details. Scholars examine how specific details contribute to a central idea in an excerpt from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Learners discuss the details in pairs, share with the group, and respond to guided...

If you are reading works by Walter Dean Myers in your class, this resource might be worth a look. Included here are activities and discussion questions for Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary, Somewhere in the Darkness, Scorpions, Fallen...

Select an article that explores people of another culture. After reading it as a class, distribute copies of this worksheet. It asks for a brief summary, encourages readers to make text-to-self connections, and asks learners to identify...

Pupils read a passage from a magazine. They highlight the main ideas and facts they feel are important and black out the unimportant details. They review the concept of summarizing and use the highlighted text to write a summary with...

In this learning to summarize worksheet, students interactively answer 10 multiple choice questions about summarizing information from a given passage, then click to check their answers.

In this literature lesson, students listen to folk tales and then discuss the main ideas and plot of the story. Additionally, students guess what story is being talked about when their teacher describes the main idea and plot. Good...

Students identify that comprehension is the main goal in reading. Then they read the words in a text, but also draw information from what they read. Students also identify and practice summarization. They read a piece of text and...

Students read the newspaper.  In this newspaper instructional activity, students become familiar with the various parts of a newspaper. They read specific parts, highlight important information and summarize what they read. 

What is the big idea? Scholars use Middle Ages Excerpt 2 to complete a summary graphic organizer. They then use the information from the organizer to write a summary of the text on lined paper. Learners share summaries with the class.

Young writers work backward to analyze persuasive techniques. As a class, work through the provided persuasive letter: a plea to an imaginary city council to lift a city-wide ban on fast food restaurants and discount stores. Start by...

Your class members will feel confident in taking notes during your next lecture with this great note-taking worksheet, through which learners practice activating prior knowledge, recording key points, flagging...

W.W. Jacobs' story "The Monkey's Paw" provides plenty of foreshadowing which readers use to make predictions in this tightly composed, sound instructional plan. Your class reads the story, recording predictions and checking for veracity...

Fourth graders study women's involvement in Texas politics. In this US history instructional activity, 4th graders discuss woman suffrage, examine three Texas female pioneer legislators by reading biographies, and explore women's issues...

Study and research the American Civil War in this explanatory writing lesson. Middle schoolers complete six activities to learn about the American Civil War and soldiers' views of the war. The lesson includes several options to complete...

Identify literary elements in fiction. In this reading comprehension lesson plan, learners read the book Pigsty and record literary elements onto a graphic organizer. They specifically discuss the main characters and events in the text.

Fourth graders read about Rose Freedman, a famous American woman. In this famous women in American history instructional activity, 4th graders read a story about Rose Freedman, answer comprehension questions, and complete an associated...

Students practice summarizing text using James E. Knight's, "Boston Tea Party, Rebellion in the Colonies." They read the story silently before summarizing it using main ideas and supporting details and deciding what type of information...

Middle schoolers summarize a one to two page article of informational text. They compose a summary according to the guidelines on the "Five Rules for Writing a Summary" chart. They take turns reading their summary to the group, and...

Middle schoolers read a poem and complete a TPCASTT chart. They make a prediction about the title (T) , paraphrase each line (P), identify poetic devices and nuances (C-connotation), explore mood and tone (A-attitude), point out shifts...