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ELA G4:M2:U1:L7

Summarizing Informational Texts

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.4.2: Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
  • RI.4.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
  • SL.4.2: Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
  • L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can analyze a summary and explain how it is effective. (RI.4.2)
  • I can find the gist of a text and use strategies to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in a text. (RI.4.4, L.4.4)

Ongoing Assessment

  • "Fight to Survive!" annotated for gist and unfamiliar vocabulary (RI.4.4, L.4.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

B. Reading Aloud: Pages 36-37 of Venom (5 minutes)

2. Work Time 

A. Analyzing a Model Summary (15 minutes)

B. Reading "Fight to Survive!" for Gist (25 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment 

A. Sharing Gist Statements (5 minutes)

4. Homework 

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt to respond to in the front of your independent reading journal.

B. For ELLs: Complete the Language Dive Part 1 Practice in your Unit 2 Homework.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students listen to new pages of Venom read aloud. They are presented with a summary of this text and compare the read-aloud text with the summary to build on their understanding of effective summaries (RI.4.2).
  • This text has been analyzed using an Academic Word Finder for on-grade-level academic vocabulary. 
  • Students who quickly finish finding the gist and determining the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary could annotate the "Fight to Survive!" text to show connections they have made between this text and the pages of Animal Behavior: Animal Defenses read previously.

How it builds on previous work:

  • In the first half of Unit 1, students focused on determining the main idea, explaining how it is supported by details (RI.4.2), and paraphrasing (SL.4.2). In the second half of the unit, they continue to work on RI.4.2, now adding in the new layer of using the main idea and supporting details to write a summary of a text. 
  • The research reading students complete for homework helps to build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to animals and specifically animal defense mechanisms. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help to describe and make sense of it.
  • Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently as the teacher reads Venom aloud in Opening B.
  • Continue to use Goals 1 and 2 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas where students may need additional support:

  • Students may need support reading the "Fight to Survive!" text to determine the gist. An annotated version of the "Fight to Survive!" text has been included in the supporting materials for this lesson. The annotations show the areas of the text that English language learners may struggle with.

Assessment Guidance: 

  • As students are reading to determine gist, circulate to clarify misunderstandings and use these as teaching points for the whole group.
  • Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Reading Fluency Checklist when students read "Fight to Survive!" for gist in Work Time B. See the Tools page.
  • Collect in Vocabulary Work homework (Lessons 4-6).

Down the road:

  • In this lesson, students read a new text, "Fight to Survive!" for gist. This text is used in the rest of this unit for students to practice writing a summary (RI.4.2) and also to practice interpreting a diagram and how it contributes to an understanding of the text (RI.4.7). This text is also closely read at the beginning of Unit 2 to prepare students for expert group research of one specific animal featured in the text.
  • Students will be assessed on summarizing on the End of Unit 1 Assessment in Lesson 10.

In Advance

  • Strategically pair students for Work Time B--for example, a more able reader with a struggling reader--so students may support each other.
  • Post: Learning targets.

Tech and Multimedia

  • Opening B: Consider projecting the Venom pages using technology such as a document camera so that students can read along as you read the text aloud.
  • Work Time B: Consider using a text-to-speech reader such as Natural Reader for students to hear the "Fight to Survive!" text read aloud as many times as they require. 
  • Work Time B: Consider creating a Google Doc for the "Fight to Survive!" text so that students can use web browser readers such as SpeakIt! for Google Chrome or the Safari reader to hear the text read aloud and also to be able to annotate the gist online using the comments feature.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.8, 4.I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by inviting students to read and discuss two versions of the language in Venom: the original text and a summary, thus providing them with multiple ways to process and say similar ideas.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand and use the complex language of "Fight to Survive!" Choose a few key sentences from "Fight to Survive!" to focus ELL attention. By discussing the meaning of some critical structures, ELLs will have the opportunity to negotiate, understand, and use the language of complex texts.
  • In Work Time B, ELLs are invited to participate in Part I of a series of two connected Language Dives (optional). This first conversation guides students through the meaning of the sentence and provides them with practice using a sentence structure they will encounter and use repeatedly throughout the module. Students may draw on this sentence when writing their summaries in upcoming lessons. In Part I, students practice paraphrasing this sentence to describe the main idea of "Fight to Survive." In Part II, which appears in Unit 2, Lesson 8, they will use their paraphrases and the structure of the sentence to practice stating a focus for the informative text about their expert group animals. Preview the Language Dive Guide and consider how to invite conversation among students to address the questions and goals suggested under each sentence strip chunk (see supporting materials). Select from the questions and goals provided to best meet your students' needs. Prepare the sentence strip chunks for use during the Language Dive. Create a "Language Chunk Wall"--an area in the classroom where students can display and categorize the academic phrases discussed in the Language Dive. During the Language Dive, students are invited to place the Language Dive sentence strip chunks on the Language Chunk Wall into corresponding categories, such as "Nouns and noun phrases" or "Linking language." Students can then refer to the wall after the Language Dive and during subsequent lessons. For this lesson, the categories are "Language to talk about time," "Verbs and verb phrases," "Nouns and noun phrases," and "Language to make references."

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Suggest that students begin monitoring language errors--their own as well as their classmates'. They can ask themselves questions such as "Does that sound right?" "Did I say the name of the article and the author and include matching sets of subjects with predicates in my gist statement?" "When I spoke or wrote, did the listener or reader's face look interested or confused?" Invite them to begin an error log for themselves and the class where they can list frequent errors that impede communication, and then choose one to correct until they feel comfortable.

For heavier support:

  • Prepare a Venom and "Fight to Survive!" anchor chart. Write and highlight selected language structures to discuss during the lesson. See specific suggestions in the lesson.
  • Provide ELLs with a cloze version of the Venom summary. Remove key words and allow students to fill them in. Afterward, have students retell each other the summary without looking at the written version. Both of these activities can bolster language development.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Some students may need additional support understanding summaries and how they are constructed. Share examples of effective summaries and create a shared definition of what a summary is. Use portions of students' independent reading books or sections of Venom that were read in previous lessons to model summaries. Choosing an image from Venom to summarize may also support students' understanding of the term summary as a brief overview of the main points of a text (or image). Show students examples and non-examples of effective summaries of whatever text or image is chosen to add to their understanding of what a summary is. Share the Criteria of an Effective Summary anchor chart and compare these summaries to criteria listed
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): Recall the importance of supporting self-monitoring and executive function skills. In this lesson, facilitate student management of information and resources by allowing students to identify unknown words and record them in their vocabulary log.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): In this lesson, sustained engagement and effort is essential for student achievement. Some students may need support to remember the goal for the work they are doing with the text. These students benefit from consistent reminders of learning goals and their value or relevance. Students who may struggle with sustained effort and concentration are supported when these reminders are built into the learning environment.

Vocabulary

Key: (L): Lesson-Specific Vocabulary; (T): Text-Specific Vocabulary; (W): Vocabulary used in writing

  • summary, effective, gist (L)
  • impenetrable (T)

Materials

  • Equity sticks
  • Pages 36-37 of Venom (one to display)
  • Summary: Venom, Pages 36-37 (one per student and one to display)
  • Criteria of an Effective Summary anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • "Fight to Survive!" (one per student and one to display)
  • Vocabulary log (one per student; begun in Module 1)
  • Affix List (one per student; distributed in Module 1)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Module 1)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Lesson 2)
  • Language Dive Guide I: "Fight to Survive!" (optional; for ELLs; for teacher reference; see supporting materials)
    • Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks I: "Fight To Survive!"  (optional; for ELLs; one to display, see supporting materials)
    • Language Dive Note-catcher I: "Fight to Survive!" (optional; for ELLs; one per student and one to display, see supporting materials)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and ask for volunteers to read them aloud: 
    • "I can analyze a summary and explain how it is effective."
    • "I can find the gist of a text and use strategies to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in a text."
  • Underline the words effective and summary in the first target and ask students to discuss with an elbow partner. Use equity sticks to select students to share their responses:

"What is a summary? When and why are summaries useful?" (A summary is a brief overview of the main points of a text. It is useful when providing someone who hasn't read the text with an overview of it because it gives them a quick idea of what the text is about and whether they should read it.)

  • Focus on the word effective and ask students to discuss with an elbow partner. Select volunteers to share their ideas with the whole group:

"What does effective mean? If something is effective, what do we know about it?" (Effective means it serves its purpose well, so for example an effective summary would be a summary that clearly and concisely provides a brief overview of the main points of a text.)

  • Focus students on the second target and underline the word gist. Ask them to discuss with an elbow partner, then cold call students to share their responses with the whole group:

"What is the gist? Why is it helpful to find the gist on a first read of a text?" (The gist is what the text is mostly about. It is useful to find the gist because it gives the reader an idea of what the text is about and also an idea of the structure, so that when they look for information later they can locate it quickly.)

  • If the underlined words are not already recorded, add them to the Academic Word Wall.
  • Focus students on the final learning target and ask them to discuss with an elbow partner. Select volunteers to share their responses:

"What strategies have you practiced so far in this module to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary?" (Using context and consulting reference materials such as dictionaries.)
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Consider inviting a student from the small pre-teaching group to share one of the exemplar summaries they looked at and what makes it an effective summary to help build meaning for the term with the entire class. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For ELLs: Compare forms and collocations of the word summary: Examples:

Forms--summary (noun), summarize (verb)

Collocations--short summary, brief summary, effective summary, concise summary, write a brief summary, prepare a summary, provide a short summary

  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Consider writing simpler synonyms in a lighter color next to the target words on the Academic Word Wall. (MMR)

B. Reading Aloud: Pages 36-37 of Venom (5 minutes)

  • Display pages 36-37 of Venom. Read these pages aloud as students follow along, reading silently in their heads.
  • Invite students to discuss what they can see in the images and what new information these images provide, if any.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: As a pre-reading strategy, show students the headings, pictures, and captions on pages 36-37. Ask: "What do you think these pages are mostly about?" (Process responses.) "As I read, listen for the main idea." (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Mini Language Dive. Ask students about the meaning of the chunks of a key sentence from the text. Write and display student responses next to the chunks. Examples:
  • Place your finger on the sentence: "Some snakes bite and hold (their prey), {chewing to inject venom} deep in the wound."
  • "Show me how you chew."
  • "Who is chewing in this sentence?"
  • "What does it mean to inject? How does a doctor inject?"
  • "Why are the snakes chewing?" (to inject venom)
  • "So, why do we use the word to?" (to give a reason; to answer "Why?")
  • "You will see to + verb (action) a lot in English (the infinitive). We can use it to add a verb (action) onto another word. Here it is a noun (thing - chewing) + to + verb (action).
  • "Why do you get a book during independent reading?" (We get a book to read and learn.)
  • For ELLs: For further practice with noun + to + verb, highlight and discuss this sentence on page 36: Baby venomous snakes are born (with fangs and {the ability to inject venom}).

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Analyzing a Model Summary (15 minutes)

  • Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner, then cold call students to share out:

"What was the main idea of the pages we just read aloud from Venom?" (Snakes have different ways to kill their victims.)

"What supporting details did you hear to support the main idea?" (Some snakes use constriction; some snakes bite and hold their prey, chewing to inject venom deep into the wound; and some strike and withdraw quickly.)

  • Ask students to paraphrase these pages with their elbow partner. Cold call students to share out. 
  • Display and distribute Summary: Venom, Pages 36-37 and explain that this is a summary of the pages you just read aloud.
  • Invite students to read the summary in their heads as you read it aloud for the whole group.
  • Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner, then select volunteers to share out:

"Consider what you just heard in the read-aloud with the information in the summary. What do you notice about the summary?" (Student responses may vary.)

  • If productive, cue students to listen carefully and seek to understand:

"Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

  • As students share out, connect their responses to the characteristics on the Criteria of an Effective Summary anchor chart. Focus them in particular on the way the main idea and supporting details they identified have been used to form the basis of the summary.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: As elbow partners discuss the main idea of the read-aloud, point out the key words and phrases you recorded as you read for pairs that are having difficulty answering the discussion questions. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: As you discuss the supporting details found in these pages, point to the visuals to reinforce the meaning of the supporting details language for students who need heavier support. Mime the supporting details as well. Example: Have students use their finger as a snake and an eraser as the prey to "strike and withdraw quickly."
  • For ELLs: Model the pronunciation and intonation of the supporting details and allow students to chorally repeat after you.

B. Reading "Fight to Survive!" for Gist (25 minutes)

  • Pair students up.
  • Display and distribute "Fight to Survive!"
  • Tell students that although this is a complex text, over the first module and the beginning of this module they have been learning skills to support them in reading this text, so they are well prepared for it. Remind them not to worry if they don't understand everything right away because they will read and reread this text in this unit and the next, digging deep into it so that they fully understand the meaning. 
  • Read aloud the whole text, without stopping, and invite students to read along on their own texts.
  • Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner, then cold call students to share their responses:

"From that first read, what do you think the text is mostly about?" (It is mostly about the different kinds of defense mechanisms that animals have and some of the animals that have these defense mechanisms.)

  • Tell students that they are going to work in pairs to reread the text one paragraph at a time for the gist, making gist notes in the margin to help them quickly find information later on. Remind them that when they read for gist, it is also a good idea to circle any unfamiliar vocabulary words, to determine what those words mean, and to record the meaning in their vocabulary log. Remind students of the strategies they have learned in this unit to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words (through context or reference resources such as dictionaries).
  • Model how to do this with the first paragraph. Invite students to chorally read it aloud with you, and then ask them to discuss the gist with their partner. Use equity sticks to select students to share out.
  • Write the gist in the margin of your displayed text and invite students to do the same.
  • Invite students to work with their partner to circle unfamiliar words.
  • Focus students on the word impenetrable. Invite students to clap the syllables of the word with you as you say them. Write the syllables on the board: im-pen-e-tra-ble.
  • Ask students to discuss with their partner, then use equity sticks to select students to share out:

"Is there a word or part of a word within this word that you recognize?" (Students may or may not recognize the root, penetrate, the prefix im-, or the suffix -able.)

  • Underline the root, penetrate, and invite a student to look it up in the dictionary and to share the definition with the whole group.
  • Point out the suffix, -able, and remind students that letters added to the end of a word are called a suffix.
  • Ask students to think of any other words they know with this suffix (e.g., arguable, reliable). 
  • Ask students to retrieve their affix lists if they need to and to discuss with their partner, then select volunteers to share out:

"What do you think the suffix -able means?" ( -able means exactly what it says: able to)

"How does it change the meaning of a word?" (Adding it to a verb means that you are able to do that action.)

"When you add the suffix -able to penetrate, you get penetrable. What does that mean?" (Adding -able to penetrate means you are able to go inside.)

  • Focus students on the prefix, im-, and remind them that letters added to the beginning of a word are called a prefix.
  • Ask students to think of any other words they know with this prefix (e.g., impossible, imperfect) 
  • Ask students to discuss with their partner, then cold call students to share out:

"What do you think the prefix im- means?" (im- means cannot)

"How does it change the meaning of a word?" (Adding it to a verb means that you can't do the action.)

When you add the prefix im- to penetrable, you get impenetrable. What does this mean?" (You cannot go inside.)

  • Record the above on a table drawn on the board. The table should have three columns titled Prefix, Root, and Suffix. The table should contain im- (cannot), penetrate (go inside), and -able (able to) in the columns, respectively. 
  • Explain that using prefixes and suffixes is another strategy for determining the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary and one they will practice more later in this module. 
  • Invite students to refer to their affix list to help them figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words with prefixes and suffixes.
  • Invite students to work in pairs to find the gist and determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary of each paragraph of the "Fight to Survive!" text.
  • Circulate to support students. Ask them probing questions:

"What is this paragraph mostly about?"

"What strategies could you use to find out the meaning of this word? Can you figure it out from the context? Does it have prefixes or suffixes? Can you use a dictionary?"
  • Refocus whole group. Invite students to share their unfamiliar vocabulary. Add any new words to the academic and domain-specific word walls and invite students to add translations in native languages.
  • For ELLs: Guide students through Language Dive I: "Fight to Survive!" (see supporting materials). Refer to the Language Dive Guide I: "Fight to Survive!" (for Teacher Reference). Distribute and display Language Dive Note-catcher I: "Fight to Survive!" and Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks I: "Fight To Survive!".
  • For students who have difficulty organizing their work on a page: It may be helpful to draw boxes with writing lines next to each paragraph. Consider writing in sentence frames as well, such as: "This paragraph is mostly about...." (MMAE)
  • For students who may be overwhelmed by too much print on a page: Copy the text so that there is only one paragraph on each page with an organized space for writing in the gist and meanings of unfamiliar words. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: As a pre-reading strategy, read the title "Fight to Survive!" and ask students: "What do you think this text will be mostly about?"
  • For ELLs: Highlight and discuss the frequent language found in "Fight to Survive!" 

Example of structures: Animals may also have (special behaviors) {that help them survive}. Note that in this infinitive structure, to has been omitted after the verb help, which is a common practice in English. You might point out to students that this infinitive structure is similar to the one discussed from Venom.

Example of vocabulary: structures (as in Some animals have special internal and external physical structures that help them survive ...)

  • For ELLs: Tell students: "Affixes are small pieces added on to the beginning or end of a basic, or root, word. When the piece is added to the beginning, it's called a prefix. When it's added to the end, it's called a suffix. Most affixes have a different meaning. Knowing the meaning of an affix can help you understand the meaning of the whole word."

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Sharing Gist Statements (5 minutes)

  • Invite students to pair up with another student to share their gist statements and meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary words.
  • As students listen to and learn from their partners, invite them to make changes to their gist statements.
  • Focus students on the learning targets. Read each one aloud, pausing after each to use a checking for understanding protocol for students to reflect on their comfort level with or show how close they are to meeting each target. Make note of students who may need additional support with each of the learning targets moving forward.
  • For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: Before students begin to share, check the work of those who need extra support to make sure they have accurately recorded gists and unfamiliar words and are ready to share. (MMAE, MME) 
  • For ELLs: As students interact, jot down samples of good communication. Also jot down one or two common language errors (pervasive, stigmatizing, critical). Share each of these with the class, allowing students to take pride in the good communication and to correct the errors. (It's not necessary to identify who communicated well or who made errors. However, you might wish to pull the student aside to make it clear.)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt to respond to in the front of your independent reading journal.

B. For ELLs: Complete the Language Dive Part 1 Practice in your Unit 2 Homework.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading and writing: Refer to the suggested homework support in Lesson 1. (MMAE, MMR)

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