Hi, Future Ticia 2025 here, and I’m updating this old Book and Activity lesson that I used for teaching how to summarize a story, which is such an important skill. It’s foundational that kids need to learn it before they can move on to other skills they will need later in life.
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A few years ago when I first started our state studies, we studied Wisconsin, and we read this book, A Big Cheese for the White House. At the time, I wasn’t even thinking about the fact that Jefferson was president and they didn’t enter the union for another 50 years or so. This time I did, and I paid a lot closer attention, and I caught the fact that it takes place in Massachusetts. I’m rolling my eyes at myself.
Step 1: Always read the book carefully
After reading it (I admit this is not a picture of us reading, I just wanted a picture here), we talked through what happened in the story.
Step 2: Talk through what happened in the book
We talked about what they wanted to do, then we talked about what problems they had, and how they solved the problems. After that, they each had to write 3 sentences telling about the story.
Future Ticia 2025 adding something. Obviously, this is part of teaching them HOW to summarize the story.
I say this because I’ve realized that quite often in retrospect, I had teachers who introduced a concept to me, and then just abandoned me to apply the concept without giving me the support to put together how to actually do it, then gave me a bad grade on the assignment.
Yes, Geometry teacher I’m looking at you. Yes, both my Freshman and Junior English teachers, I’m looking at you. All three of you did not give enough examples of what you were attempting to teach. I now have the maturity to realize that was not good teaching.
So work through it with them so they can understand what is going on. This might take several times for them to understand.
Do this several times.
Now I get off my future Ticia soap box. And return you to past Ticia 2013 who is getting drama.
That got a lot of eye rolling.
But, eventually they got down to work and created decent summaries for early tries.
They milked a lot of cow. It was hard. They used an apple press to make cheddar cheese. (Must be Batman’s he’s nuts for cheddar).
Future Ticia 2025 back again. You’ll notice the summary is not a great summary. This is his first time summarizing, and the sentences are not very complex. He was in first grade, so this is a good sentence for first grade, about the middle of the year.
We could have also used the “Somebody Wanted But So” method I mentioned in the Davy Crockett Unit Study, but I wanted them to work on coming up with their own summary this time.
Other Great Book and Activity Ideas
These are lessons more particularly tied to the book.
- Danny and the Dinosaur
- Laura Numeroff If You Give a writing lesson
- Legend of the Bluebonnet
- Very Hungry Caterpillar Unit
- Koala Lou book and activity (this is a great homeschool lesson)
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