Lesson Plan
Success Link

Success Link: Characters, Setting, Plot, Conclusion, and Summarizing a Story

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
This lesson plan offers a step-by-step procedure for teaching students how to identify story elements and to summarize a story. It explains how to use a "Who Am I" activity, as well as a linkage activity in identifying characters and...
Graphic
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Can Analyze a Story or History [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This graphic organizer can be used to help students analyze a story or a historical event. Students will look closely at the story's characters or people involved in the historical event. Then they will summarize the story or event, and...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Mc Graw Hill: Part 1 Reading: Literature: Summarize

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Learn how to summarize a story with this reference article; see the model showing the summary process.
PPT
Other

Prezi: Summarizing a Text

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
Slideshow provides an explanation of summarizing and describes how to make a good one.
Website
Other

Story Corps: Every Voice Matters

For Students 9th - 10th
StoryCorps is a national oral history project that records and preserves stories of people around the country. Select recordings are broadcast weekly on NPR, with an archive of stories available for playback at the StoryCorps online...
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Ruby Bridges a Firsthand Account

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this instructional activity, we will read and understand the story "Through My Eyes" by Ruby Bridges. We will then compare and contrast this first-hand account with the secondhand account of "The Story of Ruby Bridges" by Robert Cole....
Unit Plan
Education Development Center

Tune in to Learning: Summarizing

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Series of interactive activities for practicing skills in summarizing information, in identifying main points and ideas, and in sorting lists into meaningful categories.
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Book Report Alternative: Examine Story Elements Using Comic Stri

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Comic frames are traditionally used to illustrate a story in a short, concise format. In this lesson, learners use a six-paneled comic strip frame to create a story map, summarizing a book or story that they have read. Each panel retells...
Professional Doc
AdLit

Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Story Maps

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Story Maps are used for teaching students to work with story structure for better comprehension. This technique uses visual representations to help students organize important elements of a story. Students learn to summarize the main...
Graphic
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Expand Story or History Text Based Dialog[pdf]

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Students will use graphic organizers to help them make inferences about historical figures' feeings and motives. Students will summarize the information during an extension activity.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Leo Lionni's a Color of His Own

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Learners will summarize a Leo Lionni story through drawing and writing. Students will also mix the three primary colors to make secondary colors.
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: What Is a Fable? [Pdf]

For Teachers 1st - 4th Standards
"What is a Fable?" is a one page, nonfiction passage about what a fable is including animals that talk and a lesson learned. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence from the story; it includes...
Lesson Plan
Other

Literacy Design Collaborative: Partner Retelling of Narrative Text

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
In this lesson, the teacher reads a story aloud and learners work with a partner to retell the story using sentence starters. Includes downloadable poster.
Activity
University of Hawai'i

University of Hawaii: Have a Historical Question? Ask a Historian!

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site summarizes what a historian does, what tools they use, and how to prepare to ask a historical question.
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: A New Park [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
"A New Park" is a one page, non-fiction, reading passage about how a school in need of a playground got a city park instead. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Making a Difference [Pdf]

For Teachers 7th Standards
"Making a Difference" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about students helping to get their families and others to register to vote. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to provide evidence from...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Changing the Ecosystem: Q & a [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Changing the Ecosystem: Q & A" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about how the loss of the prairie to farming and population growth impacts the ecosystem. It is followed by questions which require students to provide...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: My First Baseball Game With Q & a Key [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
"My First Baseball Game" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a boy and his sister going to their first baseball game and learning what it means to be Chicago Cubs fans. It is followed by constructed-response questions which...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: My First Baseball Game With Q & a Key [Pdf]

For Teachers 7th
"My First Baseball Game" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a boy and his sister going to their first baseball game and learning what it means to be Chicago Cubs fans. It is followed by constructed-response questions which...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Making a Difference [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Making a Difference" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about students helping to get their families and others to register to vote. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to provide evidence from...
Activity
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: A New Day [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"A New Day" is a one-page, fictional reading passage about children who learned about civil rights marches while visiting their grandfather in Mississippi. They helped people register to vote before President Obama was elected for the...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: A Better Community [Pdf]

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
"A Better Community" is a one page, fictional reading passage that focuses on recycling. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes skills such as sequencing,...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: A Garden in Lawndale [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"A Garden in Lawndale" is a one page, non-fiction, reading passage about an eighth grade class who planted a garden in a vacant lot by their school and maintained it to improve their neighborhood. It is followed by constructed-response...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Pilsen, a Community Changes [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Pilsen, A Community Changes" is a one page, nonfiction passage about the Chicago community of Pilsen which was settled by Bohemian immigrants but later became a Mexican-American community. The two groups of people worked together to...