Students explore how to summarize a reading passage. They read non-fiction books. Students use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the two animals they read about. They write a summary using the information in their Venn Diagram.

Students examine a gardening book. In this philanthropy lesson, students read a trade book, The Gardener, to learn about gardening. They discuss how this book's characters are philanthropic and write a summary paragraph in their journals.

Learners discover the impact "Lady Bird" Johnson had on America by reading a short biography.  In this historical persons lesson, students read a multi page biography of the former first lady and write a summary of her life's work....

Readers write a formal letter to an author offering an alternative ending to a story the author has written. First, the class reads a story or novel. Upon finishing the reading, they are introduced to the format of a formal letter. They...

Young mathematicians gather data on a topic, graph it in various forms, interpret the information, and write a summary of the data. They present their data and graphs to the class.

Learn how to summarize by identifying main ideas and supporting details. Readers cross out unimportant information as they read through a text. Is it a random detail? Cross it out! They then draw a concept map, placing the main idea in...

Tenth graders engage in a study that is about Julius Caesar while reading a play. The role of the main character is examined while looking for motive and tension presented by Shakespeare. They write a summary and critique of the play.

Students examine the role of John and Mary Jones in the abolitionist movement. Using primary source documents, they discover the importance of an oral history and take notes on the Jones' role. They write a summary of the data to...

Students read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. They visualize what is happening in the book and then identify the main points of the story. Students write a summary of the book and draw a picture of what they visualized...

Pupils examine how to ask geographic questions. They read an article with details omitted, list possible geographic questions, and write a summary of the article.

Young scholars study southern blotting and its uses. They research on restriction enzymes and their uses, especially in relation to recombinant DNA. In addition, they write a summary and an interpretation of the gel.

How do you read when you know you're going to be summarizing a text? Summarize a nonfiction text with your upper elementary schoolers. Your pupils independently read a nonfiction article and write a summary paragraph using the six-step...

Sixth graders discuss the vocabulary word, "migrate" and what it means and how it relates to the novel they are reading, Esperanza Rising.  In this novel lesson, 6th graders read chapter 7 of their novel in small groups and complete...

Fourth graders write a diary entry. For this journaling lesson students examine a 1880's primary source document. Students read about a young girl visiting her Aunt in rural Indiana. Students write about what they did in the last day.

A great way to publish students' stories is by having them create a picture book using Pages. This simple instructional activity has them take a short story they have written and create a book with a title page and dedication. After they...

Students draw a picture of their favorite insect and describe. Students make a paper art project ladybug and write a story about it. Students map areas where certain insects are more prevalent. Students count dots on ladybugs and record.

In groups, learners review one of four selected Supreme Court cases. The whole class watches a video introducing the four cases, and then small groups dive into Internet research in an attempt to write a two-paragraph summary of the...

Density: the reason a giant pumpkin will float, but a tiny cranberry won't. Lesson begins with a demonstration of two of the same-sized cubes having different densities. Then pupils take eight cubes, each of the same size, and have to...

Why do athletes load up on carbohydrates the evening before a competition? The instructional activity helps answer this question as it relates the type of food to the amount of energy it contains. After a discussion, scholars...

Students summarize a non-fiction article in this lesson. They review a six step process for summarization. They then read the assigned article, and work as a class to write a summary using the five steps provided. They then write an...

Students define a summary and discuss the elements of writing a summary. In this summary writing lesson, students take notes while reading a book and use to write a summary.

Third graders summarize a piece of nonfiction text. After reviewing the correct way to read in order to summarize, 3rd graders independently read a nonfiction article. They write a summary paragraph using the questions outlined by the...

Third graders read aloud a book about a favorite place. They make and share a list of favorite places and then use a graphic organizer to write a description of a favorite place so that the reader can imagine being there.

Seventh graders research the kingdoms and rulers of Ghana, Mali and Songhay. In groups, they explore the trade routes and the spread of Islam. Using the internet, textbook and other sources, 7th graders collect information and write a...