Rationale: 

Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading. Students who are at this level are ready to learn strategies to better understand a text. This lesson introduces the strategy of summarization. An effective method of summarization is called about- point, which asks two critical questions about the test. 1) What is the text about? While this question is easy, it helps locate the subject that will be in your topic sentence. 2) What is the main point the writer is making about the topic? Students will have to understand which information is important and which is trivial. In summarizing, only the most important parts are included. Being able to summarize leads students into asking higher level thinking questions and comprehension. 

 

Materials:

•  Individual copies of “Chameleon” article for each student

• Pencil and paper for each student

• Summarization checklist

• Quiz 

• Dry erase board and marker

 

Procedures:

1.    Say: Have you ever been on such a cool trip or an unforgettable memory and want to tell your friends all about it? When you tell your friends about your trip or memory, you are summarizing! Summarization is a strategy that readers use to comprehend a book or article by only telling the most important parts through a summary. Summaries are important because you can’t remember everything, so you reduce what you read to remember the most important points that the author made about a topic.

2.   Say: One way we can summarize is by using a strategy called about-point. When we use about-point, you will ask yourself two different questions about your reading. [Write the questions on the board for students to reference]. You will answer a more surface level question, “What is the text about?” and a harder question, “What is the main point the writer is making about that topic?” When you answer the tough question, it will help you to identify the “umbrella term” that covers the important parts that the author has written. To find the important parts the author wrote, you must find and take away any trivial information. It helps to cross it out so you can’t see it. When you have the answers to these questions, it will later help you to formulate your sentences, especially your topic sentence! 

3.   Say: Later in this lesson, I will model how to practice the about-point strategy with a paragraph in an article called “Colorful Critters.” You are going to read this article today so we can get the hang of summarization! Does anyone think they’ve ever seen a chameleon? Did you know that a chameleon changes colors to blend in with their surroundings? We will read and learn more about that in a little bit.

4.   Say: One word we’re going to go over before we read that we might be unsure about is the word cell. [Write ‘cell’ on whiteboard]. Cells are the smallest units of life and are often called the building blocks of life. We, just like animals, are all made up of millions and billions of cells. They provide structure for the body, absorb nutrients and turn it into energy, and help us function.

Which one of these uses cell correctly? “The cell digested the hamburger and gave him energy.” or “The cell broke down the food and caused the man to be sick.” Right, the first sentence is correct because the cell is what helps break down the food and turn it into energy. The second sentence in incorrect because cells help the body function and keep us functioning. Try finishing this sentence: The cells worked together to…[Possible answers: digest food, perform any action, give energy. [write these on the board next to the word].

5.    Say: Now that we understand what cells are, we will look at a paragraph from the article together: “They often change color to warm up or cool down. (Turning darker helps warm the animals because the dark colors absorb more heat.) They also switch shades to communicate with other chameleons, using bright colors to attract potential mates or warn enemies. So how exactly do chameleons change colors? The outer layer of their skin is see-through. Beneath that are layers of special cells filled with pigment—the substance that gives plants and animals (including you) color. To display a new color, the brain sends a message for these cells to get bigger or smaller. As this happens, pigments from different cells are released, and they mix with each other to create new skin tones. For instance, red and blue pigment may mix to make the chameleon look purple.” This paragraph is about chameleons changing color, but what are important pieces of information the author presents? The chameleons can change their color from warm or cool. They change colors to attract mates or warn enemies. I can form a topic sentence by joining these two points: to attract mates or warn enemies, chameleons change their colors to warm or cool. 6.   Say: It’s your turn to try about-point! Read these sentences: “Over 150 species of chameleons exist, ranging from the size of your thumbnail to that of a house cat. Some species of chameleon are endangered, but others are not. No matter their differences, all chameleons have a prize pair of eyes. Their peepers can move in two different directions at once, giving the lizards a panoramic view of their surroundings.”7.   Say: What is this paragraph about? Correct, chameleons. What are the important pieces of information that the author makes about chameleons? Yes! They all have a big pair of eyes. What is another point that the author makes? Good, some are endangered but some arent. To make a topic sentence, you will put these points together! Let’s try: Chameleons…? Some chameleons are endangered but they all have a big pair of eyes.

8.   Say: Now, I want you to finish reading the article and write a topic sentence for each paragraph using about-point. By the time you have done this for every paragraph, you will have a very good summary about the entire article.  Your summary will help you remember the key details about chameleons. Remember to answer both questions in about-point to help you form a topic sentence. You can look at the board for the questions if you need help. Don’t forget to only pick out the key details that the author is making in each paragraph, and to summarize those in your own words. When you are finished, you can turn your sheet into me. 

9.    I will review each student’s submission to see if they accurately summarized. I will use the checklist below for grading purposes. Lastly, students will take a short quiz to demonstrate understanding of the passage. 

 

Checklist:

Student Name: ________________

1.    ____ Wrote a topic sentence for each paragraph

2.   ____ Deleted unimportant or repetitive information

3.   ____ Significantly reduced the text from original to form summary

4.   ____ Identified important points

5.    ____ Successfully conjoined the important points to form a topic sentence

 

Quiz:

1. Where do chameleons mostly live?

2. Why do they change the color of their skin?

3. What do chameleons use bright colors for?

4. How do chameleons change color?

5. How many species of chameleons exist?

 

 

Resources:

“Chameleon” https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/chameleon/