Summarizing with an Arctic Fox

Rationale: The goal of reading is to be comprehensive of what is being read. There’s times that comprehension can get in the way of reading smoothly. Summarization is an easy way to allow readers to take the most important information in a story and remember it for further use so a reader does not get caught up on smaller details. Highlighting, circling, and underlining key information are ways students can summarize the passage being read. In this design, students will be finding an umbrella term for the events that happen in the passage. The purpose of this lesson is to teach students how to summarize, ask themselves questions, and remember important facts throughout the text.

 

Materials:

• Class set of Arctic Fox article, including extras for teacher

• 2 pieces of notebook paper

• Pencils 

• Class set of highlighters

• Class set of colored pencils

• Whiteboard to write summarization rules

• Assessment for Article 

 

Procedures/Introduction: 

1. Say: “Have you ever read a book and wanted to tell your friends and family about it? Did you read them the entire book, or just the best parts of it? Raise your hand if you have! (Let student’s raise their hands). That’s right! I know when I see a movie or read a book, I only tell the most important parts to my friends and family. Does anyone know what that is called? (Give students time to answer and call on students) You’re right! Summarization is very helpful when reading any size texts. I know sometimes when I read, I completely forget what i just read about.”

2. Say: “Today we are going to be reading about a white fluffy animal that lives in the cold- an arctic fox! While reading this article, we are going to practice our summarizing skills. I will pass out highlighters and colored pencils so you can highlight, underline, or circle the things that stand out to you while reading about this super cool animal.” 

  3.    Say: Before we read the article, it's important to look at any vocabulary that may pop up in our reading. Let’s look at a few words mentioned that we may not know what they mean. The vocabulary words I see are arctic and hibernation. Arctic means the area around the North Pole where temperatures can fall below zero. Brrr! Hibernation is when animals have to stay warm during the coldest seasons and stock up on food. Let’s work on our words in context. This sentence in the passage says “Until spring arrives, this arctic fox will rely on some freeze-defying strategies, making it a champion of the cold.” Now let’s practice a little. What kind of fox can live in cold climates? Arctic foxes! Great job. The next sentence in the article says “As long as a fox is warm, it can slow down its heart rate and metabolism, which helps the animal save energy so it doesn’t have to eat as much. It’s sort of like how bears hibernate, but for a shorter period of time.” Let’s practice one more time. What is it called when arctic foxes slow down its heart rate to save energy and food? Hibernation! Great job. 

​

1. Say: Before we begin reading, let’s review how we summarize. I'm going to write on the board three rules to follow when summarizing. 1. Cross out any information that is NOT important. By doing this, we can focus on the stuff that IS important in our story. 2. Highlight, underline, or circle any important information. This helps us bold the key information we are reading about. 3. Write a topic sentence. This helps us focus on what’s the most important thing that the article is about.

​

HOW TO FIND SOMETHING IMPORTANT IN THE STORY - Questions to ask

1. Does it tell me what something does? Yes- it is relevant. No- it is not relevant

2. Does it shape the thing being talked about? Yes - it is relevant. No- it is not relevant

3. Is there an explanation for including it in the story? Yes- it is relevant. No- it is not relevant.

4. Would the story make sense without it? Yes- it is NOT relevant. No- it is relevant

​

​

For example: Miss Palmer loves to eat spaghetti. She loves to boil the noodles, chop up her tomatoes to make the sauce, and toast some garlic bread. Miss Palmer has 4 cats that are black and white. 

​

Which sentence could be left out? Why? Miss Palmer's cats have nothing to do with how she cooks spaghetti. 

​

2.   Say: Now that we have gone over how to summarize, I am going to show you how to find an umbrella term. Everyone picture an umbrella. What does it do? Does it open up and keep stuff from falling under it? Yes! An umbrella term is a word that describes everything an article is talking about. Can anyone guess what the word would be for this article? (Wait for answer) Yes, it would be an arctic fox! Great work. 

 

3.   Say: Now it's time for you to read the article, highlight, and summarize it. Once you have highlighted everything you think is important, on your sheet of paper write down 3-4 sentences that describe what you just read that includes important parts from the story. When you’re finished with that, raise your hand and I'll pass out the assessment! 

 

Assessment: 

1. What color is the arctic fox?

2. Where does the arctic fox live? 

3. Is the arctic fox a mammal or reptile?

4. Describe the arctic fox’s fur and tail.

5. What do arctic foxes eat in the winter? 

 

Comprehension Checklist: 

 

Did the students have a topic sentence for each paragraph?

Did students successfully delete unimportant information?

Did students successfully identify important information?

Did students use important information to make topic sentences?

 

References: 

Hurt, Avery: National Geographic Kids-Arctic Fox 

Keeble, Courtney: Space Exploration Summarization 

Murray, Bruce: The Reading Genie