Sea Lion Summarization
Reading to Learn Design
Rationale: Summarization is one of the most effective strategies for comprehending the text you read. About-point is an effective method used for summarizing. This method has two main questions about the text.The first question is: What is the text about? This is an easy question and it helps identify the subject topic. The next question is: What is the main point the writer is making about that topic? This is a harder question. The reader must decide what the main point is of the text.
Materials:
White board and marker
Class copy of article
Pencil
Paper
Highlighters
Summarization checklist
Comprehension quiz
Procedures:
Say: "Have you ever read a good book you really enjoyed and tried to get a friend to read it? Did you tell them about the entire story, or did you tell them the most important parts to get them interested? That means that you have summarized before! When you summarize, you take a story and shorten it to the most important parts that we need to know. This helps you understand what you are reading better and makes it easier to remember because you are highlighting the main points.
"One strategy you can use to summarize is called about-point. In the about-point method, you ask yourself two questions. The first question is "what is the story about?" The next question is a little harder, "what point is the author trying to make?" To answer this question, you have to come up with a word that describes the most important point the author is trying to make, we call this the "umbrella term." With your answers to these questions, we will make our topic sentence." [Write the two questions on the board]
"To practice our about-point method today, we are going to read a passage that talks about sea lions! Before we read, let's go over some vocabulary words you might find in the passage that will help you understand what you are reading. The first word is isolated. Isolated means to be far away from other places, buildings, or people. For example, if I said "my brother lives on an isolated cow farm" What does that mean? It means my brother’s farm is all by itself, far away from other buildings and people. The next word is intruder. An intruder is someone who goes somewhere they are not welcome. For example, "An intruder broke into my house by breaking a window."
Now that we know some vocabulary words, let's read this paragraph together! But first, tell me what you know about sea lions. What color are they? Where do they live? What do they eat? Let's read and see if this answers any questions we couldn't as a class!
"Sea lions are mammals that live mostly in Pacific waters. They are a type of seal. The sea lion got its name because most males have manes, just like the male lions that live on land. Male sea lions also roar to defend the females in their groups. There are five species, or kinds, of sea lion: the California, northern, southern, Australian, and New Zealand. The California sea lion is known for its intelligence and memory. It is the trained seal that is popular in zoo and marine shows."
This paragraph is about sea lions, but what important points does the author make about seal lions? "That's good! Sea lions are mammals and they got their name because the males have manes like lions and roar to defend the females. Now we can combine these points to make a topic sentence for our paragraph, "Sea lions are mammals that got their name because male sea lions roar to defend females and have manes like real lions."
Now I want you to try the about-point method. Read this paragraph:
"Most species of sea lions live in the Pacific Ocean, from the Bering Sea to southern South America. Some are found in Tierra del Fuego and on the Falkland Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean, and others live around Australia and New Zealand. When not in the open water, sea lions are often found on isolated rocky islands, in quiet bays, and on coastal beaches."
What is this paragraph about? Right! This paragraph is about where the sea lions live. What are the main points about where sea lions live? That's right! Sea lions live in the Pacific and the Atlantic ocean. What is another point the author makes in this paragraph? Great! Sea lions are often found on isolated islands, bays, and beaches. Lets put these points together to make a topic sentence. "Sea lions live in the pacific or the Atlantic ocean, when they aren't in water, they can be found in isolated islands, bays, and beaches.
Now I want you to finish reading the article and practice using the about-point method to make a topic sentence for each paragraph. It might help to highlight the important parts while reading each paragraph. When you are done writing your sentences, I want you to combine them to make a paragraph. This will allow you to have an amazing summary of the entire article about sea lions. Remember to use our about-point method, and look at the board if you need help. Remember to only pick the most important points we need to know about the paragraph. When you are done, turn in your paragraph to me.
I will review each student's paragraph, using the checklist, to see if they can accurately summarize a passage using the about-point method.
Checklist:
Name:_______
____ Identified the main points
____ Used the about-point method accurately
____ Wrote a topic sentence for each paragraph
____ Sentences are organized correctly
Quiz
How did sea lions get their name?
Where do sea lions live?
What do sea lions look like?
How big are sea lions?
What do sea lions eat?
How do sea lions defend themselves?
References:
"Sea lion." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2020. school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/sea-lion/353752. Accessed 7 Nov. 2020.
Logan Boyd. Hopping into Summarizing
https://lolomakayla99.wixsite.com/mysite/hopping-into-summarizing
Aspen Zaloga, Sailing Into Summarization
https://aspenzaloga.wixsite.com/education/reading-to-learn-design
Mollie Sullivan, Summarizing Sea Lions
https://mollieasullivan.wixsite.com/mysite-1/copy-of-growing-independence-and-fl