Group Summarizing

Group Summarizing

Reading component  Comprehension
Related Standard(s) of Learning 

Overview of the strategy
Summarizing is difficult, and students need to be shown a variety of ways to perfect their skill at this. Rules, models, graphic organizers, and collaboration are all effective. The Group Summarizing strategy based on the work of M. W. Olson and T. C. Gee, allows students to divide a text into manageable portions and to learn from each other during and after the summarizing process.

Stra tegy procedure
1.  Choose or write an informational text on the instructional level of students that has four subheadings in it. Distribute the text, and instruct the students to read it.
2.  Instruct the students to divide a piece of paper into four parts; do the same with a piece of chart paper for modeling and for posting student work.
3.  Model putting each of the subheadings into a quadrant of the chart paper, and have the students do the same on their paper.
4.  Divide the class into four groups, and assign each group one portion of the text to reread and summarize, using the back of the divided paper for drafting. The students should be encouraged to collaborate for summarizing and to use rules (see the Summarizing Based on Rules strategy on the previous page and the Collaborative Summarizing strategy on the next page).
5.  Instruct students to record their group summary in the appropriate quadrant on their personal divided paper. Post the four group summaries in the appropriate quadrants on the chart paper, and have each group present their summary to the rest of the class. Have the students write the summaries presented by each group on their divided papers.