Lesson plan
Summaries and Predictions
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to make predictions about and then summarize a fictional text.
The adjustment to the whole group lesson is a modification to differentiate for children who are English learners.
Introduction
(5 minutes)
- Show students the cover of a fiction text (such as Matilda by Roald Dahl) and demonstrate how to make a prediction by thinking aloud about the text, saying, “I wonder what this book is about. I see a child and a school. Maybe it is about a child going to school.”
- Explain that you just made a prediction, which means to guess what might happen in the story. Now you will need to read the story to find out if your prediction is correct.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling
(10 minutes)- Read the first chapter of the chosen fictional text aloud and check in on your prediction by modeling a think aloud. For example, say, "I predicted ____ and I think I may have been right because ____ or I predicted ____ and I think I was wrong because ____."
- Demonstrate updating or revising your prediction as needed by making a second prediction about the following chapter.
- Briefly review the term reading fluency as a way to read both clearly and with feeling. Model reading fluency as you read aloud to students.
- Model how to summarize the chapter using the Summarize It worksheet and explaining to students that a summary is a short way to retell key details in a story.
- Say, “Today you are going to make your own predictions and create your very own summaries of a fiction text. We write summaries to help us keep track of what we are reading, to share information or ideas with others, and to help us stay engaged while we read.”
Guided Practice
(10 minutes)- Ask students to make a prediction about the next chapter by writing their predictions on an index card.
- Read aloud the next chapter and have students pair up with a partner to check if their prediction was correct and to revise or update their predictions for the next chapter (using the back of the same index card) as needed.
Independent working time
(15 minutes)- Pass out the Summarize It worksheets and have students complete it based on the second chapter you read aloud. Ask them to make predictions for the coming chapter.
Differentiation
Support: Pair two students together to write a summary of the second chapter of the read-aloud and make predictions for the next chapter.
Enrichment:
- Have students choose a chapter book that they would like to read and practice making a prediction before reading the first chapter.
- Have students write a summary of the first chapter using the This Happened and Then worksheet.
Assessment
(5 minutes)- Assess whether students were able to accurately use the Summarize It worksheet to write a complete summary and prediction for the class read-aloud.
Review and closing
(5 minutes)- Ask students to respond to one of the following questions or the sentence frame with their elbow partner:
- What is a prediction?
- What is a summary?
- I predict ____will happen next based on ____.
Related learning resources
Summaries and Predictions
Lesson plan
Summaries and Predictions
Teach your second graders how to write a prediction and summarize book chapters in this exciting lesson!
2nd grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Garden Power: Predictions
Worksheet
Garden Power: Predictions
Get ready to make predictions! Students read a short text independently, then draw and write about what they think will happen next.
1st grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Making Predictions and Summarizing: Tell Me What You Think
Worksheet
Making Predictions and Summarizing: Tell Me What You Think
Children will select a chapter book, then make predictions as they progress through the story, in this reading comprehension template.
2nd grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
This Happened and Then
Worksheet
This Happened and Then
Read a chapter and write a summary! Help your second graders practice their reading fluency while also improving their summarizing skills.
2nd grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
