Episode 249: Finally! A Way for Middle Schoolers to Write Effective Summaries
Oct 10, 2023
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In this final episode, the hosts discuss a fun activity to help middle schoolers write effective summaries by eliminating unnecessary details. They also share practical tips for implementing this activity. Additionally, they explore the power of songs in enhancing learning and retention and provide a step-by-step method for teaching effective summaries using the SWBST framework.
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Quick takeaways
Teaching middle school students to write effective summaries involves helping them identify and eliminate inessential details from their summaries through an engaging activity.
Incorporating songs and memorable experiences into lessons can enhance student engagement and aid in better retention of concepts.
Deep dives
Teaching concise and organized summaries
In this episode, the hosts discuss an activity to help middle school teachers teach their students how to write more effective summaries. The activity involves having students list all the details of a short story and then sorting them into essential, inessential, and unsure categories. They use a broom as a metaphor to sweep away inessential details. The hosts emphasize the importance of teaching students the difference between essential and inessential details and how to write concise summaries using the SWBST framework (Somebody Wanted But So Then). They suggest using this activity as a class lesson and then having students practice independently using different short stories.
Creating a meaningful learning experience
To make the lesson more engaging, the hosts recommend playing a fun song, such as the 'Yak the Yak' song, while students sweep away the inessential details. They highlight the impact of using songs in learning and how they help students remember concepts better. The hosts also mention the value of incorporating memorable experiences into lessons to make learning more meaningful.
Consistently using the SWBST method
The hosts emphasize the importance of having students consistently use the SWBST method for summarizing any fictional texts they read. They explain that teaching concise summaries is crucial for helping students develop other writing skills, such as finding evidence and justifying claims. By equipping students with this skill, teachers can focus more on the substantive aspects of writing, rather than spending excessive time on teaching summary writing itself.
In today's final episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, we're going to tackle a common challenge faced by ELA teachers: helping middle school students write effective summaries. We'll share a fun and engaging activity that will teach your students how to tidy up their summaries by getting rid of unnecessary details. Plus, we'll provide practical tips and step-by-step instructions to implement this activity in your classroom. So join us as we sweep away the clutter and empower your students to write concise and organized summaries.
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