Title: Summarizing and Paraphrasing Narrative and Expository Texts

Summary: Use a literature unit on the treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII to instruct students on strategies for reading and writing to summarize chapters from a historical fiction novel and paraphrase the expository text from a magazine article.

Unit Details
Author: Rita Buchanan
Subject: communications/writing
Learning Level: middle school (7th grade)

Standards: Grades 6-7-8 Communications Reading Skills:
C.6-8.3. To become a user of language, through expository reading, to discover, comprehend, evaluate, and analyze information: cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence, summarize and paraphrase key information, recognize and evaluate persuasive strategies (propaganda, fact/opinion, assumptions, bias), main idea and supporting details (QAR, skimming and scanning), select and retain important information, organize and retain important information, organize and present information, understand author’s purpose for writing, inference, determine purpose for reading, context clues
Writing Skills:
C. 6-8.7. To write frequently (variety of purposes and audiences): summaries
C. 6-8.8. To write as a process: prewriting, rough draft, revisions, edit, and final
copy/proofreading/publish
C. 6-8.9. To use the six trait analytical writing strategy: ideas and content,
organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions
C. 6-8.10. To use appropriate publishing format for audience
C. 6-8.11. To use correct spelling

Situations: This is a part of a unit that takes five to six weeks of language arts time. The lessons on summarizing a chapter can be completed in 3-5 days. Paraphrasing a magazine article can be completed in 5 days. If an extension activity were done, that would require an additional 3-5 days of class time or out of class preparation.

Tools: Write Source 2000: p. 213-216 “Writing Summaries,” p. 143, 229 “Plagiarism”
KSU Plagiarism Policy
Kansas City Star “More Students are Cheating, Research Indicates” by Diane Carroll
“Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It”
“Avoiding Plagiarism”
“Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words”
“Summarizing”
See Internet for numerous sources. Note: Many are from college sites. Teacher will need to simplify for middle school students; however, they are excellent for teacher use and could be used with advanced students.

Process/Tasks:
Summarizing a Chapter of a Novel
Day 1 Students read “Chapter 3” and “Chapter 4” Journey Home.
Day 2 Prewriting: Class discusses the plot and characterization in the sequence told in each chapter. Read the lesson in the Write Source. Explain plagiarism and discuss models and steps to summarizing. Assign skimming and notetaking writing in bullet or numbering form to list the most important events, descriptions and details in “your own words.” Students should be ready to share their lists and add/delete during class discussion.
Day 3 Rough Draft: Write a clear, direct, interesting topic sentence that includes the author, title, and chapters to be summarized. Decide which order to use in organizing the events and details before retelling the information in paragraph form. Make sure the summary is in student’s own words. Students should have a minimum of 15 sentences of various patterns and lengths. The final sentence should be a clincher, summary sentence.
Day 4 Revising: Students make improvements in wording, adding details, clarity, fluency, and polish. Students should write in third person point of view telling the events as an outside observer would. Remove all overworked, worn-out, slangy words or expressions. Language should be fresh and precise.
Day 5 Proofreading: Students find and correct all spelling, capitalization, punctuations, and usage errors. Students do peer editing in class. And complete final draft in cursive or word-processed.
Paraphrasing a Magazine Article
Day 1-2 Prewriting: Students read “Wartime Mistakes, Peacetime Apologies” and discuss it in class. Paraphrasing is discussed and modeled. Teacher and students construct an outline for organizing an introduction, body. and conclusion. The conclusion should include remarks by the reader in reaction to the topic. Inferences should be drawn based on facts.
Day 3 Rough Draft: Students begin with an introduction of three – four sentences that include the title, author and a statement of the main idea. The body is written in chronological order including all twelve important developments from the article. The conclusion restates the main idea and the student’s reactions.
Day 4 Revising: Students receive a checklist from teacher to check that all information is included as required. They also do personal and peer editing. Final copy is either written in cursive or word-processed.

Prerequisite Skills: Students need knowledge of the writing process, six-trait writing, word processing and cursive. They may use the Internet to read more on the topic or on summarizing, paraphrasing. and plagiarism.

Assessment: Performance – Students wrote and turned in the projects showing each step of the process. Six Trait Rubrics adapted for chapter summary and article paraphrasing.

Teacher Notes / Reflections - It helps to read models aloud. Use various examples with weaknesses and strengths. If you give students copies of models or use a transparency, they copy. That defeats the whole purpose of the lesson.