Summarize & Synthesize | Reading Recovery

Classroom Environment	Lesson Structure	Assessment	Sample Comprehension Lessons

“Synthesize Our Thinking in Fiction”

Sample Lesson: Summarizing and Synthesizing Strategies
Grade 2

Summarize & Synthesize

Prior to Viewing, See Introduction to Summarizing and Synthesizing

Purposes of the Lesson: Teach students to:

Notice how their thinking about a story changes as they read;
Synthesize big ideas and lessons from a story.

Lesson Segment (Video Clip)	Segment Focus	Questions to Consider While Viewing (Links to Facilitator Notes for PLC)	Teacher Commentary (Video Clip)	Supporting Documents
Lesson Introduction	Become familiar with the book and lesson plan	Read the book, Butterfly House by Eve Bunting (1999, Scholastic Press) or the book summary Read the lesson plan	Lesson Introduction (5:00)	Facilitator Notes Correlation to State Standards Suggested Readings Book Summary Lesson Plan Lesson in Real Time Lesson Transcript Teacher Commentary Transcript Guided Practice Response Chart Student Work Samples Analyzing Student Work Chart FAQ
Connect/Engage (5:30)	Explain the strategy focus of the lesson; Build/activate background knowledge and motivation for reading the text	What does the teacher do to set students up to be successful and engaged with the lesson?	Connect/Engage (2:10)
Model (7:12)	Read aloud and stop at strategic points to think aloud Model how to record thinking Use turn and talk to assess understanding and involve students	What makes the modeling effective? (For example, consider teaching moves, teaching language, and visuals.)	Model (3:53)
Guided Practice 1 (6:35)	Continue to read aloud and have children turn and talk about their thinking at new stages of the story; Students jot their thinking on the graphic organizer; Confer with students as they work.	In each video clip, how does the teacher gradually shift responsibility for synthesizing their thinking to the students? How does she scaffold support while increasing students’ independence? (See Guided Practice Response Chart)	Guided Practice 2 (1:47)
Guided Practice 2 (4:37)			Guided Practice 2 (1:47)
Independent Practice (6:33)	Students work on applying the strategy(ies) on their own or with a partner Teacher confers – listening, scaffolding, and teaching into each student’s needs	In the Teacher Commentary for Guided Practice, Ms. Whitman noted the challenge of honoring students’ own thinking while helping them focus on relevant big ideas. What examples do you see in teaching moves or language in Independent Practice of honoring student thinking while nudging them in the right direction? (You may also want to refer to the lesson transcript.)	Independent Practice (3:28)
Analyzing Student Work	Teacher/colleague analysis of student work	Use the “Analyzing Student Work Chart” to analyze Sample Student Work for strengths, needs, and next steps. (See chart under Supporting Documents. You may want to divide the student samples among colleagues.)	Analyzing Student work (5:33)
Share and Closure (7:04)	Teach, reinforce, and/or utilize established routines to provide a respectful and supportive environment for sharing thinking Reinforce important ideas from the lesson and encourage their future use	What are the benefits of the “questions, comments, connections” routine?	Share and Closure (2:58)
Lesson Reflection	Teacher/colleague discussion about the lesson	How might you adapt this lesson to your own students, or to children at different grade levels? Revisit the Introduction to Summarizing and Synthesizing, particularly the “How do we teach” sections. Which lessons do your students need? In what contexts and for what authentic purposes do you or will you develop their proficiency with these strategies?	Lesson Reflection (1:59)