Build Your Identity as a Reader and Writer
Readings for Reluctant Readers
20-Word Summaries
Providing examples of well-written summaries works well for my advanced students. However, my reluctant readers and writers often remain confused, even after seeing these models.
For these students, I’ve found that writing 20-word summaries on topics connected to their prior knowledge is most effective.
Here’s why:
Students summarize things in their everyday lives. If I ask how their day or year has been, they naturally give a brief summary. Likewise, when asked about a movie they’ve seen, they can usually provide a solid summary without hesitation.
But when it comes to traditional instructions like “summarize the main points of the text,” reluctant readers and writers tend to struggle. In my experience, these directions confuse them.
That’s where 20-word summaries come in. The instructions are clear and manageable: “Just write 20 words.”
And when you pair 20-word summaries with students’ prior knowledge – magic happens.
With enough practice students start to grasp summary writing. And I can leverage this knowledge for more advanced texts we read in class later in the year.
Here are the activities I use.
These lessons and activities are designed to build writers. Whether it is decluttering our writing and integrating power verbs, or learning how to write better reflections–these resources should help your students enhance their writing skills.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12QITS_58YeJLnM66xMt5kkrpHhbJyKhiVkJiwkwFtX0/edit