Summarizing in the Elementary of Self-Contained Classroom

Debbie Willingham
Aug 03, 2009

We know the results of the research - having students summarize what they have learned leads to greater retention and internalization.  We also know that summarizing is the second most effective strategy that impacts student achievement.  In addition, summarizing provides teachers the informal feedback they need to determine the level of their students' understanding at that point in the learning process.  Sometimes elementary and self-contained teachers struggle to find a manageable way to have students summarize their learning in all the different subjects they have during the course of a day.

One solution some teachers have found helpful is to have students complete one summary sheet as they go through the day.  It is actually a graphic organizer with a section for each subject and students summarize on it from the teacher's prompt at the end of the time allotted for each subject.  Depending on the grade and level of students, they may draw or write this summary.  The summarizing organizer also serves to remind both the teacher and students to summarize throughout the day.

The expectation is that students take the organizer home each day and explain to their parent something they learned, using it to remind and help them with their explanation.  Then, depending on how the teacher has set expectations with parents, students may get the organizer signed and bring it back to school, or parents may collect the organizers each day as a way to help review at home.  Either way, there is a built-in opportunity to involve parents in talking with their children about what they are learning.

Another use of the summarizing organizer is to give absent students a short synopsis of what they missed, preferably by having another student use their own sheet to talk to the student who missed class.  This serves a dual purpose; it gives the absent student an idea of what was missed, and it enables the student explaining to further solidify his/her own understanding.

We always say that as teachers we need to work smarter, not harder, and this twist on summarizing is one idea that may help.

Reference Learning-Focused Strategies: Connecting Exemplary Practices in Acquisition Lessons for more ideas about summarizing.