English Language Arts · 5th Grade

Active learning ideas

Summarizing Informational Texts

Active learning works for summarizing informational texts because students must repeatedly decide what stays and what goes. When they talk, write, and revise in real time, they experience firsthand how details shape meaning and how concise language carries the core message.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.2

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The 30-Word Summary

After reading a short informational text, students write a summary in exactly 30 words. Pairs then compare: did they include the same main idea? Did they leave out the same details? Groups share their 30-word summaries with the class and vote on which one best captures the text's core content.

Explain the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing an informational text.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, pause at 30 words to force precision; this prevents students from sliding into retellings.

What to look for

Provide students with a short informational paragraph. Ask them to write one sentence stating the main idea and two sentences providing key supporting details from the paragraph.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Round Robin
• 25 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Delete-Substitute-Keep Protocol

Display a student-generated or teacher-created summary sample. As a class, mark each sentence as Keep (essential main idea), Substitute (important but poorly worded), or Delete (detail, opinion, or redundant information). Revise collaboratively on the board and compare the revised version to the original.

Construct a concise summary of a scientific article, including its main claim and evidence.

Facilitation Tip

Use the Delete-Substitute-Keep Protocol on a projected passage so the whole class can see each edit decision in real time.

What to look for

After students write a summary of a science article, have them exchange summaries with a partner. Provide a checklist for partners: Does the summary include the main claim? Are at least two pieces of evidence included? Is it written in the partner's own words? Partners should provide one specific suggestion for improvement.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Round Robin
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Group: Rotating Summary Builders

Give each student a different paragraph from a longer text. Each student summarizes their paragraph in one sentence, then groups work together to combine all sentences into a summary of the whole text. Groups compare their summaries and discuss discrepancies in what they included or left out.

Evaluate a peer's summary for accuracy and completeness.

Facilitation Tip

In Rotating Summary Builders, set a timer per station so groups stay focused on condensing rather than expanding.

What to look for

Present students with two short passages. Ask them to identify the main idea of each passage and one supporting detail. This can be done orally in pairs or as a quick written response.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Round Robin
• 35 min · Individual

Peer Summary Swap

Students each write a summary of the same text, then trade with a partner. Partners use a checklist (main idea present, key evidence included, no opinions, no excessive detail) to evaluate each other's summary and provide written feedback. Authors revise based on feedback before submitting a final version.

Explain the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing an informational text.

Facilitation Tip

After Peer Summary Swap, ask partners to underline one sentence that proves the summary reports the author’s claims, not their own opinions.

What to look for

Provide students with a short informational paragraph. Ask them to write one sentence stating the main idea and two sentences providing key supporting details from the paragraph.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach summarizing by separating it from retelling and paraphrasing. Model think-alouds that delete trivial details, substitute complex clauses with simpler phrases, and keep only the author’s central claims. Research shows students benefit most when they compare multiple models and discuss why some summaries work better than others.

Successful learning looks like students confidently distinguishing main ideas from details, using their own words, and producing summaries that are concise yet complete. You will see students applying criteria in peer exchanges and revising based on feedback rather than adding more sentences.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Think-Pair-Share: The 30-Word Summary, students may believe a longer summary is more complete and therefore better.

  During the 30-word cap, pause mid-activity to display a long summary and a 30-word summary of the same text. Ask students to rate each on clarity and completeness, then adjust their own summaries to meet the word limit without losing key ideas.

• During Peer Summary Swap, students may include their personal opinions in the summary.

  During Peer Summary Swap, provide sentence stems like 'According to the text...' and 'The author argues...' on the checklist. Have partners highlight any sentence that starts with 'I think' or 'I believe' and identify it as opinion, not summary.

• During Rotating Summary Builders, students may confuse paraphrasing individual sentences with summarizing the whole text.

  During Rotating Summary Builders, post a 'P vs. S' anchor chart: P = restating one sentence in new words; S = condensing the entire passage to main ideas and evidence. At each station, ask groups to label their draft as P or S and justify their choice.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Round Robin