Say: "have you ever read a really good book and tried to get a friend to read it? Did you tell the whole story, or did you tell them the most exciting and important parts to get them interested? That means that you have summarized! When you summarize, you take a story and shorten it to the most important parts that we need to know. This helps you understand what you are reading better and makes it easier to remember."

"One strategy you can use to summarize is called about-point. In the about-point method, you ask yourself two questions. The first question is "what is the story about?" The next question is a little more tricky, "what point is the author trying to make?" To answer this question, you have to come up with a word that describes the most important point the author is trying to make, we call this an "umbrella term." With your answers to these questions, we will make a topic sentence." [Write the two questions on the board]

"To practice our about point method, today we are going to read a passage about sea lions! Before we read, lets go over some vocabulary you might find in the text that will help you understand what you are reading. The first word is isolated. Isolated means to be far away from other places, buildings, or people. For example, if I said "my grandpa lives on an isolated farm" what does that mean? It means my grandpa's farm is all by itself, far away from other buildings and people. The next word is intruder. An intruder is someone who goes somewhere they are not welcome. For example, "an intruder broke into my house by breaking a window."

Now that we know some vocabulary, lets read this paragraph together! 

"Sea lions are mammals that live mostly in Pacific waters. They are a type of seal. The sea lion got its name because most males have manes, just like the male lions that live on land. Male sea lions also roar to defend the females in their groups. There are five species, or kinds, of sea lion: the California, northern, southern, Australian, and New Zealand. The California sea lion is known for its intelligence and memory. It is the trained seal that is popular in zoo and marine shows."

This paragraph is about sea lions, but what important points does the author make about seal lions? "that's great! Sea lions are mammals and they got their name because the males have manes like lions and roar to defend the females. Now we can combine these points to make a topic sentence for our paragraph, "Sea lions are mammals that got their name because male sea lions roar to defend females and have manes like real lions."

Now I want you to try the about point method. Read this paragraph:

"Most species of sea lions live in the Pacific Ocean, from the Bering Sea to southern South America. Some are found in Tierra del Fuego and on the Falkland Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean, and others live around Australia and New Zealand. When not in the open water, sea lions are often found on isolated rocky islands, in quiet bays, and on coastal beaches."

What is this paragraph about? Correct! This paragraph is about where sea lions live. What are the main points about where sea lions live? That's right! Sea lions live in the Pacific and the Atlantic ocean. What is another point the author makes? Great! Sea lions are often found on isolated islands, bays, and beaches. Lets put these points together to make a topic sentence. "Sea lions live in the pacific or the Atlantic ocean, when they aren't in water, they can be found in isolated islands, bays, and beaches.

Now I want you to finish reading the article and practice using the about-point method to make a topic sentence for each paragraph. It might help to highlight important parts while reading. When you are done writing your sentences, I want you to combine them to make a paragraph. This will allow you to have an amazing summary of the entire article. This way you can remember important facts about sea lions. Remember to use our about-point method, and look at the board if you need help. Remember to only pick the most important points we need to know about the paragraph. When you are done, staple your paragraph to the article and turn it in to me. 

I will review each students paragraph, using the checklist, to see if they can accurately summarize a passage using the about-point method

Checklist:

Name:_______

____ Identified the main points

____ Used the about-point method accurately

____ Wrote a topic sentence for each paragraph

____ Sentences are organized properly into essay form 

​

Quiz

1. How did sea lions get their name?

2. Where do sea lions live?

3. What do sea lions look like?

4. How big are sea lions?

5. What do sea lions eat?

6. How do sea lions defend themselves?