A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to TextsSummarizing, Drawing Conclusions and Reflecting on My Strategies
C2.6 C2.7 A1.2About 45 minutes
Learning goals- I can summarize the main idea and the most important supporting details of a text, in my own words.
- I can record a summary in a way that suits the text, such as a graphic organizer or short paragraph.
- I can draw a well-supported conclusion using evidence from the text.
- I can explain and compare how strategies such as visualizing, predicting, summarizing and connecting helped me understand texts.
- I can set a goal to improve my comprehension and plan how to reach it.
Words to know
summary
A short version of a text, in your own words, with only the main idea and most important details.
supporting detail
A fact, example or reason that explains or proves the main idea.
conclusion
A decision or judgment you reach by thinking about the evidence in a text.
well-supported
Backed up by enough clear, accurate evidence.
reflect
To think back on what you did and what worked.
goal
Something specific you plan to improve, with steps to get there.
Remember from Grade 5
In Grade 5 you summarized stories and informational texts and drew well-supported conclusions. You also explained which strategies helped you.
In Grade 6 you'll record summaries in the form that fits the text, make conclusions that weigh evidence, and compare strategies to set a smart goal.
Hook: The 30-second challenge
Can you tell a friend about your favourite movie in 30 seconds? You can't tell everything. You have to choose what matters most. That's summarizing!
The Rideau Canal Skateway (written for this website)
In winter, part of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa freezes and becomes a skateway almost 8 kilometres long. People skate to work and school, families glide past Parliament, and visitors from around the world come to try it. Food stands sell hot drinks and treats along the ice.
The canal was built in the 1800s, and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Each winter, crews check the ice, flood it to make it smooth, and decide when it is thick enough to open safely.
But the skateway depends on cold weather. When winters are warm, the ice stays thin, or melts and refreezes into rough patches. In some recent winters, the skateway has opened for only a short time, and in at least one winter it did not open at all. Scientists say Canada's winters are getting warmer because of climate change. Many people worry that a long skating season on the canal could become rare.
How to summarize
- Find the main idea: What is the whole text mostly about? (Hint: check the title and the first and last paragraphs.)
- Choose the most important supporting details: The ones that explain or prove the main idea. Leave out small details, examples and repeated ideas.
- Use your own words, in a logical order.
- Keep it short: often about one-quarter as long as the original, or less.
- Leave out your opinion.
Record it in a form that fits: a main-idea and details chart for informational texts, a somebody-wanted-but-so-then chart for stories, a timeline for events in order, or a short paragraph.
Worked exampleLet's summarize *The Rideau Canal Skateway*
Write a 2- or 3-sentence summary.
- Main idea (title + last paragraph): the Rideau Canal Skateway is a much-loved winter tradition, but it depends on cold weather that is changing.
- Key details: it's almost 8 km of skating in Ottawa used by many people; crews check and flood the ice; warm winters have shortened or cancelled seasons; winters are warming because of climate change.
- Leave out small details: the food stands, skating past Parliament, visitors from around the world.
- Own words, no opinion.
The Rideau Canal in Ottawa becomes a popular skateway almost 8 km long each winter, but it needs cold weather to make ice thick enough to open safely. Because Canada's winters are getting warmer, some recent seasons have been short or cancelled, and people worry long seasons could become rare.
Drawing a well-supported conclusion
A conclusion goes beyond the text's words. You think about all the evidence and decide what it means. A well-supported conclusion:
- uses several pieces of evidence, not just one,
- doesn't go further than the evidence allows, and
- considers evidence that might point another way.
Worked exampleLet's test three conclusions
Which conclusion about the skateway is best supported?
A. The skateway will never open again. B. If winters keep getting warmer, the skateway will likely have shorter seasons more often. C. Skating is the best sport in Canada.
- A goes too far. The text says some seasons were short and at least one didn't open, but it doesn't say it will never open.
- C is an opinion that has nothing to do with the evidence.
- B uses several pieces of evidence: the skateway needs cold, recent warm winters shortened or cancelled seasons, and winters are warming. It uses careful words (likely, more often).
B is the best-supported conclusion: it is based on several pieces of evidence and doesn't claim more than the evidence shows.
The three conclusions on a scale. C ignores the evidence, A claims more than the evidence shows, and B fits the evidence best.Reflecting on my strategies
Good readers think about how they read. Compare the strategies you've used in this unit:
- Visualizing helped me picture Canadarm2 moving like an inchworm.
- Predicting kept me reading Float Plane North to find out if I was right, and revising taught me to watch for surprises.
- Summarizing helped me remember the main idea of the skateway text.
- Connecting to my own experience of being left out helped me understand Marcus.
Which helped you most? It might depend on the text. Visualizing might help most with science; connecting might help most with stories.
| Strategy | Best for... | My rating (1 to 3) |
|---|
| Visualizing | Science processes, descriptive stories, settings | ? |
| Predicting and revising | Stories with suspense, problem-solution texts | ? |
| Summarizing | Long informational texts, chapter books | ? |
| Connecting | Stories about feelings, issues in the world | ? |
| Asking questions | Hard or surprising texts | ? |
Worked exampleLet's set a comprehension goal
Amir notices that his summaries are always too long, because he includes every example. Help him set a goal.
- Name the problem specifically: My summaries include small examples and are too long.
- Set a clear goal: For the next three weeks, my summaries of non-fiction chapters will be 3 sentences or fewer and contain only the main idea and key details.
- Plan steps: highlight the main idea first; cross out examples; count sentences.
- Check progress: ask a parent to read the chapter's first and last paragraphs and check whether his summary matches.
Goal: summaries of 3 sentences or fewer with only key details, for three weeks, with clear steps and a way to check progress.
Summary, retell or conclusion?
A retell gives events in order with lots of detail. A summary gives only the main idea and key details, briefly. A conclusion is your judgment about what the evidence means.
Summary challengeA 30-second summary of Goldilocks: Girl enters bears' house. Tests porridge, chairs and beds. Bears come home. Girl runs.
That's it! (The porridge temperatures are small details. Sorry, porridge.)
Hands-on activityNews summary and goal card
You need: a short news article for kids (from a source a grown-up chooses), an index card, a pencil.
- Read the article. Draw a main-idea organizer like the one above.
- Write a summary of 3 sentences or fewer. Ask a family member: Did I leave out anything important? Did I include anything small?
- Write one well-supported conclusion with two pieces of evidence.
- On the index card, rate the five strategies in the table (1 to 3). Write one comprehension goal with steps and how you'll check. Keep it as a bookmark, and check it in two weeks.
Your turn
1What is the main idea of The Rideau Canal Skateway?
The skateway is a much-loved winter tradition that depends on cold weather, which is changing as winters get warmer.
2Name one detail you should leave out of a summary of the skateway text, and why.
Any one: the food stands, skating past Parliament, visitors from around the world. They're interesting but don't support the main idea.
3Why is the conclusion The skateway will never open again not well supported?
It goes too far. The text says some seasons were short and at least one was cancelled, not that it will never open.
4What makes a conclusion well supported?
It uses several pieces of evidence, doesn't claim more than the evidence shows, and considers evidence that might point another way.
5How is a summary different from a retell?
A summary is short with only the main idea and key details; a retell gives events in order with lots of detail.
6Which strategy helped you most with Canada's Arm in Space? Why?
Example: Visualizing, because acting out the inchworm movement helped me understand how Canadarm2 moves. (Any strategy with a reason.)
7Write a specific comprehension goal for yourself.
Example: For the next two weeks, I'll stop after every chapter and make one prediction with a clue. (Look for a specific action, a time frame, and a way to check.)
More practice: warm-up
1Should a summary include your opinion?
2Where is the Rideau Canal Skateway?
3About how long is the skateway?
A judgment you reach by thinking about the evidence.
5Name two reading strategies.
Any two: visualizing, predicting, summarizing, connecting, asking questions, rereading.
More practice: on your own
1Summarize Two Sticks, One Team using Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then.
Somebody: Marcus. Wanted: to play on the outdoor rink with his cousins. But: steep steps blocked the way for his wheelchair. So: Talia, her dad and volunteers built a ramp and borrowed a para hockey sledge. Then: Marcus played, other kids tried the sledge, and volunteers asked council for a permanent ramp.
2What do crews do to the skateway ice each winter?
They check the ice, flood it to make it smooth, and decide when it's thick enough to open safely.
3Is this well supported? Warm winters cause rough ice on the canal. Explain.
Partly. The text says in warm winters ice can melt and refreeze into rough patches, so warm weather can cause rough ice. It's supported for warm winters, but rough ice could have other causes too.
4Why might different strategies help most with different texts?
Each text has different challenges: a science text may be hard to picture (visualizing helps), a story may have suspense (predicting helps), a long chapter may have many facts (summarizing helps).
5Amir's goal: I'll get better at reading. Why is this weak? Improve it.
It's too vague: no specific skill, time or check. Better: For three weeks, I'll write a 3-sentence summary after each science chapter and ask my mom to check it.
Challenge
1Write a well-supported conclusion that combines the skateway text with what you know about winter in your own community.
Example: Outdoor skating everywhere, not just on the canal, may face shorter seasons, because the canal needs steady cold, and our backyard rink also melted early this year. (Look for evidence from the text plus personal evidence, with careful words like may.)
2Cut this summary down to the key ideas: The skateway is in Ottawa and you can buy hot chocolate and treats and families skate past Parliament and it's almost 8 km and crews flood it and it needs cold weather and winters are getting warmer.
Ottawa's Rideau Canal becomes an almost 8 km skateway that needs cold weather to open. As winters get warmer, people worry the skating season could become shorter or rarer.
3Compare two strategies you used in this unit. Which helped more with which text, and why? What does that teach you about yourself as a reader?
Example: Predicting helped most with Float Plane North because it had suspense. Visualizing helped most with Canada's Arm in Space because the movement was hard to imagine. This shows I should choose strategies to fit the text, and that sketching helps me with ideas that are hard to picture. (Look for two strategies, two texts, reasons, and a reflection.)
Quiz
1. A good summary includes...
2. Which conclusion is best supported by the skateway text?
3. Which detail should be left out of a short summary of the skateway text?
4. What is the difference between a summary and a conclusion?
5. Which is the strongest comprehension goal?
6. Why should you compare strategies?
What this lesson teaches: Grade 6 students summarize and record main ideas and supporting details and draw well-supported conclusions (C2.6). They explain and compare how strategies such as visualizing, predicting, summarizing and connecting helped them, and set goals to improve comprehension (C2.7), reflecting on their learning and next steps (A1.2).
How to help at home:
- After a chapter or a news story, ask for a three-sentence summary.
- Ask "What can you conclude? What's your evidence? Could it be wrong?"
- Revisit the goal card in two weeks and celebrate progress.
Common difficulties:
- Summaries that are retells. Use a sentence limit.
- Conclusions that go too far (never, always, everyone). Teach careful words like likely and may.
- Vague goals. Help make them specific and checkable.
Facts used: The Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa is about 7.8 km long; the canal was built in the 1800s (completed in 1832) and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Warm winters have shortened recent skating seasons, and the 2022–2023 season did not open. Canada's climate is warming.