Lesson of the Week: Writing a Summary

Writing a Summary by Janine Perri (South Korea ETA)

Sometimes the apparently simplest of tasks can turn out to be the most difficult. For many of us, the act of summarizing—boiling the essence of a book, movie, or even our day into a short, easily digestible and comprehensible format—can prove to be so. What information do we have to include? How much information is too much? Now imagine trying to tackle these questions and more in a foreign language.

Fortunately, former South Korea ETA Janine Perri designed a two-lesson unit to help her students (and possibly yours, too!) write their own simple summaries. In Day 1 of this unit, students learn how to identify elements such as setting, characters, and main idea, before moving on to describe plot in more detail using transition words during Day 2. You can access the materials for Janine’s lesson below:

1. Day 1 Lesson Plan
2. Day 1 Presentation File
3. Day 2 Lesson Plan
4. Day 2 Presentation File

That’s all for this month, but be sure to check back next week as we welcome March in!