TRY THIS TOMORROW: SCAFFOLD SUMMARIES WITH “YOU DECIDE”
Summarizing is a comprehension skill that is often misinterpreted as simple. In fact, it requires thinking about what to include, noting the main idea and organizing the details clearly and concisely.
“You Decide,” from Next Steps in Literacy Intervention, is a routine that helps students organize ideas before they write.
The Routine
Give students a set of words pulled from a text:
- key vocabulary
- character traits
- actions
- content terms
Students Task:
- group the words
- name each group
- use the groups to build a sentence or short summary
This process makes thinking visible and helps students organize ideas before writing a full summary. It can also support using new vocabulary that was explicitly taught in the pre-reading.
Example from Next Steps:
Words: hesitant, shrieked, shy, scowled, reserved, fumed
Students might group:
- Character traits: hesitant, shy, reserved
- Communication/actions: shrieked, scowled, fumed
From there, they can write:
The character is shy and reserved, but reacts strongly when others shriek or fume.
Try This Tomorrow
- Pull 6–10 words from a text you’re already using
- Give students the categories (if they need this scaffold)
- Ask them to sort the words and explain their thinking
- End with one sentence using at least 2–3 of the words
Once students can do this with support, remove the categories and have them create their own.
Routine from Next Steps in Literacy Instruction: Connecting Assessment to Effective Interventions by Deb Glaser and Susan M. Smartt