Fultondale Elementary School 1
Mandy Jayne Stanley
Instructor: Miss Mandy J. Stanley
Lesson Title: “Fab 5 Summarizing”
Curriculum Area: Reading
Grade Level: 4th Grade
Date: 10/19/13
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Standards Connection:
CCRS- 4th Grade Reading: “Key Ideas & Details” Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from
details in the text; summarize the text. [RL.4.2]
Learning Objective:
When given a previously read text, the students will accurately summarize the text by using the
“Fab 5” model with 80% accuracy, according to the teacher’s rubric.
Kid Friendly Objective:
Today, we are going to learn about the “Fab 5” summarizing model. We will learn how to
quickly summarize a story by picking out the main character, describing what they did or
wanted, what problems they encountered, what they did to overcome the problems, and what
happened at the end of the story.
Evaluation of Learning Objective:
In order to assess the students’ mastery of the skill of summarizing, the teacher will have the
students write a summarizing paragraph about Art, a character in the story that the students have
been reading over the past three weeks. The students will complete a “Fab 5 Summarizing
Paragraph” worksheet that will be worth 15 points, with each aspect having a value of 3 possible
points. Each of the 5 aspects of the “Fab 5” model must be included in the paragraph and will be
graded by a rubric. The rubric will assess the following: the child’s ability to correctly identify
the main character(s), what the main character(s) wanted, the conflicts that arose throughout the
story, what the main character(s) did to resolve the issue, and what occurred at the end of the
story. The students must earn at least an 80% to pass the assessment.
(5 minutes) Engagement: In order to engage the students into this lesson, the teacher will ask the
students to give their own definition of the word “summary”. The teacher will create a semantic
map on the Promethean Board with all of the words. This will allow the teacher to activate the
students’ prior knowledge on this key comprehension skill in order to help them identify the
significance of summarizing after reading a passage.
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Before the students enter the classroom, the teacher will have the “Fab 5” Promethean Board
flipchart on the board. The flipchart will be opened to the first page with a blank brainstorming
web on it. Once the students have entered the classroom, the teacher will begin the lesson. Good
morning boys and girls! Thank you for coming into the classroom so quickly and quietly. If I
could give out points, I would! Well, today, we are going to learn about a very helpful
comprehension tool. Before we fill in this brainstorming web, who can tell me what the word
“comprehension” means? The teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Wow! Those are all
great definitions. I think that when we comprehend something it means that we can easily
describe it to someone else by giving him or her a well thought out summary.
Today, we are going to learn how to summarize. I want you all to give me your own
descriptions of what should go in a summary, and I will put them into this brainstorming web.
Who would like to go first? The teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Once the teacher
has filled in all of the nodes on the web, the teacher will read all of the words to the students.
Then, she will begin to describe the “Fab 5” model.
Design for Learning:
I.
(10 minutes) Teaching [I Do]: During the teaching portion of this lesson, the teacher
will demonstrate how to use the “Fab 5” model to summarize The Three Little Pigs.
She will begin by listing and explicitly explaining each of the aspects of the “Fab 5”
summarizing model to the students on the Promethean Board; then, she will map out
the story by filling in the correct information in each box on the Promethean Board.
After all of the boxes are filled, the teacher will read the summary aloud and explain
why using this model helps students comprehend stories and identify key elements.
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After reading all of the words on the brainstorming web, the teacher will turn to the next
page of the flipchart. This page will have a plank “Fab 5” model on it. Well, class, all of
the things that you all said should be included in a summary were great! I can tell that
you really thought about the different parts of a story that should go in a summary.
I have found this really cool summarizing method that I would like to share with you
all. It is called the “Fab 5” method.
Summarizing a story really helps us comprehend the story because it makes us pull out
the important details and blend them all together to outline the story.
When we use the “Fab 5” model, we first determine who the main character is.
Then, we pick out what they were trying to do or what they wanted.
After we figure out who the main character is and what they wanted or did, the third
and fourth parts of the “Fab 5” model are that we have to determine what messed up
their plan and what they did to fix the problem they stumbled upon.
Last, we just describe what happened at the end of the story.
Boys and girls, if we included all of this information in our summary, we would pretty
much cover everything that went on throughout the story, wouldn’t we? The teacher
will wait for the students’ responses. Exactly! That’s why the “Fab 5” model is so
helpful!
Now, I am going to fill in these boxes with information about one of my favorite
stories: “The Three Little Pigs.” Have you all ever heard of this story before? The
teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Good! Well, if you haven’t, I will be glad
to summarize it for you by using the “Fab 5” model. Are you ready?
Well, first, I guess I should pick out the main characters. They were the three pigs and
the wolf, right? The teacher will write them in the first box.
Next, I’ll write what they were trying to do, which was move out of their mother’s
house and build their own houses. The teacher will write this information in the second
box.
Then, what problem occurred, boys and girls? The teacher will wait for the students’
responses. Yes! The big, bad wolf got hungry and tried to eat them. So, I’d write this in
third box. The teacher will write this information in the third box.
What happened next? The teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Yes! They built
their houses. What were the three houses made out of? The teacher will wait for the
students’ responses. They were made out of straw, sticks, and bricks. So, I would write
that they built their houses in this box. The teacher will write this information in the
fourth box.
Fultondale Elementary School 3
Mandy Jayne Stanley
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II.
What happened at the end of the story, boys and girls? The teacher will wait for the
students’ responses. All of their houses got blown down, except for the brick house, and
the smartest pig survived and killed the wolf! I would write that information in the last
box. The teacher will write this information in the fifth box.
That’s a pretty good summary of that story, isn’t it, class? Let’s read what we have in
our “Fab 5” summary together. The teacher will read the summary aloud with the
students.
What are the 5 parts of the “Fab 5” model, again? Who can tell me? The teacher will
wait for the students’ responses.
She will then turn to the third page of the flipchart with the blank paragraph outline on it.
Now, if I were to want to write this in a paragraph, I would follow this order. The
teacher will write a summarizing paragraph on the Promethean Board. Boys and girls,
does this paragraph have all five parts of the “Fab 5” in it? Let’s see… The teacher will
go through the paragraph to ensure that it has all of the five aspects in it. It does! It lists
the main characters and what they wanted to do, it explains what stopped them and
what they did about it, and finally, it describes what happened at the end of the story.
It’s a Fab 5 Paragraph!
So, do you all think you could do this with the story about Art?
(5 minutes) Opportunity for Practice [We Do/You All Do]: During the practice
portion of the lesson, the teacher will allow the students to practice summarizing
while using the “Fab 5” model with a scaffolded worksheet based on the story that the
students have been previously reading in class. The worksheet will give the students
an outline of the “Fab 5” model on which they will fill in the correct information. The
teacher will help the students fill in the worksheet but will encourage the students to
fill in as much as possible without her assistance. Once they have completed the
worksheet, the teacher will ask the students to read their summary outlines aloud.
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The teacher will pass out the “Fab 5 Practice/Assessment Packet” to the students
and will turn on the ELMO to project her copy onto the Promethean Board. Now, I
want you all to think about the story that you all have been reading about Art. I
have been watching you all during your lessons with Ms. Cherry, and I believe that
you all have comprehended this story quite well. Do you all think you can
summarize that story by using the “Fab 5” model? The teacher will wait for the
students’ responses. Well, I know that you all can do it. So, let’s take about 5 or so
minutes to complete this worksheet together. We are only going to do the first page,
for now.
Who is the main character in the story? The teacher will wait for the students’
responses. The, answer is Art, so let’s write his name in the first blank. The teacher
will write down this information and will wait for the students to do the same.
Next, we need to explain what Art is trying to do. What is Art trying to do, boys and
girls? Is he trying to make Patty his girlfriend? The teacher will wait for the
students’ responses. Well, then, let’s add that to our “Fab 5” model. Write it down
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III.
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in the second blank. The teacher will write down this information and will wait for
the students to do the same.
Great! So, what’s the next thing that we need to write down in the “Fab 5” model?
The teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Yes, we have to write down the
problem that occurred. What’s the problem? The teacher will wait for the students’
responses. Yes! Art is struggling with pitching well. That’s the problem, so let’s
write that down. The teacher will write down this information and will wait for the
students to do the same.
Okay, we have two more boxes. What does Art do to fix his problem with pitching?
The teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Okay, so let’s write that down in
the third blank. The teacher will write down this information and will wait for the
students to do the same.
Last, what happens at the end of the story? The teacher will wait for the students’
responses. So, where should we write that information? The teacher will wait for
the students’ responses. The teacher will write down this information and will wait
for the students to do the same.
Wow! I knew you all could do this. You barely needed my help! You just
summarized all of the different stories about Art in just a few sentences. That’s
great! This proves to me that you have comprehended this story very well! I’m
impressed!
Now, I want you all to take this outline you just made and write a summarizing
paragraph about Art’s story.
(10+ minutes) Assessment: In order to assess the students’ mastery of the skill of
summarizing, the teacher will have the students write a summarizing paragraph about Art.
The “Fab 5 Summary Paragraph” worksheet will be worth 20 points in all, with each aspect
having a value of 3 possible points. Each of the 5 aspects of the worksheet will be graded by
a rubric with a scale ranging from 3 to 1. The rubric will assess the following: 1.) the child’s
ability to correctly identify the main character(s), 2.) what the main character(s) wanted, 3.)
the conflicts that arose throughout the story, 4.) what the main character(s) did to resolve the
issue, and 5.) what occurred at the end of the story. The students must earn at least an 80% to
pass the assessment.
The teacher will turn to the second page of the packet. Okay, now that I see that you all can fill
out the “Fab 5” model, I want you to write a summarizing paragraph on the second page of
your packet that includes all of the parts of the “Fab 5” model in it. What are they again, boys
and girls? The teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Do you have any questions?
The students will complete the worksheet.
(2+ minutes) Closure: In order to close the lesson, the teacher will ask the students to
list the five parts of the “Fab 5”summarizing model. This will allow the teacher to
ensure that the students understood the concept and retained the information that was
taught throughout the lesson.
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Wrapping Up the Lesson: Once the students have all turned in their worksheets, the
teacher will review the day’s lesson. Class, who can tell me the five parts of the “Fab 5”
Fultondale Elementary School 5
Mandy Jayne Stanley
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summarizing model? The teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Good! They are
the main character, what he wanted/did, what problems occurred, what he did about
the problems, and what happened at the end of the story. Boys and girls, why is this
“Fab 5” model helpful to us? The teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Exactly!
Because summarizing is a great comprehension tool for us to use when we read stories.
Generalizing The Skill: What other classes can we use the “Fab 5” model in? The
teacher will wait for the students’ responses. Yes! We can use them in science or social
studies to summarize what we read in our textbooks. Well, that is all that we have for
today! Thank you so much for being so cooperative for me this morning. I will see
some of you later on, today.
Differentiation Strategies:
 IEP Goal Met: When given a reading passage, the students must accurately summarize it
with 80% accuracy when given 5 trials.
 Small Group Accommodations/Modifications:
o In order to meet the special needs of this group of students, this lesson will be
taught in a small group setting in the special education resource classroom. This
will ensure that the teacher can monitor the progress of each student and provide
individualized intervention when necessary.
 Individual Learners:
o Student D: In order to ensure that this student is retaining the information, the
teacher will make intentional efforts to ask this student questions throughout the
lesson. This student needs opportunities to think aloud throughout lessons in order
to help him organize his thoughts.
o Student T: In order to ensure that this student actively engages in this lesson, the
teacher will closely monitor the student’s attentiveness and cooperation.
o Student K: In order to ensure that this student is retaining the information, the
teacher will make intentional efforts to ask this student questions throughout the
lesson. This student needs opportunities to think aloud throughout lessons in order
to help her organize her thoughts and make connections to her schema.
o Student C: In order to ensure that this student stays on task throughout this
lesson, the teacher will closely monitor this student’s attentiveness. She will also
sit him in the seat in front of her so that she can hold his attention.
 Re-Teaching: If the students struggle with this assignment, the teacher will have them
practice writing a summary without using the “Fab 5” model.
Materials and Resources:
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“Fab 5” Flipchart (Brainstorming Map & “Fab 5” Template)
“Fab 5” Practice/Assessment Packet (Outlined Summary & Summary Paragraph Template) (5
copies)
“Fab 5” Summarizing Rubric (1 copy)
Promethean Board
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ELMO
Pencils
Reflection:
 Data Collection:
o Student C: 93% (14/15)
o Student D: 100% (15/15)
o Student K: 93% (14/15)
o Student T: 86.6% (13/15)
-All students passed this assessment!
 Supervisor Reflection:
Mrs. Caldwell really seemed to enjoy my lesson! Thankfully, the kids were very attentive and
responsive throughout the lesson, so it made it very easy for me to deliver the content and
monitor their retention of the information. Like Mrs. Caldwell said, “Repetition is a part of
retention,” and she explained that she really liked how I went over each box of the “Fab 5”
model and had the students read it along with me. Mrs. Caldwell also said that I did a good of
monitoring each individual student, quickly redirecting their attention, keeping them actively
engaged by letting them “share the pen” with me on the Promethean Board, and that I also made
it easy to follow along because I stuck to the lesson plan. While discussing the individual
students, Mrs. Caldwell said that the students were really engaged and that my rapport at the
beginning of the lesson about Halloween costumes really helped draw them in so that I could
easily redirect them at the beginning of the lesson. One thing that she suggested for me to do
when I teach this lesson the next time would be to incorporate some kind of a sequencing game
so that my students could mix up the different parts of the summary and then put them in the
proper order. The kids would LOVE that! So, I’ll make sure to add that in for the next time.
It is so encouraging to have someone who has been in the educational field for so long tell me
that I am doing a good job and that I am a pleasure to work with. Now, I feel as though I can take
on this last week with a smile.
 Personal Reflection:
I really feel as though this lesson went really well today. I tried to keep in consideration the
critique that Ms. Cherry previously gave me about keeping time in consideration while planning.
We actually had about five minutes to spare at the end of the lesson, so I feel as though I
accurately implemented this recommendation. I also feel as though I did a really good job of
relating to my students and activating their prior knowledge throughout the lesson. The
brainstorming web was successful, and the students were really able to tell me what they already
knew about summarizing and transfer it to the new information. They were also very attentive
during this lesson, and I had to thank them and let them thank themselves with a round of
applause at the end of the lesson. Having my Promethean Board flipchart previously made after
downloading ActivInspire onto my computer really helped out. Now, I wish I had a Promethean
Board in my dorm room! I feel as though I could easily use this lesson again in the future by
changing the difficulty level, the text, and making it grade level appropriate. It really made me
happy to hear, “But, I don’t want to leave,” from one of my students when 9:00 came!
Fultondale Elementary School 7
Mandy Jayne Stanley
Student Work: Assessment