Each student writes a one paragraph summary of a chapter of a book and then illustrates their chapter. It can be used for a book the whole class is reading so then all of the summaries are collected and bound together to create a “summary book” of the book read. This activity can be used for both fiction and non-fiction books in any subject and any grade, although this activity is linked to upper primary SOLs. This activity assesses reading comprehension and practices all writing skills. It also includes Art SOLs, and if you have students create their final products on the computer, then you would be incorporating the Computer Technology SOLs as well. If it is used for a non-fiction text in a different content class, then the activity would also cover those SOLs. It can be used for EL classes in middle school also. 

The student will demonstrate an understanding of the lives of the native people and locate the three American Indian language groups. Fourth grade students are learning about American Indians and the three major language groups spoken in Virginia. These comprehension “mix-ups” are a great way to monitor students’ understanding of the content along with checking reading comprehension.

The students will locate Virginia and its bordering states on maps of the United States.
The students will also locate and identify important water features of Virginia. Fourth grade students are learning about bordering states as well as bodies of water that were important to the early history of Virginia. These comprehension “mix-ups” are a great way to monitor students’ understanding of the content along with checking reading comprehension.

While 4th grade students are learning about space, this is a great resource to enhance students’ understanding of the solar system.