Summarizing and Synthesizing Information

Timothy and the Strong Pajamas
By: Vivian Schwarz
Synopsis:
Timothy likes the idea of being strong and having powers to help people. He realizes his super strengths when he puts on his newly sewn up pajamas. He uses his super strength to do good deeds and is willing to help anyone who needs him. Timothy doesn't realize who really helps him in need until he rips his pajamas and all the people who he helped ended up helping him get a lift home. The real hero turns out to be Timothy's mother who fixes the pajamas!

Determining Importance Connection:
For this connection you can have the students use their folded sheet of paper that has, "What the piece is about" on the left side and the other side having, "What it makes me think" Have the students fill out the what it makes me think side first and then the what the piece is about side lastly. It is important for the students to make a connection with the text before figuring out the summary. Making the connection uses deeper meaning and is more important.

Today I Feel Silly By: Jamie Lee Curtis
Synopsis:
This book focuses solely on the moods that children may sometimes feel. It has a creative way of describing each mood. A little girl goes through all these silly little moods and describes what she does when she feels a certain mood.

Determining Importance Connection:
For this connection you can have the students use their folded sheet of paper that has, "What the piece is about" on the left side and the other side having, "What it makes me think" Have the students fill out the what it makes me think side first and then the what the piece is about side lastly. Have the students try and recall a time when they felt silly or felt a certain mood and what did they do? Then have them summarize what the story was about.

Los Gatos Black on Halloween By: Marisa Montes
Synopsis:
This book does a great job of illustrating a spooky Halloween theme with very exciting but spooky illustrations. All the typical Halloween characters come out Halloween night to have a party till some very scary intruders come crash the party and tell some very scary tales!

Determining Importance Connection:
Use the strategy "How reading changes thinking" pg. 183 and have the children talk about what they think the story may be about before reading the text. Afterwards have the children write out or discuss how their thinking evolved after reading the story.