Tree Summaries

An After-Reading Activity

Tree Summaries

Tree summaries is a graphic organizer that provides a pictorial representation of the main ideas and supporting details of a text.

Format

There is a Think-Pair-Share format to this activity:

Individual Time Small group Collaboration Whole Group Discussion/Wrap-up

Individual Time

Each student reads the text (story, news article, excerpt from textbook,

etc…)

Students either write directly on the text or use sticky notes to “talk to the text”

(i.e. predict, visualize, ask questions, make connections, clarify…)

Small Group Collaboration

Discuss text and design a summarizing graphic organizer in the shape of a tree:

Roots – at least 4 – each one representing a piece of prior knowledge

Trunk – title Branches – 4 to 6 – one for each main

concept in the text Leaves – the details of each concept Top of the Tree (or Canopy) – an “Ah-hah”

or a new understanding about the topic

Whole Group Discussion

Share tree summaries with the rest of the class, including each small group’s “ah-hah” or new understanding of the text

Final Product for Lesson

Choose a text in your discipline to use for a lesson that incorporates “Tree Summaries” (Download the “Tree Summaries” document)

Conduct the lesson for one or more of your classes

Submit the lesson plan, a copy of the text, a professional reflection (what went well, what could be improved, etc...) and a student work sample (Download Teacher Reflection document)