• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Main idea and supporting details). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Long ago, people did not have fridges. They kept food cold in cellars, packed it in ice, or dried and salted meat so it would last. What is the main idea? (Salt makes food tasty. / People once used other ways to keep food from spoiling. / Cellars are dark. / Fridges are expensive.) → People once used other ways to keep food from spoiling.Prompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
2. Sloths move very slowly. They hang upside down in trees for most of the day. They even sleep and eat upside down. Moving slowly helps them save energy. What is the main idea? (Sloths eat leaves. / Sloths sleep a lot. / Sloths live slow, upside-down lives in trees. / Trees are tall.) → Sloths live slow, upside-down lives in trees.Prompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
3. Spiders are not insects. Insects have six legs, but spiders have eight. Insects have three body parts, while spiders have two. Most insects have wings; spiders never do. What is the main idea? (Spiders have eight legs. / Spiders are different from insects in several ways. / Spiders are scary. / Insects can fly.) → Spiders are different from insects in several ways.Prompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?

• Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
• Share the objective: Choose the best summary of a short text. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: In 2021, a small town opened a 'repair café'. Once a month, volunteers fix broken toasters, toys and bikes for free. In its first year, the café saved over two tonnes of items from being thrown away. Which is the best summary?
• Step 1: The best summary states the main idea and the most important points in your own words.
• Step 2: So the answer is: A town's monthly repair café fixes broken items for free and has kept tonnes of things out of the rubbish.
• Answer: A town's monthly repair café fixes broken items for free and has kept tonnes of things out of the rubbish.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Honeybees live in colonies of thousands. The queen lays the eggs. Worker bees collect nectar and pollen, look after the young and guard the hive. Drones have one job: to mate with a queen. Every bee has a role that keeps the colony alive. Which is the best summary? (Bees are the most amazing insects in the world. / Drones are male bees. / Worker bees collect nectar and pollen. / In a honeybee colony, the queen, workers and drones each have a job that keeps the hive alive.) → In a honeybee colony, the queen, workers and drones each have a job that keeps the hive alive.Prompt: A summary is short and covers the WHOLE text, not just one part.
2. Lena was nervous about the school talent show. At practice, she forgot the words to her song twice. On the night, she spotted her grandad in the front row, giving her a thumbs-up. She took a deep breath, sang every word, and the hall burst into applause. Which is the best summary of the story? (Talent shows are a waste of time. / Lena overcomes her nerves, with her grandad's support, and sings well at the talent show. / Lena forgot the words twice. / Lena's grandad sat in the front row.) → Lena overcomes her nerves, with her grandad's support, and sings well at the talent show.Prompt: A summary is short and covers the WHOLE text, not just one part.

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Amara's family moved to a flat with no garden, and she missed growing things. She asked the neighbours if she could use the empty plant boxes on the shared balcony. By summer, the boxes were full of strawberries, and neighbours who had never spoken before were chatting and swapping recipes. Which is the best summary of the story? (The flat had no garden. / Amara turns empty balcony boxes into a garden that brings her neighbours together. / Everyone should swap recipes. / Amara grew strawberries.) → Amara turns empty balcony boxes into a garden that brings her neighbours together.Prompt: A summary is short and covers the WHOLE text, not just one part.
2. In 2021, a small town opened a 'repair café'. Once a month, volunteers fix broken toasters, toys and bikes for free. In its first year, the café saved over two tonnes of items from being thrown away. Which is the best summary? (The café opened in Wales. / Repair cafés are better than shops. / A town's monthly repair café fixes broken items for free and has kept tonnes of things out of the rubbish. / Volunteers fix toasters.) → A town's monthly repair café fixes broken items for free and has kept tonnes of things out of the rubbish.Prompt: A summary is short and covers the WHOLE text, not just one part.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-4.