The ability to summarise is an essential skill for the developing reader, but it is also a highly sophisticated skill which needs to be modelled repeatedly by the teacher. It is another of those aspects of reading which sophisticated readers take for granted: as we progress through a text we are subconsciously assimilating and synthesising each new piece of information and constantly updating our summary of the whole.
There are a number of ways in which the ability to summarise effectively can be developed in learners.
Suggested activities
- The title of a film is one form of summary. Can you provide a better title? Explain your choice.
- Write a tagline for the film.
- Write a pitch for the film as you would present it to a potential investor in 25 words or less.
- Write a synopsis (200-300 words) for the investor to accompany the pitch.
- Write a script for a trailer for the film in no more than 100 words.
- Write a tweet about the film to entice people to see it. Stick to the character limit!
- Design a poster for the film, including the key elements
- Record a ‘sound-only’ radio trailer for the film.
- Make a film trailer using a selected edit of shots from the original, adding a VoiceOver (all the films here on Screening Shorts are downloadable and so ideal for editing).