4th Grade Summarizing

Where the Wild Things Are
By Maurice Sendak

About the Book:

One night Max dresses up in his wolf suit and gets into trouble by doing things he shouldn't be doing. His mother punishing him by sending him to his room with no supper. Max's imagination transforms his room into setting where he finds the place of wild things. Max is able to tame the wild things and they make him their king because they most fear him. Max returns from his imagination when he smells his dinner.

About the Author:

Maurice Sendak was born in Brooklyn in 1928. He has been writing and illustrating children's' books for over 40 years. Maurice He now lives in Connecticut.

Awards:

• 1964 Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are


• 1970 International Hans Christian Andersen Award


• 1983 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from


• 1997 National Medal of Arts from President Clinton


• 2003 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

Illustrations done in other books where he was not the author:

• A Hole Is to Dig by Ruth Krauss


• Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik


• The Juniper Tree by Randall Jarrell,


• Other Tales from Grimm by Randall Jerrell

Purpose:

This book was chosen to teach writing an effective summary because there are several different details that the students could use to complete their summaries. Because of the details in the book students should be able to put the summaries in their own words with little difficulty.

Minilesson:

Before reading the story students will review that make a good summary. The teacher will explain that a summary contains a main idea, supporting details, and is written in your own words. She will give examples of a good summary. The teacher will also give examples summaries that may be missing a piece to make it complete. The students will give suggestions a class to make the summaries complete.

Students will then listen to the teacher read Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak on the reading carpet. While reading the teacher will ask small questions about what is happening the book.

After reading the story students will return to their seats and begin writing an effective complete summary of the book. Their summary will include 3-4 supporting details as well as the main idea.

Standard:
Writing Applications
B. Write responses to literature that summarize main ideas and significant details and support interpretations with references to the text.