ELA or AVID students will love this interactive Halloween lesson on summary vs. reflection using a short story: The Forgotten Room. This resource can be done digitally or through a printed handout and helps students distinguish between summarizing key ideas and providing personal reflections, enhancing critical thinking and writing skills. Perfect for grades 6-9, this ready-to-use activity supports reading comprehension and literary analysis.

What's Included:

1. Google Slides

• Lesson Content: Slides that introduce and explain the differences between a summary and a reflection, with clear definitions.
• Definitions: Side-by-side comparison definitions of summaries and reflections to help students differentiate between the two.
• Interactive Elements: Opportunities for guided practice, where students can engage in summarizing and reflecting on the text The Forgotten Room.

2. Anchor Text: The Forgotten Room

• Story Passage: Short Story: The Forgotten Room is used for the lesson. Students will engage with this text by writing summaries and reflections digitally or through the provided handout.

3. Lesson Plan

• Lesson Breakdown: Instructions for teachers on how to present the lesson and facilitate activities and standards this lesson covers.
• Teaching Tips: Guidance on how to help students understand the distinction between summarizing and reflecting.
• Suggested Questions: Sample prompts and questions to foster student engagement and critical thinking about the story.

4. Student Worksheet

• Story Passage & Questions: a Google Doc which is a printable handout for students to follow along with the digital story and respond on their own paper.

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