ENG 1D:​ ​Summary Writing Activity: “The Story Beyond the Cover” 

 
Overall Expectations:  
Reading and Literature Studies 
1. Reading for Meaning 
1.3 Demonstrating Understanding of Content 
Writing 
1. Developing and Organizing Content 
1.1 Identifying Topic, Purpose, and Audience  
1.4 Organizing Ideas 
4. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies 
4.1 Metacognition 
Media  
3. Creating Media Texts  
3.4 Producing Media Texts 
 
Learning Goals: 
Students will… 
1. Read a story from the ​list of options​, and collect plot information 
2. Write a summary of the story (one paragraph in length) 
3. Further reduce their writing to a six-word-story  
4. Create a book jacket (including visuals) to amalgamate the process 
Success Criteria:  
Evidence of... 
1. Understanding the story from the list of options, and collect accurate and all of the 
pertinent plot information 
2. Coherent summary writing, by including the 5W and H, main and sequential events, and 
adhere to the one paragraph (or less) guideline 
3. Understanding and producing the main idea of the story/summary through six words, or 
that the six words display a central event to the story 
4. Creating a book jacket by including relevant visual imagery, an appropriate 
six-word-story, as well as inclusion of all the book jacket requirements to amalgamate the 
process 
Activity Duration: ​~1 week (dependant on the grade level and student progress/work ethic) 
Materials:  
● Chromebooks, laptops, or printouts  
● Overhead projector or chalkboard (for teacher explanations and examples) 
● White and colourful paper, glue, markers, pens, pencils, tape 
 
 
 
 
PART A: The Story 
Choose​ ONE short story from the list below: 
 
1. “Lamb to the Slaughter” by ​Roald Dahl 
http://springhs.rockyview.ab.ca/Members/icomba/language-arts-9/short-story/Lamb%20to%20the%20Sla
ughter.pdf/view 
 
2. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin 
https://my.hrw.com/support/hos/hostpdf/host_text_219.pdf 
 
3. “​The Lottery​” by Shirley Jackson 
https://sites.middlebury.edu/individualandthesociety/files/2010/09/jackson_lottery.pdf 
 
4. “​Thank you, Ma’am​” by Langston Hughes 
http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/646441/vantt/Thank%20You_%20Ma_am.pdf 
 
5. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe 
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the_tell-tale_heart_0.pdf 
 
Read​ through the story for the first time without taking any notes until the end. Re-read the story to 
gather more information, and to ensure you understand the events.  
Remember:​ You want to extract the noodles from the water! 
 
I suggest you gather notes on the ​5Ws and H​, and organize a ​plot chart​. You may also want to 
take down some notes in ​bullet point​ form.  
 
PART B: The Summary 
 
You are to write a plot summary on your chosen short story.  
 
1. Begin with a ​clear identification​ of the ​type of work, title, author, and main point (present 
tense)​. 
For example: ​In the feature article "Four Kinds of Reading," the author, Donald Hall, explains 
his opinion about different types of reading. 
 
2. ​Refer to your outline​ and your drafts to make sure you have covered the ​important/main 
points (sequence of significant events)​. 
 
3. ​Never put any of your own ideas, opinions, or interpretations​ into the summary. This 
means you have to be very careful of your word choice. 
 
4. Write using "​summarizing language​." It is good to remind your reader that this is a summary 
by using phrases ​such as ​the article claims, the author suggests, ​etc. 
 
  
**Remember:  
#4 talks about writing a theme summary. 
We are writing a ​plot​ summary, ​not​ a theme summary.​ ​Refer to the Summary Writing Slideshow to 
refresh your memory for the definition of a plot summary. 
 
PART C: The 6-Word-Story/Summary 
Write a six-word-story. This extremely short story/summary will act as the new title on you book jacket.  
 
A six-word-story is a story told with only six words. For example… 
 
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."  
 
by Ernest Hemingway 
 
**Resource to give you some ideas of six-word-stories: 
http://www.sixwordstories.net/ 
 
Part D: The Visual and the Presentation 
 
You will be creating a book jacket for your short story. 
 
  Original   
  Title    
Summary     
  Author of   
  the short  Title: Six-Word-Story 
  story   
   
   
   
   
  Image 
   
   
   
  Your name  
 
Back Spine Front/Cover 
You ​must​ include: 
 
● Title and author of your short story 
● Six-word-story (the title of the book jacket) 
● Summary 
● A cover image 
You may exceed the requirements by adding: 
 
● Awards 
● Testimonials 
● Publishing House 
● Biography 
● Reviews  
● Additional visuals  
● Etc. 
 
You will be showing your book jacket in a “science fair” style presentation. You will need to give a short 
presentation about your assignment; use your skills and feedback from your Literary Terms presentation! 
 
Good luck! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ENG1D: SUMMARY WRITING ASSIGNMENT RUBRIC 
 
Name: Short Story: 
 
O2: ​Speaking to  R1: ​Reading for  W1: ​Developing  W3: ​Applying  M3: ​Creating 
Communicate:​ use  Meaning:​ ​read and  and Organizing  Knowledge of  Media Texts:​ create 
speaking skills and  demonstrate an  Content:​ generate,  Conventions:​ use  a variety of media 
strategies  understanding of a  gather, and organize  editing,  texts for different 
appropriately to  variety of  ideas and  proofreading, and  purposes and 
communicate with  informational,  information to write  publishing skills and  audiences, using 
different audiences  literary, and graphic  for an intended  strategies, and  appropriate forms, 
for a variety of  texts, using a range  purpose and  knowledge of  conventions, and 
purposes  of strategies to  audience  language  techniques 
  construct meaning    conventions, to   
Level 3: Introduce    Level 3: Summary  correct errors, refine  Level 3: Includes a 
yourself and your  Level 3: Evidence  follows the  expression, and  six-word-story; 
book jacket;  of having read the  guidelines:  present their work  original short story 
explain your  short story;  evidence of the  effectively  title and author; 
six-word-story;  summary reflects a  5Ws and H; main    relevant visual 
explain the  comprehension of  events of the plot  Level 3:  imagery; 
visuals; conclude.   key events and  (chronological  Completed self-  summary. 
  vocabulary;  order); transition  and peer- editing   
Level 4:  coherent summary  words.   (submitted)  Level 4:  
Detailed, thorough,  and explanation.     including  Above and beyond 
insightful      grammar, spelling,  the basics. 
explanation of  Level 4:  Level 4:  length, etc.   
six-word-story;  Detailed, thorough,  Extremely well   
visuals.  insightful.   organized, fluid,  Level 4:  
excellent use of  Extremely helpful 
exact vocabulary.   and thorough 
  peer-editor (let us 
know if you did 
more than we saw in 
class); nearly 
flawless grammar, 
spelling. Effective 
and concise.  

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