US History: European Explorers

In SLASH this month, 5th graders are learning about US History. First stop, The Age of Exploration! You did an excellent job reading in class today. Now it's time to take that information and turn it into a summary. Cool!

When writing a summary about a famous person, event, or topic, focus on the basic and important facts. Who? What? Where? Why? When?

Remember to...

• Keep your summary short.
• Write about the main ideas.
• Use your own words and key words from the text.
• Do not include your opinion or tell how you feel about the topic.

 

EXCEPTIONAL EXPLORER SUMMARY

For this week's assignment, you will write a summary about one of the explorers we studied. Choose an explorer from the slideshow above and complete the Exceptional Explorer notebook page. More information about explorers (and games!) from The Age of Discovery can be found on this site:

The Ages of Exploration  

This sheet outlines important facts. Use your notes as a guide for your summary.

The first step is to gather information about your explorer and take notes. Add a photo or colored drawing of your explorer in the frame!

Using the information above, type up a summary. Cut it out and glue it into the box on your notebook page (single spaced). Be sure to include an introduction sentence, all of the important information from your notes, and a conclusion sentence. Remember, do not add your opinion about the explorer... only add facts.

Before submitting your summary to the Google form, edit your writing. Check for misspelled words and re-read your summary to make sure it sounds the way you want it to.

Here is a helpful rubric for summary writing:

Key Instructional Elements for Non-Fiction Summaries:
Has a main idea/concept
Includes important facts and details
Is in the writer’s own words
Direct use of text from selections should have quotation marks
Reflects underlying meaning
Includes details in logical order

Here is a look at a completed Exceptional Explorer notes and summary page. If you send me a picture of your notebook page (complete, neat and colorful), I will give you +5 extra credit in the gradebook!

You can click on any image on this page for a closer look.