"Somebody Wanted But So"

"Somebody Wanted But So" is an after reading strategy that helps students summarize what they have just read. This strategy is one discussed in the Book by Kylene Beers, When Kids Can’t Read. It is a great scaffold when teaching students to summarize what they have read. It is also a great team activity for students to use. You begin by developing a chart with the words Somebody in one column, Wanted in the second column, But in the third column and So in the fourth column.

Instructions:

1. Model the strategy with the student. The use of a narrative poem is often a good way to model.
   a. Read the poem or other text to the students.
   b. Discuss with the students the Somebody to consider.
   c. Ask the students what the Somebody wanted or what occurred that caused a problem.
   d. Next ask the students the But or what occurred that caused a problem.
   e. Finally ask the So which tells how the problem was resolved.
   f. By the end of the session the students will understand that they will have one sentence summarizing the text.
2. If the text is long students may need to break it into chunks. They can connect statements with words like Then, Later, and But.
3. This strategy can also be used to teach point of view as the students change the Somebody column.
4. Once this has been modeled the students can work on this as a team during team time or independently.
5. After practicing as a team you can have them do it independently as an evaluation.

Click here for a sample template of "Somebody Wanted But So" (PDF File).

Click here for a blank template of "Somebody Wanted But So" (MS Word File).

Reference: Beers, K. (2003). When Kids Can’t Read; What Teachers Can Do. New Hampshire: Heinemann.

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