Unit Plan 33 (Grade 1 ELA): Summarizing & Retelling Key Ideas
Grade 1 informational reading unit: students identify the main topic and key details, then create short oral or visual summaries that explain the gist using friendly frames and media support.

Focus: Main topic + key details; oral/visual summaries
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading Informational • Speaking/Listening • Writing)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Informational readers show understanding by naming the main topic and key details, then turning them into a short oral or visual summary. This week, students practice spotting the topic using titles, pictures, and repeated words; collecting 2–3 big details; and sharing a one-sentence “gist” using friendly frames. They’ll listen to short media to check and clarify understanding before publishing a tiny summary card.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Identify the main topic of an informational text and retell key details (RI.1.2).
- Ask and answer questions about key details presented orally or through media to support a summary (SL.1.2).
- With guidance, recall information from a text or media and write/dictate a one-sentence summary using a simple frame (W.1.8).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 1
- RI.1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
- SL.1.2 Ask and answer questions about key details presented orally or through other media.
- W.1.8 With guidance and support, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Success Criteria — student language
- I can say what the text is mostly about (the main topic).
- I can name 2–3 key details that teach about the topic.
- I can ask or answer a question about a key detail I heard or saw.
- I can share a one-sentence summary that fits the text: “This text is about ___. It tells ___, ___, and ___.”