Making Magazine Covers That Visually Count: Learning to Summarize With Technology

Abstract

A step‐by‐step guide helps teachers direct 9‐ to 11‐year‐olds as they summarize what they are reading by creating magazine covers. In this activity, young readers use visual images and multiple graphics to connect important ideas, synthesize those ideas, and capture the big picture of a text.The article outlines the theory and research in support of learning to summarize. It highlights how the magazine‐cover activity motivates learners, integrates technology into instruction, and expands readers' ability to summarize and make meaning.