Unlocking Fiction with SWBST – Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then

This set of summarizing worksheets has been created by a teacher to help students learn how to easily summarize a fiction text. This set of worksheets breaks down the story into five components using the powerful SWBST acronym (Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then). In each worksheets, students are shown a simple fiction text. Students are to spend time reading the short text and then color coding the story into the five components making it easy to provide a summary for each text. 

Students will need the following color highlighters:

• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue 
• Purple

How SWBST Helps Children Summarize

Understanding the SWBST acronym serves as a roadmap for young readers as they navigate the intricacies of fiction texts. “Somebody” prompts them to identify the main character, “Wanted” encourages recognizing character desires or goals, “But” highlights the conflicts or challenges faced, “So” delves into the outcomes or resolutions, and finally, “Then” captures the sequential events. This mnemonic device not only facilitates effective summarization but also cultivates critical thinking skills by guiding students to discern the core elements of a narrative. Our color Me Worksheets utilize this acronym, transforming summarization into an engaging and colorful activity.

Download and Color-Code Today!

Use the dropdown menu to choose between the easy to print PDF version of this resource or the editable Google Slide version. Want to write your own narrative? You totally can by deleting the pre-made stories we have in our worksheets and adding your own! Versatility at its best!

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and a Teach Starter collaborator.

More Summarizing Activities

[resource:593360] [resource:4652917] [resource:1793618]