Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then (Summarizing Strategy)

Do you have students who still give you a retell when you ask for a summary? Why not try the SWBST strategy with your students?

Summarizing is telling the main points of a text rather than giving a detailed account. This comprehension strategy will help your students sort through all of the details and get to the main point of the story. How, you might ask? By allowing them to focus on each literary element in the text.

• S = Somebody (main character)
• W = Wanted (motivation)
• B = But (conflict)
• S = So (event)
• T = Then (resolution)

This poster set has three different versions to suit the needs of the students in your class.

Summarizing a Story Display for the Classroom

This set of posters has been created by a teacher to easily help students remember the main points to include in a summary of a fiction text. Either display each letter (if you have the room), alternatively, you might like to print the first poster (smaller)  that has every letter included in the content and give one copy to each of your students to stick in their books.

Another idea is to display an actual story broken down using this framework. This is an effective way to teach students how to summarise narratives. Here’s an example of this framework in action:

Story Title: “The Lost Treasure”

Somebody: Once upon a time, there was a curious young explorer named Alex.

Wanted: Alex wanted to find the legendary lost treasure hidden deep within the mysterious Jungle of Whispers.

But: Despite numerous challenges, including treacherous terrain and cunning jungle creatures, Alex faced setbacks and struggled to make progress.

So: Undeterred, Alex persevered, learning valuable lessons about resilience and resourcefulness. Along the way, newfound friends joined the quest, adding to the adventure.

Then: In the climax, after overcoming the final obstacle, Alex discovered the long-lost treasure, unlocking not only wealth but also a deeper understanding of the importance of perseverance and collaboration.

This display method helps students distill the essential elements of a story, promoting a deeper understanding of narrative structure while honing their summarization skills.

Download and Summarize Today!

Use the dropdown menu to choose between the easy to print PDF version of these summarizing posters or the editable Google Slide version. 

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

More Summarizing Resources for the Classroom

Looking for more great resources like this one to make your lessons more engaging for your students? We have you covered…

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Summarizing Fiction Slide Deck

Build summarizing skills with fiction texts using these teaching slides.

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Color-Coding Summarizing Fiction Text Worksheets

Practice summarizing small fiction texts with this fun color-coding set of worksheets.

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Summarizing a Story Graphic Organizers

Help students remember the fundamentals of summarizing a story with this set of fun graphic organizers.