Somebody Wanted But So
Reading Worksheets
Somebody Wanted But So Worksheet
It seems to be hard to find a child who likes summarizing. I have yet to find one who does. However,
all is not lost. Finding the "Somebody Wanted But So" framework has made such a difference. It is so
easy to use, even the youngest kids get it and even, dare I say it, like it!
This framework was apparently comes from the book:
Responses to Literature: Grades K-8 (Paperback), Macon, Bewell & Vogt, 1991
You can also find additional information in this book: When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do
"SWBS also moves students beyond summary writing. As students choose names
for the Somebody column, they are really looking at characters and trying to decide which are the
main characters. In the Wanted column, they look at events of the plot and immediately talk about
main ideas and details. With the But column, they are examining conflict. With the So column,
they are looking at resolutions."
The book goes on to say that none of their students were interested in summarizing the story. Yet, when they used the
Somebody-Wanted-But-So framework, the students were not only willing to summarize, they were actually interested in
the summary.
This is a very powerful tool!
The book goes on to say: "...they noticed how some summaries are detailed and others are general. Plus
through SWBS, they began a discussion on character differences and character motivations. This single
strategy not only provides a scaffold for writing summaries, it also helps students to identify main
ideas and details, recognize cause and effect relationships, make generalizations, identify character
differences, and understand how shifting the point of view emphasizes different aspects of the story."
I have seen examples of this used for both fiction and non-fiction texts. The book suggests
using "Something Happened...then This Occurred" for science texts. So it is possible to adapt the framework
beyond the narrative.
How to use the strategy
First, as with everything, you should model it. Selecting a very easy, short and familiar poem or story like
the Three Little Pigs works great! The great thing about choosing the Three Little Pigs is that you can model
different points of view very simply.
Somebody: The character(s). Usually the main character but alternate points
of view are interesting
Wanted: The character's goal or motivation
But: The confict
So: The Resolution
Sometimes "then" is included but that is not always helpful since stories are not always written that way.
Three Little Pigs
| Somebody | Wanted | But | So |
| First Little Pig | Wanted to be safe | He built his house out of straw | The big bad wolf blew it down and the pig ran to the second pig's house |
| Second Little Pig | Wanted to be safe | He built his house out of sticks | The big bad wolf blew it down and the pig ran to the third pig's house |
| Third Little Pig | Wanted to be safe | He built his house out of bricks and put a pot under the chimney | The big bad wolf could not blow it down so he came down the chimney into the pot |
Three Little Pigs - Alternate Point of View
| Somebody | Wanted | But | So |
| Big Bad Wolf | Wanted to eat the pig | The pig was in his straw house | The Big Bad Wolf huffed and puffed and blew the house down |
| Big Bad Wolf | Wanted to eat the pig | The pig was in his stick house | The Big Bad Wolf huffed and puffed and blew the house down |
| Big Bad Wolf | Wanted to eat the pig | The pig was in his brick house | The Big Bad Wolf huffed and puffed and could not blow the house down, so he went down the chimney and landed in a pot of boiling water |
Meet Kaya (American Girl Series)
| Somebody | Wanted | But | So |
| Kaya | to race | she had to take care of her brothers | Kaya asked Speaking Rain to do it |
| Kaya | to find her brothers | she got caught | she had to see whipwoman |
| Kaya | to save Speaking Rain | She was in fast moving water | Kaya had Steps High go in the River |
Amelia Bedilia - Play Ball
| Somebody | Wanted | But | So |
| The boys | to play their baseball game | but a player was sick | Amelia offered to play |
| The boys | Amelia to "put Dick out" | She misunderstood and tried to carry Dick off the field | the boys yelled to put him down |
| The boys | Amelia to throw the ball to stop Dick from stealing second | Amelia misunderstood and picked up second base so no one could "steal" it | the boys yelled for her to put it back |
| The boys | Amelia to play catcher | Amelia pushed the batter out of the way to catch the ball | they put her way in the outfield |
| The boys | Amelia to run to home plate | Amelia misunderstood | She stole all the bases and ran all the way to home |
| The boys | The home plate back | Amelia thought the "plate" looked empty | She gave it back with a pile of cookies on top |