Summarizing Complex Texts

This worksheet is designed for students in Grades 5-7 to strengthen reading comprehension, summarization, and study skills by using artificial intelligence as an academic support tool. Students select a challenging paragraph from a textbook or article, use Google Gemini to generate a simplified explanation or summary, and then compare the AI’s response to their own understanding, building awareness of how summarization supports learning.

Learning Goals

• Reading Comprehension & Summarization (Grades 5-7) – Identify key ideas in complex academic texts.
• Paraphrasing & Synthesis – Restate information in clearer, simpler language while preserving meaning.
• Comprehension Monitoring – Evaluate whether a summary accurately represents the original text.
• Strategic Use of AI – Learn how AI tools can support, but not replace, deep reading and thinking.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with middle-grade ELA and study skills standards.
• Supports Struggling Readers – Helps students break down dense or technical material.
• Encourages Metacognition – Prompts reflection on clarity, accuracy, and understanding.
• Flexible Use – Ideal for content-area reading, study skills lessons, writing instruction, or homework.

This printable worksheet helps students develop stronger strategies for understanding complex texts by combining summarization with reflection. By comparing their own understanding to an AI-generated explanation, learners strengthen paraphrasing skills, retention, and critical evaluation. Suitable for classroom or homeschool use, this no-prep activity promotes thoughtful reading habits and responsible use of technology as a learning aid.

This worksheet is part of our Google Gemini Classroom Activities collection.