1. S. W. B. S. Somebody Wanted But So Teacher Notes:
Somebody Wanted But So is a technique for summarizing. As such, it can be used in writing class as a framework for planning a story OR as a tool to develop good summarizing skills after reading a story. Several examples are shown here. You can follow up this PowerPoint instruction with more practice with familiar stories, practice using it on stories currently being read in class, or even newspaper articles. If you are looking for an “end of book” project, students can make a flipbook style, illustrated version of a Somebody Wanted But So summary of the story.

2. What is it? It’s a way to summarize a story.
It’s a way to break a story down into its elements.
It’s a way to plan a story.

3. Planning a story. . . Story Elements SWBS Characters Setting
Problem / Conflict
Events
Solution / Ending
SWBS
Somebody (characters)
Wanted (Problem)
But (Problem)
So (Events leading to the solution)

4. Example -- The 3 Little Pigs
Somebody (3 brother pigs)
Wanted (safe homes in the forest)
But (a wolf was blowing down houses and eating pigs)
So (They cooked him)
The only missing story element is---the setting.
If you’ve done SWBS well, you have included it.

5. Example -- Goldilocks Somebody -- little girl named Goldilocks
Wanted -- to find a place to eat and sleep
But - she was in the forest, away from home
So -- she entered the bears’ empty house, ate their porridge, broke a chair, and fell asleep in one of their beds, where they discovered her after their walk.

6. Example-- Titanic
Somebody passengers aboard the largest ship ever built (early 1900’s)
Wanted -- a safe, luxurious boat ride to America
But -- the boat hit an iceberg
So -- the Titanic sunk, drowning many people, haunting the survivors, and fascinating people years later.

7. SWBS is a great way to monitor your reading.
If you can name the SWBS for a story, you understand it.
If you are answering a multiple choice question about a summary statement for a reading passage, pick one that could be a SWBS.