Read a short story with a simple plot to the class. Choose a story the students are familiar with so they are able to focus on the different parts of the plot.
Introduce the idea of focusing on the characters in the story and what they are doing. Read back through each section of the story so the kids are able to identify the characters and actions for each section. Document the mini-summaries of each section of the story to create one overall summary for the entire plot.
Read the plot summary you created with the students. Ask the students if the summary includes all of the important parts of the story. Add any extra information that was missed initially.
Summarize the plots of all the stories you read together as a class. This gives the kids a chance to practice plot summaries with you there to guide them.
Divide students into smaller groups based on reading level or interests. Read a story with the group that fits their reading ability and interests. Ask the kids to summarize stories you read in these groups.
Plan drawing activities that allow the kids to use pictures to summarize the plot. Comic strips are an example. The kids draw a picture of each of the main parts of the story to illustrate the plot with each picture in a different pane of a comic strip.
Pass out blank story map worksheets when you want the kids to summarize the plot on their own. A story map is a visual organizer with various bubbles or squares for the components of the story. The students fill in each section to record the basics of the story's plot.