A story pyramid is a wonderful way which helps students summarize the text. I tried it with my students and it was great. This is how it goes:

1. ______
2. ______  ______
3. ______ ______  _____
4. ______ ______  _____ ______
5. ______ ______  _____  ______ ______ 
6. ______ ______  _____  ______ ______ ______
7. ______ ______  _____  ______ ______ ______ ______
8. ______ ______  _____  ______ ______  ______ ______  _____ 

• Line 1: Name of the main character
• Line 2: Two words describing main character
• Line 3: Three words describing setting
• Line 4: Four words stating problem
• Line 5: Five words describing one event
• Line 6: Six words describing a second event
• Line 7: Seven words describing a third event
• Line 8: Eight words stating the solution to the problem

Source: 60 Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension in Grades k-8. (Corwin Press)