Summarizing

Summarizing Fiction

By Marisol GarazaAmparan

Let's watch a short video about summarizing stories

Multiple Select

Choose the TWO most important characteristics that a summary must have

• It must be long and detailed.

• It must be short or brief

• It must tell all the details of the story.

• It must tell only the main ideas of the story.

• It must be copied straight from the reading.

What are the most important events that make up the story?

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ONLY those events should be included in your summary​

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​Ask yourself this question...

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best summarizes the text?

Squirrels are small creatures that belong to the family of rodents. They have a bushy tail and pointed ears. Squirrels can be divided into three types: tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and flying squirrels. Ground squirrels live in holes that they make on the ground. They eat nuts, fruits, berries, and insects. Tree squirrels live in holes that they make in trees. They eat the bark of trees, fruits, flowers, nuts, and eggs. If needed, they also come down in search of food. Flying squirrels live in nests or in holes that they make in trees. They cannot fly, but they can glide through the air from one tree to another. They eat fruits, berries, nuts, eggs, and small animals.

Squirrels are very possessive about where they live. They make very protective mothers and become wild and violent to protect their babies from enemies. Baby squirrels are blind when they are born and completely depend on their mothers. However, as squirrels get older, they have very good eyesight. They can spot their food from a distance. Many people think that they eat only nuts, but they are actually omnivores. This means that they eat both plants and animals.

Squirrels are considered to be very intelligent. They can imitate the actions of different animals and also of human beings. They hide their food in different places to keep it away from their enemy's reach. Squirrels also use different tricks to protect themselves from their enemies. For instance, they chew the skin of a dead snake and then lick themselves so that they smell like a snake. They then hide in their burrows. When an enemy passes by their burrow, it thinks that the squirrel is a snake. There is so much to learn about squirrels.

• Squirrels have a bushy tail and pointed ears. These pointed ears help them to hear the sound of their enemies. They are intelligent as they use different tricks to protect themselves from their enemies.

• Squirrels are of three types. They are intelligent rodents because they know how to protect their homes and their young ones. They are very flexible and quick as they can move very fast from one place to another.

• Squirrels are rodents and eat fruits and nuts. They are intelligent and teach their babies to protect their food and homes. They also prepare themselves by storing food for the long winter months.

• There are three different types of squirrels, and they are all omnivores. They are protective about their homes and their babies. They use intelligent tricks to store food and keep enemies away.

Multiple Choice

You should write your summary

• in your own words with complete sentences
• in a secret language that you make up
• in one draft without revising
• in fragments without punctuation