Summarizing

Summarizing

​Objective

I will be able to provide a summary of a text by using a central idea and three supporting details to describe what a section of text is mostly about.

​What is a summary?

briefly (shortly, quickly) ​retelling main ideas and key events in YOUR own words

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​includes the most important events or details

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​should be shorter than the text

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​ex: a book summary might be a few paragraphs; a summary of a few paragraphs might be a few sentences

Multiple Select

Select all things that are true about summaries.

• They are shorter than the original text.

• They are extremely detailed and long.

• They retell ideas in your own words.

• They include the most important events and details.

• They tell readers everything.

​Evaluating Summaries

​evaluate: to decide the value of something; assess; see how good something is

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​Ask: Can I understand what happens, even though I haven't read the text?

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​Ask: Does the summary provide major details or unimportant ones?

​Strong Summary vs. Weak Summary

​STRONG

​The novel Life Is a Stage tells about three friends who join their school's drama club. The friends learn the importance of hard work while preparing for their first performance.

​In the novel Life Is a Stage, Becca, Jay, and Chen are friends. They met in first grade and stayed friends until high school. Chen and Jay are neighbors.

​WEAK

Multiple Select

Why is this a weak summary of a novel? Select all that apply.

In the novel Life Is a Stage, Becca, Jay, and Chen are friends. They met in first grade and stayed friends until high school. Chen and Jay are neighbors.

• It doesn't tell the reader anything about what happens in the story.

• It gives too much information.

• It leaves out important details and main ideas.

• It doesn't have an ending.

Multiple Choice

Remember: Strong summaries should only contain the most important details. In the following passage, which detail do you think is the most important?

Juan stood in the batter's box, his bat resting on his shoulder. His jaw dropped as he watched Rowan's ball soar over the fence—a home run! He breathed a deep sigh of relief and his chest deflated. The pressure was off. Juan no longer felt it was his responsibility to win the game for his team.

• Juan's bat rested on his shoulder.

• Juan's teammate hit a home run.

• Juan's chest deflated.

Multiple Choice

Evaluate the summaries below. Then, pick the summary that is the strongest.

• The article "Music World" by Dan Hall shows how modern popular music is influenced by music from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

• "Crunching Numbers" is about Zena, a math whiz. At first, she is admired, but as her knowledge increases, people begin to fear her.

• In "Working Women," Alena Ruiz compares her childhood with a stay-at-home mom to her life now as a working mom. She looks at the pros and cons of each and concludes that both situations can be good.

​Steps to Writing Summaries for Informational Texts

​1. Identify the author and title.

Ex: ​So You Want to be a Graphic Designer? by Michelle Phan

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​2. Identify the author's central idea.

​Ex: graphic design is a rewarding career that requires both artistic talent and computer skills

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​3. Describe key details.

​Ex: how to pursue a career, college programs, type of work done

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​Complete Summary: So You Want to Be a Graphic Designer? by Michelle Phan describes how to pursue a career in graphic design. Phan explains that graphic design is a rewarding career that requires both artistic talent and computer skills. She recommends that students interested in this field attend a two- or four-year college program in fine arts or graphic design. Finally, Phan describes the wide variety of work done by graphic designers. This includes creating advertisements, signs, logos, and Web sites.

Multiple Choice

Which answer below shows the correct order for writing summaries?

• describe key details, identify central idea, identify author and title

• identify central idea, identify author and title, describe key details

• identify author and title, identify central idea, describe key details

• describe key details, identify author and title, identify central idea

Multiple Select

The following sentence states the central idea of an informational text. Select all of the key details that would appear in a summary with this central idea.

Central idea: Dry Tortugas National Park attracts visitors interested in both history and nature.

• Tourists must take a boat or sea plane to the park.

• Visitors explore the park's historic shipwrecks.

• Others come to study the island's animal life.

• Many people come for the coral reefs in the park.

• Visitors take tours of Fort Jefferson built in 1846.

Multiple Choice

Which detail should be included in a summary of the article about Mary Anning?

 

Mary Anning was born May 21, 1799, in Lyme Regis, a small seaside community in Great Britain. The cliffs of Lyme Regis contain many dinosaur fossils. Mary's father, Richard, searched for fossils as a hobby. He passed on this passion to Mary and her brother Joseph. After their father died in an accident, Mary and Joseph supported their family by selling fossils to tourists, museums, and scientists. In 1811, Joseph discovered the skull of a large dinosaur that once lived in the ocean. A year later, Mary found the rest of the skeleton. The Annings' discovery made them famous.

• Lyme Regis is a small seaside community.

• Mary Anning's father died in an accident.

• Mary Anning discovered dinosaur fossils.

• Mary Anning's birthday was May 21.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence best summarizes this paragraph from the article about the Anning family?

After their father died in an accident, Mary and Joseph supported their family by selling fossils to tourists, museums, and scientists. In 1811, Joseph discovered the skull of a large dinosaur that once lived in the ocean. A year later, Mary found the rest of the skeleton. The Annings' discovery made them famous.

• Mary and Joseph Annings' father died in an accident.

• Mary and Joseph Annings' fossil discoveries made them famous.

• Scientists bought fossils from Mary and Joseph Anning.

• Mary Anning found the rest of the dinosaur skeleton.

Multiple Select

Review: A summary of an informational text should include which of the following?

• title and author

• central idea

• main characters

• key details

• setting