Summarizing, Retelling

By Tanya Henderson

​What is summarizing?

​

• A brief overview of the main points in a story

• It includes the main characters, plot, setting, and conflict and resolution

• A solid summary will show that the reader understood the story after they read it

• Should include the title of the story

• Should be written in YOUR own words​

​What summarizing is NOT...

​

​

• It is not a full retell of the story

• It does not include opinions

• It does not include predictions

• It does not include minor story details​

1. SWBST Somebody... Wanted... But... So... The

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

​What are some good strategies to use?

​5 W's

Who, what, when, where, why?​

​

​​Subheader

​​Subheader

Multiple Choice

What is a summary?

• a short explanation of a text
• a persuasive argument about a text
• a movie based off of a book
• a theme or universal lesson

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

Multiple Choice

A summary should not include the main character of the story.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

An easy way to remember summary for fiction is...

• Someone, Wanted, But, So, Then

• Somebody, Went, But, Somehow, Those

• Someone, Wanted, Then, End

• So, Wanted, But, Then

Multiple Choice

A summary is a retelling of the whole story in my own words.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is true about SUMMARIZING?

• A summary should include many story details.

• A summary is always found in the first sentence of a paragraph or chapter.

• A summary should always be fiction.

• A summary is what the passage is mostly about.

Multiple Choice

Which best describes a summary?

• a really long detailed piece of writing

• the entire text told in your own words

• a dumb thing that teachers make you write

• the main ideas and important details of a text (SWBST)

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between retelling and summarizing?

• A summary is a long detailed paragraph and a retell is not.

• Retell is telling about all the events, while a summary only talks about main ideas.

• Retelling and summarizing are the same thing.

• Retelling is a word used for little kids and summarizing is used for big kids.

Multiple Choice

In a Summary I should include as many details as possible.

• False

• True

Multiple Choice

The title of the story...

• should be included in the summary

• should NOT be included in the summary

Multiple Choice

When some people think about Texas, they think of cowboys on the open range-herding cattle up a dusty trail. However, Texas has much more than open prairie with large herds of cows. There are the mountains of West Texas, the piney hills of east Texas, and the emerald waters off the coast of Padre Island. Texas also has large coastal harbors with numerous sailboats, powerboats, inland lakes, rivers. The swamps of southeast Texas have alligators and other exotic wildlife.

The Summary of this passage is:

• There are a lot of cows in Texas.

• There are many different, varied parts of Texas.

• Texas is one of the biggest states in the United States.

• There are alligators in the swampland of southeast Texas.

Multiple Choice

Tomorrow is Jill's birthday. She is excited because she gets to pick where she will eat dinner. Will it be Mexican food at the Big Enchilada House? Or will it be fried chicken at the Chicken Shack, or a big cheeseburger at Al's Hamburger Palace. She just couldn't decide. Then there was always the Pizza Shop with that great pepperoni pizza. How would she ever decide? Maybe she would just flip a coin.

The Summary of this passage is:

• Jill has many restaurants to choose from for her birthday.

• Jill loves Mexican food.

• The Pizza Shop has the best pizza in town.

• Jill will choose a place by flipping a coin.