You should write your summary

in your own words with complete sentences

in a secret language that your make up

in fragments without punctuation

The article "The Three Men Who Invented the Telephone" is about three different men who contributed to the invention of the telephone. Which of the following should you include in a summary of this article?

a brief explanation of how each man was involved in the invention of the telephone

details about how smartphones and cell phones work

a detail about where the phrase "put someone on hold" came form

your opinion about who really invented the telephone

I can't wait until this weekend! We’re going to my grandparents’ house and my entire family will be there. I will spend most of my time playing games with my cousins. We always have such a good time together! The day goes by so fast, and by the end we are all exhausted... but we still don’t want to leave! What is the main idea?

The author enjoys spending time with her family.

The author's grandparents live far away.

The author is sad to leave her cousins.

Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants. They will look and behave much like real humans. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind! Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience. They will be smart, strong, and untiring workers whose only goal will be to make our lives easier. What is this selection mainly about?

Someday we will have robots that will be our personal servants.

We will be able to talk to robots and they will be able to respond.

Robots will be untiring workers.

Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience.

Toy cars and trucks were lying all over the floor. Ben had dumped his entire toy box in the middle of his room looking for his favorite blue car. His Uncle Lonnie had given it to him for his birthday. Uncle Lonnie was coming for a visit, and Ben wanted them to play together with it. Ben looked for about an hour and could not find the car. When his mother called him, he stepped on something hard. It was his blue car. What is the main idea or main event of the passage?

Ben found the blue car his Uncle Lonnie gave him by stepping on it

Uncle Lonnie gave Ben a blue car

Ben dumped his entire toy box in the middle of the floor

Students sat in the cafeteria talking loudly. It was lunch time at Green Elementary, and the lunch room was full. The noise and the smell of grilled cheese filled the air. In the corner sat Rudy and Jacob. They were making their daily lunch trades. "I'll give you my cheese crackers for your pretzels," said Jacob. "Okay, I'll give you my vanilla pudding for your sugar cookies," said Rudy. "Deal!" said Jacob. What is the main idea or main event of the passage?

Jacob and Rudy trade food at lunch

Rudy wanted Jacob's sugar cookies

Jacob had cheese crackers and wanted pretzels

Students were talking loudly during lunch at Green Elementary

Melanie hated her green room, and she had asked her mother a hundred times if she could paint it purple. Melanie and her mother worked all afternoon rolling the paint on the wall. Since Melanie was only in the third grade, she was feeling very special because her mother was letting her help. When they were finished, they sat on the floor and had a snack. "Are you happy with the purple?" asked Mother. "Yes. And I even like it more because I was able to help paint it," said Melanie. What is the main idea or main event of the passage?

Melanie liked the purple room she helped paint

Melanie and her mother painted all afternoon

They had a snack on the floor when they were finished

Snow was falling again. Every puzzle was put together, every book was read, and the refrigerator was covered in artwork. Buddy and William were bored. They couldn't go out and play in the snow because they were both sick. Even though school might be canceled tomorrow, they were ready to go back to school. What is the main idea or main event of the passage?

they were bored and ready to go back to school

the refrigerator was covered in artwork, and the puzzles were put together

Scissors, glue, and construction paper covered the desks of every student in the classroom. Mrs. Brown was getting ready to hand out heart-shaped candies. Students were talking softly as they cut out hearts and coloured with markers and crayons. In just 10 minutes they would start their Valentine's Day party. What is the main idea or main event of the passage?

Mrs. Brown's class was getting ready for a Valentine's Day party

Mrs. Brown had heart shaped candy

Scissors, glue, and construction paper were on the desks in the classroom

All of the students were making Valentine's Day cards for their friends

Many people have not heard giraffes make noises. Giraffes do not use sounds to “talk” with each other. When hurt, giraffes make a low moo, something like a cow. When frightened, they make a short, high sound. What is the main idea?

Cows and giraffes talk to each other.

Lots of people have heard giraffes talk.

Tom started to reel in his line. The fish tugged and pulled hard. Judging by the weight of his catch, this fish could feed his family for three days. Tom struggled to stay in the boat and not be pulled over the side. Finally his catch came into view. He had snagged a snapping turtle! What is the main idea?

Tom catches a snapping turtle while fishing.

Tom finds enough food for his family.

Tom gets pulled out of his boat by a huge fish.

Floods can cause tremendous damage. They can ruin houses, roads and buildings. Floods can take down trees and cause mudslides. It often leaves mud, sand and debris behind. It can take months to clean up after a flood. What is the main idea?

Floods can cause a lot of damage.

Floods damage houses and roads.

There are many fun things to do at the beach. Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach. Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed. Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun. It is also fun to look for shells. Some people simply like to sunbathe. What is the main idea?

There are many fun things to do at the beach.

It is also fun to look for shells.

Some people simply like to sunbathe.

Going to the beach to swim can be fun.

One dinosaur had a brain that weighed about as much as three pencils. Its body weighed ten tons and was over twenty feet in length. As you can guess, this dinosaur did not think too clearly. It wasn't the world's brightest dinosaur! What is the main idea of this paragraph?

What one dinosaur's brain was like

Why one dinosaur had a small brain

When we think of seaweed, we usually picture brown or green plants a foot or so in length. Seaweeds are also of other colors. Some are red. Some kinds grow to lengths of a hundred feet! These form giant seaweed forests, where many kinds of fish take shelter. What is the main idea?

Why some seaweed grows so large

The red, green and amber traffic light is a safety signal. Yet some drivers don't see it. Some drivers don't obey it. People cross the street without looking at it. Often the traffic light turns out to be a signal of death. What is the main idea?

Why all people obey traffic lights

Why all people disobey traffic lights

There are about 13,000 wild horses in our country. Most are in the high lands of the Southwest. The horses find great difficulty in getting food during the winter months. Snow covers the grass and small bushes that they feed on. Their numbers grow smaller each year. What is the main idea?

What is happening to our wild horses

Why grass and bushes can't be seen

There are about 13,000 wild horses in our country. Most are in the high lands of the Southwest. The horses find great difficulty in getting food during the winter months. Snow covers the grass and small bushes that they feed on. Their numbers grow smaller each year. What is the main idea?

What is happening to our wild horses

Why grass and bushes can't be seen

Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information. That's why they use pictures. The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way. Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?

Pictures help weather reporters get information out in a fast way

Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is

Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short

They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area

I can't wait until this weekend! We’re going to my grandparents’ house and my entire family will be there. I will spend most of my time playing games with my cousins. We always have such a good time together! The day goes by so fast, and by the end we are all exhausted... but we still don’t want to leave! What is the main idea?

The author enjoys spending time with her family.

The author's grandparents live far away.

The author is sad to leave her cousins.

Aaron and Angel are friends. They look alike. They talk alike. Sometimes the dress alike. People think Aaron is Angel. People think Angel is Aaron. The boys think it is funny.

Aaron and Angel are alike in many ways.

Mrs. Gonzales likes to paint. She likes the pretty colors. She draws a picture first. Then she uses her paints. She gives her pictures to her son.

Mrs. Gonzales does not paint well.

An important farm crop in the United States is cotton. Cotton is used for making clothing. Cotton is still a popular choice for clothes because it is easy to clean and last a long time.

Cotton is important for making clothes.

Cotton is the most important U.S. crop.

Yaretzi to jump rope at recess with her friends. She can jump fast. She can do some tricks. Yaretzi likes to jump a lot. She is the best jumpers at Lugo Elementary.

Yaretyzi does not like to jump.

There are 10 students in Ms. Smith class. They are good students. They do study and learn everyday. They improve their social skills. Sometimes they make a lot of noise.

Ten students are in Ms. Smith class.

Darlene had a picture of her class. Everyone was in the picture. The teacher looked happy. It was a nice picture to have.

Darlene likes to take pictures.

Growing vegetables can be fun. Ethan grew cabbage and tomatoes in his garden. Ethan took good care of the plants in his garden. The best part was eating them.

Ethan grew two kinds of vegetables.

There are many fun things to do at the beach. Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach. Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed. Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun. It is also fun to look for shells. Some people simply like to sunbathe. What is the main idea?

There are many fun things to do at the beach.

It is also fun to look for shells.

Some people simply like to sunbathe.

Going to the beach to swim can be fun.

Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer. Soccer players learn how to dribble and pass the ball. They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score. Most importantly, soccer players learn how to work together with their teammates. What is the main idea?

Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.

They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.

Soccer players learn how to dribble.

They learn how to work together as teammates.

John and Matt want to be firemen. They want to ride on the big fire truck. John wants to climb ladders and rescue people from fires. Matt wants to hold the big hose and spray water on the fires to put them out. What is the main idea?

John and Matt want to be firemen

Matt wants to hold a fire hose.

They want to ride on the big fire truck.

Jenny visited her grandmother in the hospital. She saw how kind and helpful the nurses were to her grandmother. Now she wants to be a nurse when she grows up. She wants to help sick people get well. What is the main idea?

Her grandmother was in the hospital.

Jenny was glad the nurses were being kind to her grandmother.

Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers. They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go. Mrs. Jones works nights. She bakes cakes, cookies, and pies. Mrs. Brown works in the daytime. She bakes bread and rolls. Both Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are very good bakers. What is the main idea?

Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers

They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.

Main Idea & Summarizing

Quiz

•

English

•

4th Grade

•

Practice Problem

•

Hard

•

CCSS

RL.4.2, RL.5.2, RL.3.2

+31

Standards-aligned

Samantha Taylor

Used 22+ times

FREE Resource

CCSS.RF.4.4C

CCSS.RF.5.4C

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What is a summary?

When would you most likely summarize a book?

A summary should

Which of the following questions should you definitely answer in a summary of the novel My Funny Friend Fiona?

What detail should be cut from this summary:My Funny Friend Fiona is a novel about a girl named Fiona. It's really quick to read, and you should read it because it's the funniest book in the world.

When should you write a draft of your summary?

Which of the following is an example of coding while you read?

You should write your summary

What can you summarize?

The article "The Three Men Who Invented the Telephone" is about three different men who contributed to the invention of the telephone. Which of the following should you include in a summary of this article?

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What detail should be cut from this summary:
My Funny Friend Fiona is a novel about a girl named Fiona. It's really quick to read, and you should read it because it's the funniest book in the world.