You should write your summary _________

in your own words with complete sentences

in a secret language that you make up

in fragments without punctuation

What is the first step to summarizing a passage?

Carefully reading through and understanding the text

Write the first important thing you see without even reading the text

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? Will it be fried chicken at the Chicken Shack? She just couldn't decide. Then there was always the Pizza Shop with that great pepperoni pizza. Jill has trouble deciding where to eat, so she will flip a coin. The Summary of this passage is:

Jill has many restaurants to choose from for her birthday, and can't decide. She will flip a coin to help decide.

The Pizza Shop has the best pizza in town.

Jill loves Mexican food, and pizza.

Jill will choose a place by flipping a coin.

For the walls, Jenny thought she would use a bright yellow paint. She would pick a border that had mostly bright red and green colors, and maybe a little bit of blue. She already had found some curtains that were sky blue with streaks of red, blue and yellow that she thought would go great with the walls. And finally, she had picked a carpet that was mostly blue with specks of red and yellow. Jenny couldn't wait till she was done decorating her room. It was really going to look awesome. Which sentence best summarizes the passage?

Jenny was picking out colors and materials to decorate her room.

Jenny was going to paint her room.

Yellow is a good color to paint your walls.

Right now Jason was playing right field. He really wanted to play third base. Earlier this year, coach had put him in left field and second base in a game, but never at third base. Once in practice, coach let him play third base, but he kept missing ground balls. When he did stop one, he made a bad throw to first base. Maybe if he kept practicing, Jason would be good enough to play third base. That was his dream. The best summary of this passage is:

Jason really wanted to play third base.

Jason was the best player on his team.

Jason had trouble catching ground balls.

Jason was too lazy to practice.

It started when they got to the bears. Peter felt tired and his stomach hurt. He dragged himself over to see the elephants, which were eating from a stack of hay. Normally, the elephants were his favorite. Without much interest, Peter followed his classmates to the camels, which were busy swatting flies with their tails. Peter knew he should be having fun at the zoo, but he just felt terrible and all he wanted to do was lie down and rest. Even the lions and tigers did not interest him now. The best summary of this passage is...

Peter didn't enjoy the zoo because he felt really bad.

Peter's favorite animals were the elephants.

The camels were swatting flies with their tails.

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

Seated on his throne, King Midas wore a golden crown. He had golden rings on each finger and held a golden scepter. His vest was embroidered with golden thread and even his shoes had golden ornaments. He had a golden box filled with gold coins. He named his daughter Marigold. What is the main idea of this paragraph?

King Midas had a heart of gold.

Some people say that the White House has ghosts. The most famous ghost is Abraham Lincoln. He is often seen standing in his room looking out the window. Even Eleanor Roosevelt said that she saw him. There is a legend that old Abe walks back and forth all night before something terrible is about to happen. This paragraph mainly tells:

when Eleanor Roosevelt's ghost walked

how many ghosts the White House has

how ghosts show when something will happen

John Robert Lewis is a United States Representative from the state of Georgia. He has served in the House of Representatives since 1987. Lewis has dedicated his life to public service and to advocating for Civil Rights. In fact, he is the last surviving member of the Big Six leaders of the American Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. Now Lewis hopes to reach a new generation of Civil Rights Activists with his own comic book memoir entitled “March: Book Two.” The comic tells the story of Lewis’s life as part of the historic movement and how he became part of the March on Washington, where Lewis was one of ten speakers invited to address the huge crowd that gathered at the Washington Monument. Today, Congressman Lewis could not be happier about his new comic book memoir. “It is my hope,” he says, “…that more and more of the young people engaging in non-violent protests would take a lesson from “March” and use the way of nonviolence.” -Which of the following statements is a key detail from the text?

"It is my hope," he says, "that more and more of the young people engaging in non-violent protests would take a lesson from "March" and use the way of non-violence."

In fact, he is the last surviving member of the Big Six leaders of the American Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.

John Robert Lewis is a United States Representative from the state of Georgia.

The comic tells the story of Lewis' life as part of the historic movement and how he became part of the March on Washington.

The blackpole warbler is a tiny bird that takes an epically long trip. This little songbird lives in the forests of NorthAmerica in the summer. However, when the weather turns cold in North America, the blackpole warbler takes flight.These small birds fly all the way to the Caribbean, where they spend the winter on warm tropical beaches. How far does the warbler fly for this tropical getaway? Scientists have tracked the blackpole warbler and say these amazing birds can fly over 1,700 miles! Which does not belong in a summary of this text?

Scientists study the flight distances of many different kinds of birds.

The blackpole warbler is a small bird.

The blackpole warbler can fly over 1,700 miles

The blackpole warbler lives in North America and the Caribbean.

San Francisco is located on the coast of California in an area often called the Bay Area. The weather is generally very mild, seldom getting really cold or really hot. Its mild climate is one reason many people live there. It seldom snows in San Francisco and generally does not get below freezing during the winter. Even in the middle of summer, temperatures may be in the mid 80s with a cool breeze from the bay keeping the weather very comfortable. Which one best SUMMARIZES the passage?

The weather in San Francisco is generally very mild.

San Francisco has many neat things to do.

Many people choose to live in California.

While reading, if I do not know what I have read, or something is not clear, I should ________

go back and reread to find my answers.

write "I don't know" on my notes.

keep reading, I want to finish first.

keep reading, maybe I will understand later.

Travis and Frederick went to the mall to buy shoes. Frederick decided that he was going to steal pair of shoes from the mall. Travis tried to talk Frederick out of doing it. When they got to the mall and entered the shoes store Travis went to look at some shoes. Frederick pretended to be looking at shoes, when he suddenly bolted for the door with a pair of Nikes. The security guard reached out and grabbed Frederick's arm and took him to the station. Travis just called his mom to pick him up. What is the most appropriate summary?

Travis tried to talk his friend Frederick out of stealing shoes from the mall, but when he did it anyway he got caught.

Travis wanted a pair of shoes from the mall so he got his friend Frederick to steal them.

Frederick thought he could get away with stealing shoes from the mall and he did.

Travis had no idea that Frederick planned to steal from the mall when they planned to buy shoes.

Dinosaurs lived on the Earth for approximately 180 million years. About 250 million years ago during the Permian Period, the Earth's seas shrunk. Reptiles, including dinosaurs, survived this period. The dinosaurs were the strong, dominant reptiles of the period. By the end of the Jurassic Period, dinosaurs had reached enormous sizes and roamed the Earth as leaders. In the Cretaceous Period, the dinosaurs died out, and more mammals began to flourish. The reason why dinosaurs were able to survive the Permian Period was because:

They were stronger than some of the other mammals.

The only needed to eat vegetation in order to survive.

The Permian Period didn't last for a long time.

When you summarize a book, you find its essentials. You think about what you’ve read and decide what matters most. That’s why summarizing builds critical-thinking skills. Summarizing can help you focus on the most important parts of a text and keep them organized in your head. It makes it easier to understand and remember what you’re reading. According to this passage, why are you building critical-thinking skills when you summarize?

because you’re evaluating the text to decide what’s most important

because you’re critiquing the text to determine if it was interesting or boring

because you’re using your imagination to write a new ending

because you’re combining what you’ve learned in one text with your background knowledge

Opinions don’t belong in a summary. You shouldn’t mention if you liked a text or not. Stick to facts and what the text is mostly about, or the main ideas. Read the following passage. The article “Orange You Glad” by Wanda Biederman is all about oranges: the history, varieties and products that are made from them. Oranges are not known to grow wildly. They likely originated in Asia, either in India or in China. Spanish travelers brought the fruit to the Americas in the 1500s. There are bitter oranges and sweet oranges. I like to use bitter oranges to make jelly. Orange juice is made from oranges, and orange oil, which is used to flavor foods, is made of sweet oranges. Oranges are packed with vitamin C, a fact that historically made them a popular food among sailors. Vitamin C helps heal wounds and repair bones. The article concludes with the idea that people should eat an orange, and not an apple, every day. Which of the following details from the passage does not belong in the summary?

“I like to use bitter oranges to make jelly.”

“They likely originated in Asia…”

“...that historically made them a popular food among sailors.”

“Vitamin C helps heal wounds and repair bones.”

Read these sentences from the passage. Burmese pythons are native to Asia, but they have found a new home in Florida. Their numbers are increasing dramatically. Today they can be found in the wild and in suburbs across the state. What is the best summary of this section of the passage?

Native to Asia, Burmese pythons now occupy wild and suburban areas of Florida in growing numbers.

Burmese pythons are now at home in many suburbs in the state of Florida.

Though Burmese pythons are native to Asia, they now live in Florida suburbs.

Visitors to the state of Florida can study populations of the Burmese python in many wild and suburban areas.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be held in Brazil. It will be the 20th year of the World Cup. Brazil was chosen in October of 2007 to host the 2014 competition. Earlier in the year, South America had been chosen as the continent for the contest. Brazil was the only country to put in a bid. This is the second time Brazil will host the World Cup. The country hosted it in 1950. It is the first World Cup to be held in South America since 1978, when Argentina hosted. No other South American country has hosted the World Cup more than once. The summary of this passage is:

The 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil. It is the second time Brazil has been chosen to host the World Cup. Brazil is the only South American country to host the World Cup twice.

The 20th World Cup will take place in 2014. In 2007, it was decided that the competition would be held in South America. It is the first World Cup in South America since 1978.

In October 2007, Brazil was chosen to host the 20th World Cup. Brazil has already hosted the World Cup before. 1978 was the last time a South American country hosted the World Cup.

Early in 2007, South America was chosen as the continent for the 20th World Cup. Brazil was the only country that put in a bid. Brazil hosted the World Cup before in 1950.

Summarizing

Authored by Deepa Vipin

English

9th - 12th Grade

CCSS covered

Used 4+ times

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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Which of the following statements 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.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Which best describes what a summary is?

The main or most important idea of the text

A really long detailed piece of writing

A dumb thing teachers make you write

The entire text in your own words

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

2 mins • 1 pt

The main idea is _____________

The order in which events happen in a story.

A series of important details identified in a nonfiction text.

The big idea or life lesson that the author wants us to take away from a fictional story.

A brief statement that you create which shows/reflects what a nonfiction text is mainly talking about.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

2 mins • 1 pt

A summary is __________

A list of key details in the text that are placed in the correct order.

A short paragraph in a fictional story that reveals the big idea, lesson, or moral.

A short paragraph that you create which includes the main idea of the text and some key important details.

A short paragraph that you find in the text which includes the main idea and some key details.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

A key detail is ___________

A life lesson that the author is trying to communicate to us.

An important point in the text that can help us find the main idea

Reveals the main characters in the story.

Is the main point the author is trying to make about the topic.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Central idea is _________

a topic of a text

what the author is saying about the topic

details that support a claim

an opinion disguised as a fact

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

When would you most likely summarize?

when you want to forget something you've read

when you want to tell a friend your opinion of something you have read but not what it was about

when you want to tell a friend the gist or main ideas of something that you have read

when you don't understand something that you have read

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

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Summarizing

Which of the following statements is true about SUMMARIZING?

Which best describes what a summary is?

The main idea is _____________

A summary is __________

A key detail is ___________

Central idea is _________

When would you most likely summarize?

A summary should _________

You should write your summary _________

What is the first step to summarizing a passage?

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