It had been an especially hard practice after school. Coach Armstrong was really pushing the team. He wanted them to win state this year. Ryan was the team captain, so he worked harder than everyone else. He wanted to prove he was a great team captain. So when Ryan got on the bus that afternoon, he was really tired. He put on his headphones and quickly fell asleep.

When Ryan woke up, he did not recognize anything outside his window. He panicked and yelled at the bus driver to stop. He raced up to the front and asked the driver where they were. He hoped he could find his way home from here. Ryan knew his mom would be worried.

The driver was very nice. He told Ryan not to worry. He was starting his route over and could drop Ryan at his stop on the way back.

Which line shows an important idea that would be needed in a summary of this story?

• The driver was very nice.

• He put on his headphones and quickly fell asleep.

• Coach Armstrong was really pushing the team

• He wanted to prove he was a great team captain.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Mikah and his family took a vacation to Florida. Mikah had never been to the beach, so he was very excited. He wanted to swim and make a sand castle. He also wanted to look for sea shells.

They drove for two days to get to Florida. They played car games and told stories and listened to music. It was a very long drive. Mikah was glad when they made it to Florida.

When they arrived, it was raining. Mikah's mom said this happens by the beach. There is a lot of water in the air, so it sometimes rains a little bit each day. She thought the rain would be gone the next day.

The rain did not stop the next day. It kept going for six days. On the last day of their vacation, it finally stopped raining. Mikah and his brother played on the beach all day to make up for a rainy week. Mikah hoped they would never have such a wet vacation again.

Which of the following best summarizes the story?

• Mikah and his family drove to Florida for vacation. Mikah was excited to play on the beach, but when they arrived, it was raining. It rained for six days. On the last day, Mikah and his brother were finally able to play on the beach.

• Mikah's family drove for two days to go to the beach in Florida. Mikah was glad when they arrived because it took a long time to get there. It was a very long drive. When they got there, it was raining, and they were disappointed.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

It was that time of year again. The fifth grade spelling bee was in one week, on Friday. Kendra was nervous. Every fifth grader in the school had to participate, and she was not a great speller. Kendra set herself a goal. She was going to get to the third round of the spelling bee. In third and fourth grade, she was out after the first round. She wanted to at least make it two more rounds.

Kendra had studied for weeks and weeks. She studied day and night. She even made her parents ask her words at dinner. Kendra was determined to do well this time.

The day of the spelling bee, Kendra felt like butterflies were in her stomach. She was really anxious. Her first turn, she spelled her word correctly. Kendra felt relieved. She was at least going to make it to the second round.

Round after round went by, and Kendra was still going. It was down to her and a new kid, Vinny. Vinny misspelled his word. Kendra stood up and walked to the microphone. She breathed in, thought a minute, and spelled the word.

Suddenly, everyone was clapping. Kendra had won the spelling bee!

Which of the following best summarizes the story?

• Kendra was nervous about the spelling bee. She wanted to make it to the third round this year, so she studied very hard. Kendra ended up winning the spelling bee.

• Kendra studied hard and made her parents help her practice. She studied her words at dinner. Kendra spelled all of her words correctly, so she won the spelling bee.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Emily loved Grandma's doll collection. She hoped Grandma would share it with her one day. She especially wanted to have Clarissa. Clarissa was Grandma's favorite. It used to be her grandma's. One day, Emily was at Grandma's by herself when she found the door to the doll cabinet open. She peeked in the cabinet. Clarissa was gone!

Emily froze in fear. She was the only person home. Grandma would be so upset Clarissa was gone. Emily decided to find the doll. She looked all over the house. She searched each room from top to bottom. She even looked in closets and drawers.

Emily was just about to give up when Grandma came home. Grandma was holding something in her arms. It was Clarissa! Emily raced to give Grandma a hug. Grandma explained that Clarissa needed a little extra stuffing, so she took the doll to a special doll maker. She left the cabinet open on accident. Emily was so relieved.

Which of the following best summarizes the story?

• Emily wanted Grandma's doll collection someday, especially Clarissa. One day, Emily noticed that the doll was missing from the cabinet. The door to the cabinet was open. Emily was very worried and searched the house.

• Emily loved her Grandma's doll Clarissa. One day Emily saw that the doll was missing, so she searched the house for it. Grandma came home and told Emily she had taken the doll to get extra stuffing. Emily was relieved.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Delia was so jealous! Her little brother, Ethan, had the chicken pox, and he was getting all of Grandma Thora's attention. When Delia was sick, she just got Mom telling her to rest and take a nap. Grandma Thora was giving Ethan ice cream and letting him watch all of Delia's favorite movies. She wanted to watch them!

Delia huffed and puffed. She could not go in his room because she had never had the chicken pox. She wanted the chicken pox if it meant she got to do fun things with Grandma Thora and miss school. She was going to get in Ethan's room, and fast!

Grandma Thora opened the door to Ethan's room and went downstairs to the kitchen. She was probably getting him more ice cream. Delia just knew he was getting the good sprinkles and chocolate sauce, too!

She slipped in Ethan's room quietly. He was napping. Delia walked up to the bed, took Ethan's arm, and rubbed it against hers. Then she snuck out before anyone would notice.

Two weeks later, Delia was in bed with the chicken pox. She cried and cried because she itched all over. The chicken pox was not fun at all!

Which of the following best summarizes the story?

• Delia was jealous because she wanted Grandma Thora to take care of her and give her ice cream. Delia huffed and puffed because she wanted the chicken pox too.

• Delia decided she was going to use her little brother to catch the chicken pox and get attention. When he was napping, she rubbed his arm against hers, and she got sick.

• Delia was mad that Grandma Thora ignored her and paid attention to her sick little brother. She decided to get sick too, so she rubbed Ethan's arm against hers.

• Delia was jealous of the attention her brother got when he was sick, so she tried to get sick too. Delia then got the chicken pox and realized they were no fun at all.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Nora sped along the sidewalk on her bike. The sweet smell of spring was in the air. That meant school would be out in two months. Nora could hardly wait. She rounded the corner and glanced into Mrs. Bob's front yard. Her name wasn't really Mrs. Bob. Her husband's name was Bob, and everyone called him that. Mrs. Bob became her nickname since their last name was impossible to say, let alone remember. Mrs. Bob was an amazing gardener. Her front yard was positively blooming in the spring. Nora always enjoyed peeking her nose through the front gate to smell the beauty. This time, though, Nora noticed that something was wrong.

Mrs. Bob's garden was a mess. Dead leaves and small branches littered the walkway. The grass was overgrown, and the hedges were in need of a trim. Nora hesitated. Then she went boldly up to the front door and knocked. Mr. Bob came to the door. Answering Nora's questions, he explained that Mrs. Bob had taken a bad fall that winter. She had broken her hip and was still recovering.

"The gardens would have to wait," he said, sighing sadly.

Nora had a plan. She talked with her parents and rallied the neighbors. The next Saturday, they descended on Mrs. Bob's front yard. They raked and hoed and weeded. They bought all of Mrs. Bob's favorite flowers and spent the afternoon planting. Neighbors who had barely seen each other all winter were chatting and laughing together. Mrs. Bob herself even came to the front window, astonished. She waved and laughed. Mr. Bob said he hadn't seen her smile like that in months. Nora was so proud of her neighborhood that day.

Which summary of the selection is correct?

• A young girl rallies her neighborhood to help an older neighbor.

• An elderly neighbor falls down and cannot move for the whole winter.

• A young girl feels proud of her neighborhood in the springtime.

• A young girl rides her bike down the street and notices some trouble.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

What is a summary? (1-2 sentences)

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

When would you most likely summarize a book?

• when you want to forget a book you’ve read

• when you want to tell a friend your opinion of a book but not what it was about

• when you want to tell a friend the gist or main ideas of a book

• when you don’t understand a vocabulary word you read in a book

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

A summary should

• answer the 5 W’s: who, what, when, where and why.

• describe the details but not the main ideas.

• never mention the plot of the text.

• always mention the age of the author.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

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

• What’s Fiona’s neighbor’s favorite color?

• What happens to Fiona?

• Is My Funny Friend Fiona a boring book?

• How long did it take you to read My Funny Friend Fiona?

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2