Summarizing and Finding the Main Idea

What is a summary?

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

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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 the main idea of a book
• when you don't understand a vocabulary word you read in a book

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

You should write your summary

• in your own words with complete sentences
• in a secret language that your make up
• in one draft without revising
• in fragments without punctuation

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

What can you summarize?

• only novels
• only nonfiction
• only movies
• anything you read or watch

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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?

• details about how smartphones and cell phones work
• a detail about where the phrase "put someone on hold" came form
• a brief explanation of how each man was involved in the invention of the telephone
• your opinion about who really invented the telephone

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

When summarizing, I should identify...

• the main idea and supporting details of the plot
• Just the main idea.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In my summary, I just summarize what the story said, and I do not give my personal opinions about what happened.

• True
• False

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In my summary, I should try to avoid using a lot of quotations.

• True
• False

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which of these words could be used as a transition word?

• Good
• Next

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.5.3

CCSS.RI.6.3

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.3