Summarizing Details

Define the main idea of an informational text.

• The moral of the story.

• Key details that support the author's message.

• 1-2 words stating what the text is about

• The message or main point an author is trying to make.

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.

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.

A summary does what?

• nothing

• tells an opinion

• makes an educated guess

• is a shorter way to explain a text with important information or key points

Summaries help me...

• understand what I'm reading

• write about what I read

• include the key points of a text

• all of the above

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, swamps of southeast Texas with 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.

When writing a summary for a INFORMATIONAL text, what is a good thing to consider?

• characters

• solution

• details and facts

• conflict

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. The Summary of this passage is:

• San Francisco has many neat things to do.

• It seldom snows in California.

• Many people choose to live in California.

• The weather in San Francisco is generally very mild.

Which title best summarizes this paragraph?

• What Marco Polo Was Like

• Meeting Kublai Khan

• A Wanderer from Italy

• The Travels of Marco Polo

A summary is NOT a place for:

• Opinions

• Main Ideas

• Background knowledge

• Quotes from the text

• Key facts and important details