Summarizing Key Ideas in Texts

What is the purpose of a summary?

• To copy every word from the passage

• To retell the most important ideas in your own words

• To explain what you liked best

• To tell a funny story

What should a good summary include?

• Your opinion and lots of details

• The beginning only

• The main idea and key details

• The last sentence of every paragraph

Which sentence is a good summary of this passage? (Tigers are wild cats that live in Asia. They are great swimmers and hunters. They use their stripes to hide.)

• Tigers live in Asia and are pets.

• Tigers are wild cats that swim and use stripes to hide.

• Tigers are funny and cute.

• Tigers play in zoos.

What does 'central idea' mean?

• A funny sentence

• The most important idea in the text

• The first sentence of the story

• A word you don't know

You are reading about volcanoes. Which detail would help summarize the passage?

• My cousin went to Hawaii.

• Volcanoes can erupt and cause damage.

• I like to read about volcanoes.

• Volcanoes are fun to watch on TV.

If you are writing a summary, you should NOT...

• Include the most important facts

• Copy every single word

• Write in your own words

• Think about the main idea

Read the sentence: 'Bats use echolocation to find food at night.' What is the key detail?

• Bats fly in the morning

• Bats are scary

• Bats use echolocation to find food

• I like bats

After reading a passage, what should you do first to write a summary?

• Skip to the last page

• Write your opinion

• Find the main idea

• Write the title again

A passage talks about how plants grow. What is a good summary?

• Plants are pretty.

• Plants grow when they get sunlight and water.

• Some plants are in my yard.

• I saw a plant in a movie.

Which signal word can help you find a key detail?

• Also

• Yummy

• Maybe

• Wow