Reading Target: Summarizing
NOTE TO TEACHER:
The following pages are intended as a teacher resource to help you
understand key components for building the skill for identifying and
responding to Cause and Effect.
MATERIALS AT A GLANCE
Definition, Purpose, Components, Real-life Examples
Explicit Instruction: Identify Target, Explain, Model, Guided Practice,
Independent Practice, On-going Practice
Graphic Organizers for Different Types of Texts
Narrative: Story Map
Expository: Main Ideas/Detail Map, Tree Map, Summary Funnel,
Herringbone, Combine and Condense
Classroom Resources
Guidelines for Writing a Summary
Checklist for Writing a Summary
Written Summary Holistic Guide
Reading Question Stems
DO
Use portions that you consider important for instructional purposes. Make copies or
project with an in-focus. Feel free to insert sentences of your own in the examples. Find
picture books and grade level texts with cause and effect to personalize your instruction.
Use the teacher model (“I do”), student guided practice (“we do”) , and student
independent practice (“you do”) steps to instruction before evaluating students (“you show”).
Please do not use these materials as worksheets from page-to-page.
Reading Target: Summarizing
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What is a Summary?
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A shortened version of an original text (article, story, chapter)
Restates the key concept of the selection in the first sentence
Includes the most important main ideas/events
Written in paragraph format using own words
What is the Purpose of Summarizing?
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Demonstrates ability to determine importance
Helps recall the main ideas/events of a selection
Heightens awareness of text structures and/or text features
Provides an efficient way of relaying information to others
Enables the reader to understand, organize, and organize information
Components of an Effective Summary:
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Includes a summarizing statement (topic sentence) to tell what the selection is
mostly about by identifying:
o the title of the selection (article, story, chapter)
o the author
o the key concept or message about the topic
Includes main ideas/events from beginning, middle, and end (entire selection)
Follows the order established in the selection
Uses text-based key words and avoids minor details
Is well-written and cohesive (content, organization, style, conventions)
Uses a neutral (reporter’s) voice; avoids making judgments
Reflects only what is in passage
Summarizing: A Real-Life Skill
Research shows that summarizing is a top academic skill that is used life-long (Marzano,
2001).
Ask students to share when and how they use summarizing through the week:
• To recall the main ideas/events of a television show
• To share the highlights of a movie just seen
• To briefly tell the plot of the book or recap the information in a newspaper article
• To tell about a conversation that took place with another friend
• To write a letter to a relative about what has occurred during the past couple of
months
• To briefly tell about a recent event
These are verbal examples of summarizing.
When writing a summary, include only important ideas/events. Avoid insignificant or
minor details. Too much detail in a summary can obscure the important information.
Everett Public School, Elementary Literacy
Provide Explicit Instruction
IDENTIFY the assessed skill: Summarizing
EXPLAIN that authors include much information in selections and that it is important to be
able to identify and remember a writer’s main ideas. Explain that it is also important for the
reader to be able to generalize what topic is mostly about.
MODEL reading of the selection to determine importance:
1. Make a transparency of the selection.
2. Demonstrate using “think alouds” to make your thinking transparent to your students as
you preview the text for the title, the author’s name, and as you skim the selection.
3. Demonstrate using “think alouds” as you carefully read the selection
4. “Code the text” as you read.
5. Determine what the key concept about the topic is. (Ask: What is the passage about?
What are the important things the passage tells about the topic?)
6. Re-read the text to identify main ideas/events.
7. Enter main ideas/events on to a graphic organizer.
8. Demonstrate writing a summary by identifying the components (see above).
9. Demonstrate using a checklist for writing a summary (see below).
GUIDED PRACTICE for small groups or pairs:
1. Provide short selections that can be read independently. Texts may vary to differentiate
for varying reading abilities.
2. Ask students to silently read the selection and to independently code the text.
3. Provide the same graphic organizer as used when modeling.
4. Allow students to fill out the graphic organizer together.
5. Observe groups or pairs as they discuss the task and work together to write a summary.
6. Check for understanding by asking students to identify the various components of the
summary.
7. Ask groups or pairs to use the checklist for writing a summary.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE for each student:
1. Provide multiple opportunities for students to independently read a selection, use a graphic
organizer, write a summary on own, and use the checklist for writing a summary.
2. After writing the summary, students might work in pairs to critique one another’s summary
and share what they learned from the summary.
Repeat Modeling, Guided Practice, and Independent Practice for each type of graphic
organizer introduced.
ON-GOING PRACTICE
Provide on-going practice in which students are required to review and apply the summarizing
strategy as they read subsequent selections.
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Different Graphic Organizers for Different Types of Texts
A. Narrative/Literary Text
Text structure commonly referred to as story elements help the reader
determine what is important:
• Setting or mood
• Main characters
• Problem or conflict
• Actions taken/Main events related to the conflict
• Resolution
Graphic Organizer for Narrative/Literary Text
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Story Map
B. Expository/Informational Text
Text features for informational text may include:
• Headings and subheadings
• Topic sentences may be in first or last sentence of every paragraph
• Charts, diagrams, statistics often indicate key main ideas
• Boldface type or italics, often indicate key words or concepts
• Repeated information is usually important
Graphic
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Organizer for Expository/Informational Text
Main Ideas/Detail Map
Tree Map
Summary Funnel
Herringbone
Combine & Condense
Classroom Resources For Sample Summaries
Write On Track, Grade 3:
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Grade 3 Student Handbook, see “Writing a Summary,” pages 66-69.
Grade 3 Teacher Program Guide see “Forms of Writing,” pages 85-87.
Writers Express, Grades 4 and 5:
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Grade 4/5 Student Handbook, see “Writing a Summary,” pages 185-187.
Grade 4 Teacher Program Guide see “Forms of Writing,” pages 175-178.
Grade 5 Teacher Program Guide see “Forms of Writing,” pages 183-184.
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Name_____________________________________
Story Map
Characters
Problem
Event
Event
Event
Solution
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Setting
Date __________
Name
Date
Main Idea and Supporting Details
Detail:
Detail:
Main Idea:
Detail:
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Detail:
Name
Date
Topic
Important Idea
Summarizing
Organizer
Important
Idea
Important
Idea
Summary
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Important Idea
Main Idea and Supporting Details
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Summary Funnel Directions
Preview the text to determine what type of text it is. The type of text will determine what
components you will watch for while you read. Specific text types are addressed following these
directions.
1. Take notes while you read.
2. When finished reading notes, decide what is most important.
3. Using the Summary Funnel, place key ideas from your notes in the small circles.
Be sure to use your own words and leave out unimportant detail. Only write
ONE big idea or concept per circle.
4. Combine key concepts into a short summary and write it in the big circle at the
bottom of the funnel.
Herringbone Directions
Students ask themselves
• Who (person or group) was involved?
• What did this person or group do?
• When was it done?
• Where was it done?
• How was it done?
• Why did it happen?
1. Write brief responses on the appropriate lines of the fishbone.
2. Use the information organized on the fishbone to help you write a paragraph to
summarize what was read.
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Summary Funnel
Directions: Place main ideas from your notes in the circles. Be sure to use your own words and leave out unimportant detail. Only
write one main idea per circle.
Re-read selection and cross out information in a circle that is not as important as you thought because it is a detail.
Combine main ideas to generalize about the key concept of the article or chapter into a summarizing sentence (topic sentence) and
write it in the big circle at the bottom of the funnel. Then use the lines below to write your short summary.
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Main Idea or
Summary Statement
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Herringbone Organizer
Title: ______________________________ Author: ___________________
Name ____________________________________Date _______________
Combine and Condense
Use short phrases to record important ideas about the main and other important characters, as
well as setting problem, big events, and solution. List one idea on each numbered line. You may
not need all of the lines.
Book / Story title ______________________________________________
1. _________________________
7. _________________________
2. _________________________
8. _________________________
3. _________________________
9. _________________________
4. _________________________
10. _________________________
5. _________________________
11. _________________________
6. _________________________
12. _________________________
Cross out any ideas that are not important to the overall story. Now, combine the ideas that are
left!
Use these ideas to write a summary. Be sure your first sentence includes the title of the story,
the author and a general, overall statement about the story.
Everett Public School, Elementary Literacy
Combine and Condense
Use short phrases to record important ideas about the main and other important characters, as
well as setting problem, big events, and solution. List one idea on each numbered line. You may
not need all of the lines.
Book / Story title:
Little Rid Riding Hood
1. going to grandma’s
2. very gullible
7. wolf ate Red Riding Hood and
dressed as the grandma
3. is tricked by a wolf
8. she is distracted by the flowers
4. cut open wolf
9. Huntsman rescued RRH and G
6. wolf ate grandma
11. grandma had made the cloak
5. mom tells her to go
10. bringing food and cake
12. learns a lesson
Cross out any ideas that are not important to the overall story. Now, combine the ideas that are
left!
Use these ideas to write a summary. Be sure your first sentence includes the title of the story,
the author and a general, overall statement about the story.
Red Riding Hood, by the Brothers Grimm, is the story of a girl who learns the dangers of not
listening to her mother. When sent to deliver goodies to Grandma, Red is tricked by a wolf and is
distracted from her job. While Red is picking flowers the wolf eats Grandma and disguises himself
as her. When Red arrives she is eaten, as well. Luckily, a huntsman arrives and saves them both from
the wolf’s belly.
Everett Public School, Elementary Literacy
Guidelines for Writing a Summary
1. Skim the selection first to get the overall meaning.
2. Read the selection carefully, paying attention to key words and
phrases.
Code the text as your read.
3. Use a graphic organizer provided by your teacher to list the main ideas.
4. Review the selection so you have the overall meaning clearly in mind as
you think about a summarizing statement.
5. Write a summary of the main ideas/events using your own words,
except for those few key words from the original text that cannot be
changed.
Keep the following points in mind:
• Your summarizing statement (topic sentence) should be a clear
statement of the topic and key concept the author is making
about the topic.
• Stick to the essential information: names/characters; dates,
times, places/setting, and similar facts are usually important and
should be included.
• Avoid unimportant ideas that are not needed in a summary are
such things as examples, descriptions, details, and adjectives.
• Try to state each main idea/event in one clear sentence.
6. Check the content of your summary. Will another person understand
the main ideas/events by simply reading the summary?
Everett Public School, Elementary Literacy
Checklist for Writing a Summary
Directions: Use the following checklist to review and revise your own or a classmate’s
summary.
Content/Main Ideas
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Main ideas/main events are clearly stated in the summary.
Important main ideas/events are from the beginning, middle, and end of selection.
All information in the summary is accurate.
Unimportant details have been left out.
Organization
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The first sentence (topic sentence) states the key concept about the topic and
includes the title of the selection and the author.
Each main idea/main event is stated in a separate sentence.
Sentences are written in the order presented in selection.
Style
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The summary is written in the reader’s own words and style.
The summary is shorter than the original selection.
The summary is written in a neutral voice (reporter’s voice); avoids making
judgments
Conventions
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The summary has been checked for punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.
All words, especially names and key terms from the selection, are spelled correctly.
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Written Summary
Holistic Scoring Guide
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Summarizes in own words with a summarizing statement (topic sentence) about
the topic and key concept that includes the author and selection title, and
elaborates on three main ideas/events using key terms from the beginning, middle,
and end of the selection.
Summarizes in own words with a summarizing statement (topic sentence) about
the topic and key concept that includes the author and selection title, and
identifies three main ideas/events using key terms from the beginning, middle,
and end of the selection.
Attempts to summarize in own words with a summarizing statement and identifies
one or two main ideas/events OR provides three main ideas/events, but does not
include a summarizing statement.
Attempts to summarize in own words with one main idea/event and/or includes
unimportant details.
Reading Question Stems
Which sentence best summarizes the story/selection/poem? (Multiple
choice)
In your own words, write a summary of the story/selection/poem. Include
a summarizing statement and three main events from the
story/selection/poem in your summary. (2 points)
Note: For longer passages, may ask students to summarize a section of the passage.
Any one of these titles, might be another title for the selection. Choose
the title you think best fits the story/selection/poem.
(Title)
(Title)
(Title)
Use two details from the story/selection/poem to support your choice.
(2 points)
Note: Make sure titles are summaries of the selection.
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