WT 166 Writing Summaries

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WT 166

Page 166

Writing Summaries

The same ideas can come in different sizes: an article, a paragraph, and even a topic sentence. You know that you understand ideas if you can summarize them.

Panning for Gold

A summary expresses ideas in a short form. You sift out the main ideas of a longer work and condense them into a clear paragraph. (You can practice summarizing with this activity.)

WT 167

Page 167

Original Reading Selection

Read this article, and then study the summary below. The summary includes only main ideas.

WT 168

Page 168

Writing a Summary

Prewriting

Read Actively 🟪 Pay close attention as you read the material that you will summarize.

🟪 Read once to get the general meaning.
🟪 Read again to focus on specific details.
🟪 Then jot down the main ideas from the reading. (See the steps below for help.)

© Thoughtful Learning 2025

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Page 169

Writing a Draft

Write Your Summary 🟪 Put ideas in your own words.
🟪 Express the most important idea in your topic sentence.
🟪 Write supporting sentences that express main ideas in the same order used in the original.

Revising

Read and Review 🟪 Revise to improve your summary:
🟪 Have you captured the main idea of the original?
🟪 Do other ideas appear in the best order?
🟪 Do your sentences make sense?
🟪 What should you add, remove, or rework in your summary?

Editing & Proofreading

Check for Errors 🟪 Check your spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Then write a neat final copy to share.

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WT 166 Writing Summaries

Print

WT 166

Page 166

Writing Summaries

Panning for Gold

WT 167

Page 167

Original Reading Selection

WT 168

Page 168

Writing a Summary

Prewriting

Read Actively 🟪 Pay close attention as you read the material that you will summarize.

🟪 Read once to get the general meaning.
🟪 Read again to focus on specific details.
🟪 Then jot down the main ideas from the reading. (See the steps below for help.)

© Thoughtful Learning 2025

WT 169

Page 169

Writing a Draft

Write Your Summary 🟪 Put ideas in your own words.
🟪 Express the most important idea in your topic sentence.
🟪 Write supporting sentences that express main ideas in the same order used in the original.

Revising

Read and Review 🟪 Revise to improve your summary:
🟪 Have you captured the main idea of the original?
🟪 Do other ideas appear in the best order?
🟪 Do your sentences make sense?
🟪 What should you add, remove, or rework in your summary?

Editing & Proofreading

Check for Errors 🟪 Check your spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Then write a neat final copy to share.

Teacher Support:

Standards Correlations:

Lesson Plan Resources:

WT 166 Writing Summaries

Page 166

Writing Summaries

Panning for Gold

Page 167

Original Reading Selection

Page 168

Writing a Summary

Prewriting

Read Actively 🟪 Pay close attention as you read the material that you will summarize. 🟪 Read once to get the general meaning. 🟪 Read again to focus on specific details. 🟪 Then jot down the main ideas from the reading. (See the steps below for help.) © Thoughtful Learning 2025

Page 169

Writing a Draft

Write Your Summary 🟪 Put ideas in your own words. 🟪 Express the most important idea in your topic sentence. 🟪 Write supporting sentences that express main ideas in the same order used in the original.

Revising

Read and Review 🟪 Revise to improve your summary: 🟪 Have you captured the main idea of the original? 🟪 Do other ideas appear in the best order? 🟪 Do your sentences make sense? 🟪 What should you add, remove, or rework in your summary?

Editing & Proofreading

Check for Errors 🟪 Check your spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Then write a neat final copy to share.

Teacher Support:

Standards Correlations:

Lesson Plan Resources:

Read Actively 🟪 Pay close attention as you read the material that you will summarize.

🟪 Read once to get the general meaning.
🟪 Read again to focus on specific details.
🟪 Then jot down the main ideas from the reading. (See the steps below for help.)

© Thoughtful Learning 2025

Write Your Summary 🟪 Put ideas in your own words.
🟪 Express the most important idea in your topic sentence.
🟪 Write supporting sentences that express main ideas in the same order used in the original.

Read and Review 🟪 Revise to improve your summary:
🟪 Have you captured the main idea of the original?
🟪 Do other ideas appear in the best order?
🟪 Do your sentences make sense?
🟪 What should you add, remove, or rework in your summary?