Reading

Writing a Summary

Summarize the story:

Remember to:

· Topic Sentence - Begin with a general statement about what the story is about…”Title” is a story about…

· Introduce main character(s), setting and main problem…In the beginning,…

· Tell the main events that lead to the solution. Be descriptive and use specific examples.

· Explain the solution – In the end,…

* Final thought - Explain what the main character learned or the morale of the story

Sample: The Giving Tree

"The Giving Tree” is a story about a boy and a tree. In the beginning, the boy spends a lot of time with the tree. They play games like hide and seek and king of the forest. The tree loves the boy and the boy loves the tree. As the boy grows, he does not visit the tree as often. He would often come to the tree and ask for things like money, a house or a boat. The tree does not have those things, so it gives the boy its apples, branches and even its trunk. After all that, the only thing left of the tree is a stump. In the end, the boy returns to the tree one last time. He is no longer a boy but an old man. He tells it that he is tired and all he needs is a place to sit. The tree offers its stump. The boys sits on the tree and they are happy. He learns that through his whole life, the tree never stopped loving him.

Writing a Main Idea

In paragraph form, describe the main idea of the story. Explain the moral, lesson or main message. Use examples from the story to support your idea.

**** Make sure you do not do another 'Summary'. ****

Paragraph Format:

TS – The main idea of ‘Title’ is…(State lesson or moral).

Next – In the story,...(introduce the character and how they begin to learn

their lesson)

Rest – In detail, describe how the lesson is learned

CS – In the end, (repeat main idea)

Sample: The Three Little Pigs

The main idea of 'The Three Little Pigs' is that hard work always pays off. In the story, the first two pigs build their houses out of straw and sticks. It is not hard to build them, but the houses are flimsy and the big, bad wolf has no problem blowing them down. The third big works hard and builds a house out of bricks. The wolf is unable to blow that house down and the third pig lives happily ever after in his fortress. In the end, the third pig proves that hard work always pays off in the end.