What is Summarizing?
  • Summarizing is finding the key ideas and 
   supporting details to get the “gist” of a 
   piece of writing. 
  • Skilled readers distill what is important -- 
   based on the purpose of reading -- to 
   understand and recall the text.  
     Three Key Elements of 
        Summarizing
  • Provide an overview or topic statement. 
  • Include key details. 
  • Leave out irrelevant or unimportant details. 
      How is Summarizing 
          Important?
  • Aids students in processing information 
   and focusing in on the key ideas. 
  • Helps students see how ideas fit together 
   to form a coherent whole. 
  • Provides students with a means for 
   presenting their ideas in ways that others 
   can understand. 
    How Does Summarizing Help 
            Students?  
  • Encourages your students to get used to 
    looking for key ideas in the text as they read. 
    This is a key element of comprehension.
  • Helps students connect key ideas to sense or 
    meaning. Summarizing helps them absorb 
    the ideas in the text.
  • Selecting key vocabulary words from the text 
    helps your students expand their word 
    knowledge.  
  • Supports students in both comprehending 
    and remembering information. 
  How Can I Prepare Students to 
      Use This Practice?
  • Provide clear explanations about what 
   summarizing is and how it can help 
   students in all subjects.
  • Share real examples of how students use 
   summarizing every day.  
  • Offer strategies and tools to help students 
   with summarizing, including digital tools.
  • Give students lots of opportunities to 
   practice summarizing many types of texts, 
   both online and in print.