Elements of a good summary What makes a good summary? A short (5 sentence summary) should have the following elements: 1 st sentence: Title, author, and the basic Who-What (Who did what to whom) of the piece. ** This should be able to stand alone as a simple summary of the piece. 2 nd sentence-4 th sentence: Each sentence should give one detail that supports the basic summary in sentence one. 5 th sentence: Fiction: tells how it ends Non-Fiction: tells the conclusion of the piece

Sample Summary Can she help me get started? A helpful hint for a summary: Copy the language, and fill in the blanks In the article “ (Put title Here),” by (Put author’s name here), the author discusses _________________________ __________________________. First, the author mentions_____________________. Then, she tells about _________________. Finally, she mentions________________. Her conclusion for the reader is_____________________. A helpful hint for a summary: Copy the language, and fill in the blanks In the article “ (Put title Here),” by (Put author’s name here), the author discusses _________________________ __________________________. First, the author mentions_____________________. Then, she tells about _________________. Finally, she mentions________________. Her conclusion for the reader is_____________________.

Sample Summary Can she show me a good summary? In the article, “A word of caution: Facebook trash talking can be dangerous” by Ana Veciana-Suarez, the writer discusses the possible consequences of posting personal thoughts publicly on the internet. She tells about a boy who was jailed for a “joking” comment about shooting up a kindergarten. It might have gone unnoticed except for its poor timing: right after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. She also mentions another young man arrested for publishing violent messages about murder and bombs on his Facebook. Suarez’s conclusion is that everyone should think carefully before sharing personal thoughts and opinions on social media sites.