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 Putting the main idea and main points of a passage into your own words.  Short, sweet, and to the point!  Keeps the main ideas and important details  A good summary should always be stated in a complete sentence. “This paragraph says…” “The author writes…” “The article was about…”  Leave your own opinion out of the summary!  **This is coming from YOU…you are the source.

“A School Where Every Day’s a Snow Day” by Paul Smith With lockers, classrooms, and science labs, this Minturn, Colorado public school is like many others. But 6 th - to 12 th -graders from as far as New Jersey, Virginia, and Michigan flock to Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy for one reason: It’s the only public winter- sports school in the U.S.

Main idea: This paragraph states that, while Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy is similar to many public schools, it is the only one to have a winter-activities focus.

With lockers, classrooms, and science labs, this Minturn, Colorado public school is like many others. But 6 th - to 12 th -graders from as far as New Jersey, Virginia, and Michigan flock to Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy for one reason: It’s the only public winter-sports school in the U.S. Though the 90-student school must meet state academic guidelines, skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports are taken seriously. Academic workloads are lighter in the winter, when students may miss weeks of school to compete around the world.

 Main idea of Paragraph #1: This paragraph states that, while Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy is similar to many public schools, it is the only one to have a winter-activities focus.  Main Idea of Paragraph #2: This paragraph tells that the students at the school must take regular academic classes but may also take winter-sports classes like skiing.  Overall Summary: Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy requires its students to take regular academic classes, but the public school also offers winter-sports classes.

 RESTATING the main points  A paraphrase will often be shorter than the original passage, but will include more details than a summary.  Using synonyms  Reorder the pieces  Reread your paraphrase! If it no longer makes sense or changes the author’s message, you have not paraphrased correctly.  CITE YOUR SOURCE

Paragraph: With lockers, classrooms, and science labs, this Minturn, Colorado public school is like many others. But 6 th - to 12 th - graders from as far as New Jersey, Virginia, and Michigan flock to Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy for one reason: It’s the only public winter-sports school in the U.S. Paraphrase: Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy is similar to other public schools, except that it is the only public school in the country to have a winter-sports focus. As a result, it attracts many 6 th -12 th grade students (Upfront 2).

Every August, the people of Bunol, Spain, pelt each other with thousands of pounds of overripe tomatoes for an hour during La Tomatina. Unlike most festivals, La Tomatina has no religious or historical significance. It seems to have begun in 1944 when a group of young men got into a fight and grabbed some tomatoes from a food stand, and has inspired similar festivals in Reno, Nevada, Costa Rica, Colombia, and China. “The World’s Biggest Food Fight?” from Upfront, October 3, 2011

 In 1944 when a group of young men got into a fight and grabbed some tomatoes from a food stand. This became a tradition. Every August, in Bunol, Spain, people throw overripe tomatoes at each other. This is called La Tomatina (Upfront 2).

Article #1: “A School Where Every Day’s a Snow Day” from Upfront, February 21, 2011 Article #2: “The World’s Biggest Food Fight?” from Upfront, October 3, 2011