1. Summaries

2. What is a summary?

3. A summary covers the main points of a work (writing, movie, speech, article, etc.)

4. You will be writing summaries using the IVF format.
Why write a summary?
Find main (key) ideas
Leave out extra & unimportant information
Demonstrate that you understand what you read
Increase comprehension
You will be writing summaries using the IVF format.

5. What does IVF mean?
I = Identify
V = Verb
F = Finish the thought

6. How to set up your paper for an IVF summary

7. Step 1: Fold your paper burrito style (3 columns)
Name
Period
Date

8. Step 2: Label the columns
Name
Period
Date
Identify
Verb
Finish the thought

9. Step 3: Prepare the information
Name
Period
Date
Identify Verb (choose 1) Finish the thought
· Author describes
· Genre (type explains
or kind) tells
· Title
Identify as many of
these as possible!!

10. Example IVF summary Identify Gary Soto’s short story “Seventh Grade”
Verb (choose one)
explains
tells
describes
Finish the thought
a seventh grade boy’s first day of school and how he tries to impress a girl.

11. Now what do I do? Identify Gary Soto’s short story “Seventh Grade”
Verb (choose one)
explains
tells
describes
Finish the thought
a seventh grade boy’s first day of school and how he tries to impress a girl.
Write your summary sentence:
Gary Soto’s short story “Seventh Grade” describes a seventh grade boy’s first day of school and how he tries to impress a girl.