1. EQ: What is a Summary? Refresher course

2. Key Elements of a Good Summary  It will be short  It will be written in your own words.  It will include the main idea, and KEY supporting details.

3. Steps to Writing a Good Summary  Get rid of redundant or unnecessary information.  Pick out the most important details or event from the passage.  Write a statement that covers everything that the author is trying to say about the topic.

4. It was beginning to get dark. We were still not home yet. I bet dad is going to be mad at us. I yelled at my brother to ride his bike faster but it was difficult to ride a bike uphill. I was so tired that every muscle in my legs were burning. My brother finally got off his bike and sat down. I stopped and went back to help him. Suddenly, there was a car coming toward us. I could see headlights. It was dad. He came to look for us since we were so late getting home. I know I was going to get into trouble but at least we were safe. Dad picked us up and took us home. What is the BEST summary of this passage? a. Two boys got into trouble. They were very late getting home. They could not ride their bikes anymore. b. Two boys were late getting home. Dad came looking for them. He took the boys home. c. He took the boys home. Dad came looking for them. Two boys were late getting home.

5. March 2 was a great day at the New York Public Library. More than 250 first and second graders wore red-and-white-striped stovepipe hats. They were celebrating The Cat in the Hat's 50th birthday. Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat picture book has been published for 50 years now. The famous feline danced with children racing around him. At the same time, pink, purple, and white confetti rained down. Serena Williams, the tennis champion, read The Cat in the Hat to second graders. They sat on brightly-colored rugs around her. Two lucky second graders from PS 152 in Manhattan sat next to Williams on a big red chair. Pink and purple umbrellas hung from the ceiling. The students giggled while Williams made her voice change from deep to high for the many characters in the story. After reading the book, Williams shouted, "Tip your hat to the Cat!" The students took off their hats and waved them excitedly. Which sentence should be included in the summary of the passage above? a. After reading the book, Williams shouted, "Tip your hat to the Cat!" b. The students giggled while Williams made her voice change from deep to high... c. Two lucky second graders from PS 152 in Manhattan sat next to Williams on a big red chair. d. Serena Williams, the tennis champion, read The Cat in the Hat to second graders.

6. It is hard to keep the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles down. The last two sequels, in the early 1990s, nearly flipped them on their backs. However, writer- director Kevin Munroe has changed all of that. Munroe made a movie that is more in tune with the dark side of the original comic book. The earlier Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies were much sillier. This change alone should make the comic book fans very happy. Munroe's TMNT is much darker and grittier than the earlier movies. TMNT succeeds because it takes its heroes seriously. This is the same reason the Superman and Batman franchises have continued to do well. Many people did not like the first three movies. The live-action turtles looked fake and goofy. The CGI world of TMNT is much more realistic. Which of the following best summarizes the newspaper article above? a. The characters in TMNT look real. This is because the entire movie is done using CGI, or computer animation. The movies are now much sillier than the originals b. People who enjoy the original comic book will love TMNT. These movies have done well for so long because Kevin Munroe wrote and directed all of them. c. TMNT is a good movie because it is computer-animated. This is the same reason that Superman and Batman have continued to be liked by wide audiences. d. Kevin Munroe successfully made TMNT more like the original comic book than the earlier movies. It is a darker, more realistic movie that takes its heroes seriously.