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Summarizing Worksheets & Activities
Summarizing is one of those skills that may seem very easy to a teacher but can be difficult for students who have not been properly taught how to summarize. For many years I did not even teach my seventh and eighth grade students how to summarize. I would just ask them to summarize texts and then get mad at them when they failed to produce quality summaries. I was wrong in doing this. Now I always teach my students how to write summaries.
How To Summarize a Text
Writing a good summary is not as easy as it may appear. It actually requires quite a bit of finesse. First the student must read and comprehend the text. This may involve unpacking lengthy sentences and decoding challenging vocabulary. Then they must identify main ideas and key points, which means that they must have a good enough understanding of the text to distinguish between essential and nonessential information. Finally they must express this information in their own words. This means that summarizing a text requires both comprehension and expression skills.
Additionally, as per the Common Core State Standards, summaries should not contain opinions, background knowledge, or personal information; rather, a summary should be entirely text based. After years of learning to make connections between the text and themselves, students must be retrained to keep themselves out of their writing in regards to summaries. Teaching this skill surely warrants some of your class time.
Here are some resources that I used in my classroom to teach my students how to summarize. I hope that you find this page useful:
Summarizing Lesson
Here is an animated PowerPoint slideshow teaching students how to summarize. It includes definitions, example paragraphs, and a simple review activity using nursery rhymes. This activity is a great way to start your unit on summary.
Summarizing Worksheet 1
Here is a worksheet to help students practice summarizing. Read four nonfiction paragraphs about trains, highlight or underline important information, and write a title for the passage related to its main idea. Then create a summary.
Summarizing Worksheet 2
My students loved reading these four nonfiction passages about ninjas. In this summarizing worksheet, students read the passages, summarize the content, and express the main idea of each passage.
Summarizing Worksheet 3
Here's another activity to give your students practice summarzing nonfiction texts. Students read a long passage about the lost colony of Roanoke, highlight or underline important information, and summarize each paragraph.
Summarizing Practice Activity
Here is a PowerPoint slideshow with four practice passages. Read each passage twice as a class, and then give students time to create summaries. I have them work individually but you could do pairs or small groups too. Then share and discuss their summaries.
Summarizing Review Lesson
Here is a PowerPoint slideshow to help students review summarizing. The lesson looks at example summaries from the Summarizing Practice activity and considers how these responses could be improved.
Summarizing Review Lesson 2
Here is another PowerPoint slideshow to help students review summarizing. This lesson contains new examples, but also looks at summaries from the Summarizing Practice activity to show how these responses could be improved.
Summarizing Test
Here is a test to help you evaluate your students' ability to summarize. Students read a long passage about Johannes Gutenberg and highlight important information in the text. Then they summarize each paragraph, answer multiple-choice questions, and create extended responses.
It's always a good idea to summarize what you've read.
Summarizing
Common Core State Standards
Summary Anchor Standard
R.2 - Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.RL.K.2 - With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
RL.1.2 - Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
RL.2.2 - Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
RL.3.2 - Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
RL.4.2 - Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
RL.5.2 - Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
RL.6.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RL.7.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.8.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.9-10.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.11-12.2 - Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
Click to VIEW Grade Level Standards for R.2
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Jennifer Basham
/ March 7, 2016By the way, do you have the answer key for the test?
Treesa
/ March 1, 2016Thank you… It helped me a lot!!!!
Treesa
/ March 1, 2016BIG THANK YOU!!!! Awesome material…
Paul
/ January 30, 2016This website is fantastic, you really have saved me hours this term with guided reading worksheets. Really can’t thank people like you enough, thank the lord you exist!
Megan Johnson
/ December 9, 2015Would you happen to have the answer key for the test?
Ngaire Booth
/ November 24, 2015Thank you for your hard work and generosity. It is such a relief to find such wonderful resources that can easily be adapted to our Australian curriculum.
Laura B
/ October 28, 2015Thank you for your generosity at sharing such valuable, quality information with the education industry (teachers). Your work is fantastic, and your selflessness is appreciated.
Jamie Williams
/ October 25, 2015First, THANK YOU! As a high school intensive reading teacher, I create all of my own curricula. Your website is a life saver!
In regards to your Summarizing Test – are you referring to a specific “long passage” about Johannes Gutenberg, if so, can you provide me with a link to the passage? Will you be supplying an answer key for the test?
Mr. Morton
/ October 26, 2015You are welcome. I’m so happy that I can help make your challenging job a tad-bit easier.
The Gutenberg passage, which is referenced in the description, is on the test. So, no link is required. Here it is anyway: http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-comprehension-worksheets/summary-test.htm
I am hesitant to post keys for summary tests and activities because the range of acceptable answers is, in my opinion, pretty broad. I feel that it’s best left to your discretion. Best wishes and thank you for visiting.
NSalazar
/ October 13, 2015This has being helpful. Thank you for your time. It is greatly appreciated.
Donna Owen
/ October 12, 2015I absolutely love the worksheet 1 and 2 on Summary and Main Idea! The nonfiction is written so intriguingly as to grab everyone’s interest, even my own! Are there more like these?
kathy cuttonaro
/ September 2, 2015Thank you
kathy cuttonaro
/ September 2, 2015Thank you for the samples of summaries. You have made my day.
Irene
/ August 9, 2015This is really helpful! I’m going to use them on my IGCSE2 students! Thanks! You saved my life!
Sky
/ July 24, 2015The summarizing lesson was very helpful, it would be great if you could also add a few notes on how to tell apart between the main point and elaborations. But thanks for the othe other tips, it help me clear my mind.
navod
/ June 7, 2015omg thank you so much !! this thing helped me alot in my annual exam and this helped me to improve 🙂 can you give me some note making worksheets for grade eight
SantaCruzSuz
/ May 21, 2015I found this website yesterday while preparing for one of my private tutorials—wow!!! This is truly an amazing resource! I hardly ever leave replies on websites, but I just had to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! It’s the best resource that I’ve found on summarizing to be used in a tutorial setting. Explicit, yet succinct, and the examples are VERY helpful, especially the examples of what NOT to do when you’re summarizing!
Ann
/ May 4, 2015Thank you SO much for these WONDERFUL resources!!!! They ae SO useful!
Do you happen to have a key for the Summarizing Test, pleeeeeease???
Thank you again!!!
Anna
/ May 4, 2015Hello!
Do you have the answer key for the summarizing test?
These were all great! thanks for providing them.
Naudia Mckay
/ May 3, 2015BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!
Donna Q.
/ March 31, 2015Can you PLEASE put a 10 question worksheet on summary?
Miss Allison
/ March 18, 2015I love your worksheets for sixth graders. I have used some of every topic while preparing for our common core state test. Thanks for doing the work that I didn’t have time to do!!!!!!
Mr. Morton
/ March 27, 2015I’m so happy to help. Thank you for visiting!
kacey b
/ March 18, 2015Thank you! Used these today in my class here in Tanzania- not a lot of textbook resources available and these were great. You’re right- kids do love ninjas.
Mr. Morton
/ March 27, 2015That’s so cool. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Person McDude
/ February 13, 2015The worksheet (Summary and Main Idea worksheet 2) on ninjas incorrectly labels the Japanese language as Chinese, and mentions China instead of Japan even though it later mentions the Edo period. While many east Asian cultures share similar words and practices, ninjas are from Japan.
Mr. Morton
/ March 2, 2015I am not knowledgeable enough on the topic to give you a satisfying response. Thanks for your input.
Brandon
/ February 17, 2017Thank you for your materials. Very helpful with some of my ESL classes. As to the ninja worksheet, it is incorrectly identified as China. I live and teach in China and speak Chinese. The article is entirely about Japan and even uses Japanese characters, not Chinese.
Mr. Odin
/ January 30, 2015Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for all this stuff! It’s been a significant help to my kids.
The 2nd summary worksheet, however, is entirely incorrect about ninjas, though. “Shinobi no mono” is purely Japanese, and the “swirl” symbol between the two kanji (full Chinese symbols) is the Japanese possessive marker “no” in Hiragana, a uniquely Japanese script.
“Ninja” is a Japanese bastardization of the Mandarin Chinese “ren zher,” which meant “hidden one.”
Now my Japanophile students will get off my back. Thanks again!
Mr. Morton
/ March 2, 2015Ha ha. Yeah, I just used the information off of Wikipedia. I am no expert. I defer to commentator.
Shah
/ January 28, 2015I have been using your materials for teaching since 2014. Thank you so much for making them available to all of us teachers.
Mr. Morton
/ March 2, 2015I’m so happy to hear it. I am working feverishly to create more. Thank you for visiting.
Julie Chitwood
/ January 23, 2015Could you send a copy of the answer key?
Julie Chitwood
/ January 23, 2015I should clarify – answer key for the test. Thank you for the materials! They are a huge help!
smith
/ January 16, 2015I have been using this site since my 1st year of teaching. I always find something I can use for my 3rd graders. The power points are my favorite, especially the ones that are interactive. I certainly appreciate the hard work and resources.
Thank you!!
Jaecon
/ January 10, 2015I really like your website. It helps me a lot in my assignments. More power! It’s great!
Kathy Jarrell
/ January 4, 2015I love this resource. Great material, could you please provide the answer key to the summarizing test? It would help me a lot.
Thanks
Heidi
/ December 10, 2014This website is a God-send! I just discovered it today and I’m able to use so much of this for my Intervention groups! So excited!
Annie
/ December 4, 2014Do you by chance have an answer key for the summary test?
isha
/ November 23, 2014Thanks a lot lot for helping me.
Amanda Keymann
/ November 4, 2014Could I get the key to the Summarizing test.
James
/ October 26, 2014Thank you so much! Perfect resource every time I need something more for reading. Is it too much to say I love you? LOL
Molly
/ October 23, 2014This is an amazing resource, thank you so much for putting so much time and effort into it, your work is greatly appreciated.
Mrs. La-La
/ October 14, 2014Do you have the key for the summarizing test?
Elizabeth Meissner
/ September 21, 2014Thank you so much! I will use this site all year for guided practice. It has saved me hours.
Mr. Morton
/ September 25, 2014You are so welcome.
Tami
/ September 19, 2014This website is a life saver
Bukwurm53
/ August 31, 2014How about some worksheets on connections?
Sheila
/ August 25, 2014Awesome site! Very helpful worksheets, will you be able to post the answers.
Thank you for sharing
Mr. Morton
/ August 27, 2014I’m going to do this today. Thanks for reminding me.
Renee
/ July 23, 2014Any idea when the answer keys will be posted? I stumbled across this website earlier this month. It has proven a goldmine for worksheets and presentations ever since! THANK YOU!
Joanie
/ June 24, 2014this is so helpful.. I am tutoring a middle school student who can benefit, hopefully, from this. It looks great. Thank-you
Mr. Morton
/ July 9, 2014I’m so happy to hear it. Best wishes.
Rehana
/ May 22, 2014Thanks so much – very useful
Sapphire
/ May 16, 2014It Helped :3
Abubakr
/ April 9, 2014Thanks alot for your help.
Bre
/ April 1, 2014Can you post the answers to the worksheets?
Mr. Morton
/ April 21, 2014I have the answer keys.
I just don’t have the time to post them currently.
I will update them this summer.
I promise.
Best wishes,
Morton
m.wol
/ February 28, 2014I love these worksheets you’ve created. I would like more answer keys posted so I can compare my key to yours. However, I appreciate the resource and materials you’ve shared with everyone! Thank You.
Mr. Morton
/ April 21, 2014I have the keys…
I just need the time to post them.
I will do that this summer.
I promise, pinky swear even.
Kittiya
/ February 27, 2014Thank you so much for your kindness.
isha
/ November 23, 2014thanks a lot
C. Badgett
/ February 3, 2014Wow! I just fell upon this website today and I am in HEAVEN! The level of the material is challenging, matches the CC exactly and the passages for quick enough for tons of mini-lessons! I love it! Great job!
Mr. Morton
/ February 11, 2014Thank you for saying so. Best wishes!
Ahmad Ahsan
/ January 4, 2014power point slides are very helpful for me thanks,,,, 🙂