Writing Application
Learn
In this lesson, you will apply your summarizing skills by writing complete, polished summaries. Writing Application focuses on crafting well-organized summaries that clearly communicate the main ideas of a text.
Parts of a Written Summary
A good written summary includes these elements:
- Topic Sentence: States what the text is about and the main idea
- Key Details: 2-3 important supporting details from the text
- Closing Sentence: Wraps up the summary or states the significance
Summary Writing Checklist
Use this checklist to review your summaries:
- Did I include the main idea?
- Did I use my own words (not copy from the text)?
- Did I include only the most important details?
- Is my summary much shorter than the original?
- Did I leave out my personal opinions?
- Does my summary make sense to someone who hasn't read the original?
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Too much detail: Including minor details that don't support the main idea
- Copying: Using the author's exact words instead of your own
- Adding opinions: Including what you think instead of what the author said
- Missing the main idea: Focusing on details but missing the big picture
- Too long: Writing a summary that is almost as long as the original
Examples
Original Text
Honeybees are incredibly important to our food supply. These tiny insects pollinate about one-third of the food we eat, including fruits, vegetables, and nuts. When bees visit flowers to collect nectar, pollen sticks to their fuzzy bodies. As they fly from flower to flower, they spread this pollen, which helps plants produce fruit and seeds. Without bees, many of our favorite foods would become rare and expensive. Unfortunately, bee populations have been declining due to pesticides, habitat loss, and disease. Scientists and farmers are working together to protect these essential pollinators.
Weak Summary (What NOT to do)
"Honeybees are incredibly important to our food supply. Pollen sticks to their fuzzy bodies. They visit flowers. Scientists are working together."
Problems: Copies exact phrases from the text, includes minor details, doesn't clearly state why bees matter.
Strong Summary (Model)
"Honeybees play a vital role in food production by pollinating about one-third of our crops. However, bee populations are declining due to pesticides, habitat loss, and disease. Scientists and farmers are now working to protect these important insects."
Strengths: Uses own words, includes main idea and key details, appropriate length, no opinions.
Summary Sentence Starters
Use these phrases to begin your summaries:
- "This text is mainly about..."
- "The author explains that..."
- "According to the passage..."
- "The main idea of this article is..."
Practice
Read the following passage and write a complete summary using all the skills you've learned.
The ancient Egyptians built the pyramids as tombs for their pharaohs, or kings. The largest pyramid, called the Great Pyramid of Giza, was built over 4,500 years ago. It took about 20 years and thousands of workers to complete. The pyramid was made of over two million stone blocks, each weighing as much as a car. Workers had to cut, move, and stack these heavy blocks without modern machines. To this day, scientists are still amazed at how the ancient Egyptians accomplished this incredible feat of engineering.
Writing your summary:
- Start with a topic sentence that includes the main idea
- Add 2-3 key supporting details
- End with a closing sentence
- Check your work using the checklist above
Your summary should be about 2-3 sentences long.
Check Your Understanding
Answer these 10 questions to test your summary writing skills.
1. What are the three parts of a written summary?
Show Answer
Answer: Topic sentence (main idea), key details (2-3 supporting details), and closing sentence.
2. Should you include your personal opinions in a summary?
Show Answer
Answer: No, a summary should only include information from the original text, not your personal opinions.
3. What is wrong with copying exact phrases from the original text?
Show Answer
Answer: Copying exact phrases is plagiarism. A summary should restate the information in your own words to show you understand it.
4. How many key details should you typically include in a summary?
Show Answer
Answer: About 2-3 key details that support the main idea.
5. What is a good sentence starter for a summary?
Show Answer
Answer: Examples include: "This text is mainly about...", "The author explains that...", "According to the passage...", or "The main idea of this article is..."
6. Why is "too much detail" a problem in summaries?
Show Answer
Answer: Including too much detail makes the summary too long and can hide the main idea. A summary should only include the most important information.
7. What should a topic sentence in a summary include?
Show Answer
Answer: A topic sentence should state what the text is about and present the main idea.
8. How can you tell if a summary is too long?
Show Answer
Answer: A summary is too long if it is almost as long as the original text or if it includes minor details that don't support the main idea.
9. What makes the "strong summary" example better than the "weak summary" example?
Show Answer
Answer: The strong summary uses the writer's own words, includes the main idea clearly, has appropriate length, focuses on important details, and doesn't include opinions.
10. Why should a summary make sense to someone who hasn't read the original text?
Show Answer
Answer: A good summary captures the essential information so clearly that someone can understand the main points without needing to read the original text.
Next Steps
- Review any concepts that felt challenging
- Practice writing summaries of news articles or book chapters
- Move on to the Unit Checkpoint when ready
- Return to practice problems periodically for review