Transcript Summary Paragraphs - Northside Middle School

Summary
Paragraphs
Why is it important?
• Reading comprehension
checked by summarizing text
• Learn to use your own words
A Summary Should:
• Be significantly shorter than the original
text
• Contain paraphrasing rather than directly
copying words, phrases, and sentences
• Include BIG IDEAS in sequential order
• Leave out most details
• Leave out personal opinion
• Leave out outside information not from text
• Not have a formal conclusion
5 steps of a summary
• Create a 3 part summary
• Use “Jot Dots” to paraphrase and list BIG
IDEAS
• “Write it Out Loud”
• Put on the corner of desk
• Get out clean sheet of paper and begin
actual summary
Step 1: Create a 3 part
summary
• Name It
– Title and author
• Verb It
– Carefully choose from a list
• Big Picture
– States the Big Idea of the
selection
• Can do before or after
“jot dots”
List of Verbs
tells
shows
describes
explains
discusses
lists
explores
teaches
compares
“is about”
Step 2: “Jot Dots”
• Jot dots are used to pull out 3-6 key events
of points that are important in the summary
• Follow Rule of 5
– Each entry limited to 5 words or less
• Budget your jot dots
–
–
–
–
–
Something important from beginning
Important event from middle in sequential order
Important event from middle in sequential order
Important event from middle in sequential order
How the story ended/how problem was resolved
Step 3: Write it out loud
• Using jot dots orally write the summary
• Turn to your partner and turn your jot dot
into a well developed sentence
• Will help you clarify your ideas before
actually writing
Step 4: Put on Corner of Desk
• This will help you to look at your plan while
writing the actual summary
• This is only the plan for the summary
Step 5: Write the Summary
• Recopy your topic sentence to begin the
summary paragraph
– Create topic sentence from your Name it, Verb
it, Big picture
• Stretch each of your Jot Dots into a full
detailed sentence