Elements of a good summary

What makes a

good summary?

A short (5 sentence summary) should have the following elements:

1st sentence: Title, author, and the basic

Who-What (Who did what to whom) of the

piece. **This should be able to stand alone as a

simple summary of the piece.

2nd sentence-4th sentence: Each sentence

should give one detail that supports the basic

summary in sentence one.

5th sentence: Fiction: tells how it ends

Non-Fiction: tells the conclusion

of the piece

Sample Summary

Can she help me

get started?

A helpful hint for a summary: Copy the language, and fill in the blanks

In the article “ (Put title Here),” by

(Put author’s name here), the author

discusses _________________________

__________________________. First, the

author mentions_____________________.

Then, she tells about _________________.

Finally, she mentions________________.

Her conclusion for the reader

is_____________________.

Sample Summary

Can she show me a

good summary?

In the article, “A word of caution: Facebook trash talking can be dangerous” by Ana Veciana-Suarez, the writer discusses the possible consequences of posting personal thoughts publicly on the internet. She tells about a boy who was jailed for a “joking” comment about shooting up a kindergarten. It might have gone unnoticed except for its poor timing: right after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. She also mentions another young man arrested for publishing violent messages about murder and bombs on his Facebook. Suarez’s conclusion is that everyone should think carefully before sharing personal thoughts and opinions on social media sites.