Identifying the Main Idea and Summarizing

• Summarizing


  The method of using few words to give the most important information about something, done quickly in a way that does not follow the normal process
• Summary


  A series of brief, concise statements, in your own words, of the main idea and the significant supporting details
• Rules in Summarizing


  1. Divide and conquer

  2. Read

  3. Reread

  4. One sentence at a time

  5. Write a thesis statement

  6. Ready to write

  7. Check for accuracy

  8. Revise
• The first sentence of a summary should state the main idea or thesis
• Subsequent sentences in a summary should incorporate the significant details
• Minor details and material irrelevant to the learner's purpose should be omitted in a summary
• A summary should be written in paragraph form and should always be shorter than the material being summarized
• A summary should not contain anything that is not in the original, and it must be written in the writer's own words
• Questions to assess the efficiency of a written summary

  • Does the summary accurately present the gist of the reading passage?
  • Is the main idea stated in the first sentence of the summary?
  • Are all of the major supporting details represented?
  • Is any non-essential or repetitive information included?
  • Are appropriate transitional words or phrases used?
  • Is the summary written in paragraph form?
  • Does the summary read smoothly, and is the information clear and balanced (doesn't over-emphasize one part of the passage)?
• Topic


  The subject matter, what a reading selection is about, usually expressed in a word or phrase
• Main Idea


  The point the writer is making about the topic, a complete statement
• The main idea of a passage is the core of the material, the particular point the author is trying to convey
• The main idea of a passage can be stated in one sentence that condenses specific ideas or details in the passage into a general, all-inclusive statement of the author's message
• Places to look for the main idea

  • In the beginning of the paragraph (topic sentence)
  • In the middle of the paragraph
  • At the end of the paragraph