Name: ________________________ Block: _______
How to Summarize
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A summary should be:
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shorter than the original
phrased in your own words
begin with the main idea
include the 5 W’s: who, what, when, where, why and how (as needed)
leave out unnecessary details from the original like lists and numbers
avoids repetition and redundancy
On November 15th, Make-A-Wish Foundation and the city
of San Francisco organized to fulfill the wish of a five-year-old
boy’s dream. Diagnosed with leukemia when he was just 18
months old, Miles Scott has spent a large part of his young life
fighting against the disease. When the young boy was asked
what he wanted more than anything else in the world by the
folks from Make A Wish Foundation, he promptly replied - to
be Batkid! Thanks to websites like Twitter and Facebook, his
desire went viral and the big-hearted residents of San
Francisco decided to go all out to make this brave boy's wish come true.
But of course a superhero has no time to relax and bask in his victories. Batkid was
soon summoned downtown where Riddler was robbing a bank and then just as he was taking a
small break. Then came another distress call. This time it was the slimy Penguin that had
managed to get his clutches around San Francisco Giants mascot, Lou Seal! The young superhero
dashed to the AT&T Ballpark where he found the mascot tied up inside the cage. While he set
poor Lou free, his adult counterpart chased down Penguin and handed him over to the grateful
police.
-Adapted from Dogo News for Kids, Meera Dolasia, 17 Nov 2013
Main Idea:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
Summary:
Name: ________________________ Block: _______
The residents of Philippines are no strangers to typhoons.
After all, an average of 19 storms brush by each year with at least
6 or 7 making landfall. However, super-typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda
as the locals are calling it, which landed around 4 am local time on
Friday, November 8th, 2013, was no ordinary storm. With
estimated sustained winds of 200 mph and gusts rising as high as
235 mph, experts believe that it may have been the
biggest typhoon to ever make landfall.
Amongst the worst hit is Tacloban the coastal capital of the Leyte Province, which
was leveled by the surging waters leaving many of its 200,000 residents without homes, food or water.
The city's only hospital is so cramped that doctors are unable to accept any more patients. Also
devastated is Basey, a seaside town in Samar Province that lies across the bay from Tacloban, where
433 people are believed to have died and many remain unaccounted for. These cities however are
amongst the fortunate ones -- that's because their residents have begun receiving aid in the form of
food, water and even mobile hospitals, from countries all over the world.
-Adapted from Dogo News for Kids, Meera Dolasia, 13 Nov 2013
Main Idea:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
Summary: