Read the passage carefully and pay close attention to the title, chapter titles and boldfaced headings to help determine the author's main idea.
Scan the passage again, looking for the most important details that support the main idea.
Determine which information to include and which to leave out of the summary. Print or make a copy of the original piece of writing and use two different colored highlighters to highlight main ideas and important details. Alternatively, underline important information and cross out unnecessary details.
Take notes as you read. Write down information in short phrases. Leave out details that seem unimportant.
Look over your notes and find the most important ideas. Erase or delete extraneous details.
Organize the notes into main ideas and supporting details. A graphic organizer, such as a content web or tree, can help make sense of the notes.
Decide how long the summary should be based on the length of the original passage. For example, students may need to write a whole page to summarize a book, but they can summarize a magazine article in paragraph. Aim for your summary to be fifteen to twenty percent of the length of the original piece.
Identify the main idea and write a topic sentence for each paragraph. For younger students, a single sentence stating the main idea may be all they can write.
Include supporting details to briefly explain the main idea of each paragraph, if writing more than one paragraph.
Write a closing sentence that reflects the conclusion of the original piece or restates the main idea.
Read the summary and determine if it communicates the main idea of the original piece. Check that you have not left out any important details and that the details support the main idea. Make revisions, if necessary.
Make sure the summary is written in your own words. Look back at the original piece, if necessary, to be sure you have not copied anything word-for-word.
Proofread the summary for spelling and grammar. Make any necessary edits.
Prepare a neat, corrected final copy after editing. Draw an illustration, if permitted, that helps to summarize the reading passage.