Summarising non-fiction main ideas
Determine two or more main ideas of an informational text and explain how they are supported by key details, then summarise the text without personal opinions
What a learner can do afterwards
- Identify the main ideas in each section of an informational article
- List key details that support each main idea in a multi-paragraph text
- Write an objective summary capturing the main ideas without adding personal opinions
1 · Read
You have found main ideas and taken notes before. For a longer article, ask what each section is mostly about. Look for the big point its details explain. Sections can repeat or support the same big idea, so do not count headings alone. Combine repeated ideas and keep different major ideas separate.
Practice article: 'Garden plots give neighbours fresh food. They grow beans and carrots to take home. The garden also helps children learn about plants. They measure shoots and watch seeds sprout.' The main ideas are food for neighbours and learning for children. Beans and carrots support the food idea; measuring shoots supports learning. Match each detail to the idea it explains.
A summary is a shorter account in your own words. Keep the main ideas and useful key details; leave out minor details and your own opinions. If the article expresses a view, report it as the author's view. 'I think this is amazing' adds your reaction. Check that your summary preserves the text's meaning and covers its different main ideas.
A summary of the practice article could be: 'A community garden provides food for neighbours and helps children learn about plants by watching them grow.' It keeps both big ideas and one useful detail. It leaves out some examples and adds no personal reaction. Compare a summary with the article to check that no major idea is missing.
A main idea is not always the first sentence. An opening may set the scene, and a later sentence may state the big point. Sometimes you must express the shared point yourself. Read every sentence and ask how the details fit together. Choose an idea that covers the important details, rather than one small example or a statement that could fit almost any article.
Find the main ideas and match their key details. Combine repeated ideas, then write a shorter account in your own words without adding your opinions.
Original lesson, practice questions and flashcards written for this learning dataset.
These four readings about main ideas, supporting details and summaries were written for this learning dataset.
More to read
Compare the big points
A topic names a subject. A main idea says what the text explains about it. 'School libraries' is a topic; 'Libraries help pupils find information' states an idea about that topic.
A section about using a catalog and another about asking a librarian could support that same idea. A section about borrowing sports equipment might develop a different idea.
Make a short note of each section's big point. Compare the notes. Which points repeat? Which explain another point? Which are different major ideas? Use those relationships to decide what your summary needs. The number of headings does not answer those questions.
Keep details that explain
A practice article describes a repair club. Pupils learn to mend objects, and repairing items reduces waste. Sewing a torn bag and replacing a loose toy wheel illustrate learning repair skills. Using the repaired objects again explains waste reduction.
The article also mentions yellow walls in the club room. That detail may be accurate, but it does not explain either main idea. A short summary need not include it.
Try linking each possible detail to a main idea before keeping it. Explain the connection in words. If it belongs to another subject, or adds little to the main point, leave it out of the summary.
Read beyond a heading
A heading such as 'Keeping the pond clean' gives a clue about a section's topic. It does not tell you everything the section explains. The words might discuss removing litter or the work done by pond plants.
Read captions to find out what pictures show. A photograph may show only one example. A chart might add a count or comparison. Connect that information with the surrounding sentences.
After reading the section, state its big point. Check whether the details support your statement. Headings, captions and charts help you understand the article, but they do not replace reading its words.
Compare your summary with the article
A summary is shorter than the text it reports. Keep its main ideas and the details needed to explain them. Use your own words, while preserving the writer's meaning.
Check for a missing major idea, an altered claim or information added from elsewhere. For example, changing 'can reduce flooding' to 'always stops flooding' changes the meaning.
An objective summary leaves out your personal reaction. It can still report an author's recommendation. 'The writer recommends adding benches' describes the writer's view without saying that you agree. Put your own response in a separate piece of writing. Before finishing, compare each summary sentence with the original.
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Where this leads
18 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.