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
The lesson
You already know how to find one main idea and take notes. Longer articles often cover more ground: each section can have its own main idea, backed by its own key details. To summarize a whole article, you need to find every main idea first.
An article about community gardens has two sections. Section one says gardens give neighbors fresh vegetables and a place to meet. Section two says gardens teach kids how plants grow. Those are two separate main ideas, each with its own details.
When you write a summary, use only the author's facts. Leave out words like 'I think' or 'this is amazing.' A summary reports what the text says, not how you feel about it.
Here is a summary that combines both main ideas: 'Community gardens give neighbors fresh food and a place to meet, and they teach kids how plants grow.' Every word comes from the text, with no opinions added.
Find each section's main idea and its details, then combine them into one summary with no opinions.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Nothing builds on it yet.
Where this leads
8 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.