Same Writing › Stories, reports and summaries › Writing summaries
How do kids write a summary?
A summary tells the most important parts of a text, short and in your own words. For stories, kids use Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then: who, what they wanted, the problem, what they did, and how it ended. For nonfiction, they answer the 5 Ws: who, what, when, where and why.
- SWBST for stories.
- 5 Ws for articles and nonfiction.
- Then join the answers into one or two sentences.
Why schools teach it
Summaries prove kids understood the big picture
Kids summarize stories (RL.4.2) and nonfiction (RI.5.2, RI.6.2) by picking out the key ideas and leaving out the rest. The frames help them choose what matters instead of retelling every detail.
Our story retelling guide covers SWBST for younger readers. In writing, the frame becomes a short paragraph.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
If you had one minute, what would you tell me?
Who's the somebody? What did they want?
SWBSTWho, what, when, where, why?
5 WsNow put it in your own words, in one or two sentences.
Skip this
- Retelling every detail.A summary is short. Only the most important parts.
- Opinions in a summary.“I loved it” goes in a response, not a summary.
- Copying sentences from the text.A summary is in the writer's own words.
See it in action
Summarizing a short story
Somebody, Wanted, But
Liz · wanted to bake a cake for her mom · but she had no eggsSo, Then
so she asked Mr. Lee next door · then she baked the cake and her mom loved itOne sentence
Liz wanted to bake a cake for her mom, but she had no eggs, so she borrowed some from her neighbor and baked a cake her mom loved.
For nonfiction, the 5 Ws work the same way: answer each, then combine.
Free practice sheet
Make a summary sheet
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Fridge cheat sheets
Writing Fridge Cheat Sheets
Every writing method in one printable book (78 pages): a cheat sheet page like this guide, plus a practice sheet and its answer key for each, in Classic and handwritten Notebook styles. $9 one time, or all 7 subjects for $29.99. See all prices.
Teacher? This method has a classroom pack on TeachersPayTeachers: an anchor chart, a parent letter and practice sheets with answer keys, $4. See the pack
Parents: tell your child's teacher about this guide
Parents also ask
How long should a summary be?
For a short text, one to three sentences. For a chapter or article, a short paragraph.
Is a summary the same as a retell?
A retell includes more events in order. A summary keeps only the most important ones.
What's a gist statement?
A one-sentence summary, often 20 words or fewer.
Do summaries include the title?
Many teachers want it: “In the story Pepper's Big Day, ...”