2. • Is a shortened version
of a text that focuses on
the thesis or main idea.
• It does not include
many details or
examples;
• It does not include
personal opinions.
• Is to take larger
selections of text and
reduce them to their
condensed parts
referring to their main
points.
• It is to make a summary
of what the book is
about, using your own
words.
4. What is not to
summarize
• To write down everything
• To write different ideas
that the ones stated on
the original writing
• To write complete
sentences
• To write too little that the
sense of the text is
missing.
• To copy word by word.
• Take out the main ideas
• Focus on the details
• Use key words and
phrases
• Brake down the larger
ideas
• Write only enough to
convey the gist
• Take only enough to
convey the gist
• Take succinct but
complete notes
What do we expect
from a summary?
5. The steps for summarizing
MIDAS
M
Main idea: identify
Topic sentence (if
there is one) or use
basic signal words
I Identify
supporting details
D Disregard
unimportant
information
A Analyze
redundant
information
S
Simplify, categorize, a
nd label important
information
6. The topic sentence
It introduces the main
idea and the
controlling idea which
is your idea or opinion
about the main idea.
It controls what
you write in the
rest of the
paragraph.
All the sentences in
the paragraph must
relate to, describe, or
illustrate the
controlling idea in the
topic sentence.
It may not always be so
clearly stated, and it can
come in the middle or
end of a paragraph
10. Example paragraphs…
A tornado is a powerful, twisting windstorm. It
begins high in the air, among the winds of a
giant storm cloud. People who have watched a
tornado’s howling winds reach down from the
sky have said it’s the most frightening thing
they have ever seen. In some parts of the
United States, these windstorms are called
twisters or cyclones.
11. Main idea and supporting details
Tornado is
powerful, twisting
windstorm
Part of giant
storm cloud
Frightening
Also called
twister
or cyclone
13. Tornadoes cont…
Tornadoes are not the only whirling
windstorms that move through the
earth’s air. Dust devils, hurricanes and
typhoons all have twisting winds. But
these windstorms differ from
tornadoes in important ways.
14. Main idea and supporting details
Dust devils, hurricanes,
and typhoons have
twisting winds
Whirling windstorms Differ from tornadoes
