Courseversity

Summarising short texts

Primary EducationGrade 2English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G02-ELA-U04-L0845–60 min

You will learn

  • Say what a summary is.
  • Pick the important parts.
  • Leave out small details.
  • Write a short summary.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. A summary is short.
  2. Include only the important points.
  3. Use your own words.
  4. Tell it in order.

Words to know

summary
a short retelling of the important parts
important
needed to understand
leave out
not include
own words
not copied

1. Discover: The turtle and the hare (new version)

A hare laughed at a slow turtle. “Let us race,” said the turtle. The hare ran fast and then took a nap. The turtle kept walking slowly and steadily. When the hare woke up, the turtle had already won. The hare learned not to laugh at others.

Think: How could you tell this story in two sentences?

2. Understand: Summarising

Idea 1: Short and sweet

A summary is a short retelling. It has only the important parts.

Idea 2: Choose and leave out

Ask: Who? What happened? How did it end? Leave out small details like the nap sound or what the hare wore.

Idea 3: Own words

Use your own words. Example: A hare and a turtle raced. The turtle won because the hare took a nap.

Remember: A summary retells the important parts in a few sentences, in your own words and in order.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Important

Is the turtle won important?

  1. Does it change the story?

Answer: yes

Example 2 (We do it together): Leave out

Is the hare laughed loudly important?

  1. Is it needed?

Answer: not really

Example 3 (You try): Summarise

Summarise in one sentence.

Show the steps and answer
  1. Who, what, end.

Answer: A turtle beat a hare in a race.

Did you know?

A book blurb on the back is a kind of summary.

Why this matters

Summarising helps you understand and remember.

4. Explore: Summary squeeze

Summarise a story.

  1. Read the story.
  2. Find important parts.
  3. Leave out small details.
  4. Write two sentences.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can summarise.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • This story is about ___.
  • First, ___.
  • At the end, ___.
  • The important point is ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. What is a summary?

a short retelling

Question 2. What do you leave out?

small details

Question 3. Summarise the race.

A turtle won a race.

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. A short retelling is a ___.
  2. Needed to understand is ___.
  3. Not include is to ___ out.
  4. We use our ___ words.
  5. We tell it in ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Summarise: A boy lost his ball and found it.
  2. What is the most important event?
  3. Leave out one small detail.

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Why keep it short?
  2. Why own words?
  3. What if you include everything?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Summarise a story for a family member in two sentences.

Show a sample answer

a short summary

Another one. Write a three-sentence summary of a story you know.

Show a sample answer

A summary

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Retelling everything.
Fix: Keep it short.
Another mistake: Copying the text.
Fix: Use own words.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can say what a summary is.
  • I can pick important parts.
  • I can leave out small details.
  • I can write a short summary.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. A summary is a ___ retelling.

2. A summary has only ___ parts.

3. We ___ small details.

4. We use our ___ words.

5. Which is a good summary of the race?

6. Which is a small detail?

7. What is the most important event?

8. The hare learned not to ___ at others.

9. A book blurb is a kind of ___.

10. A summary is told in ___.

11. Why summarise?

12. Which summary is too long?

Challenge 1. Which is the best summary?

Challenge 2. Which should be left out?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • A summary is short.
  • Include the important parts.
  • Leave out small details.
  • Use your own words.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Informational texts. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What is a summary? [1 mark]
  2. What should you leave out? [1 mark]
  3. Summarise: A hare and turtle raced; the turtle won. [2 marks]
  4. Why use your own words? [1 mark]
  5. Explain how to write a summary. [3 marks]

Total: 8 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. a short retelling of the important parts [1]
  2. small details [1]
  3. who/what [1]; ending [1]
  4. shows understanding [1]
  5. find important parts [1]; leave out details [1]; write briefly in own words [1]

Score guide: 7 to 8 = secure. 5 to 6 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 5 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. A short retelling is a ___.
  2. Needed to understand is ___.
  3. We ___ out small details.
  4. We use our ___ words.
  5. We tell it in ___.
  6. True or false: summaries are long.
  7. True or false: leave out small details.
  8. Summarise: a boy lost a ball and found it.
  9. Name an important part of a story.
  10. Write a summary.

Homework

Summarise a story in two sentences.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. A short retelling is a ___. summary 1
2. Needed to understand is ___. important 1
3. We ___ out small details. leave 1
4. We use our ___ words. own 1
5. We tell it in ___. order 1
6. True or false: summaries are long. false 1
7. True or false: leave out small details. true 1
8. Summarise: a boy lost a ball and found it. A boy found his lost ball. 1
9. Name an important part of a story. the ending 1
10. Write a summary. a summary 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 summary; 2 important; 3 leave; 4 own; 5 order. Level 2: 1 A boy lost and found his ball.; 2 the ending; 3 colour of the ball. Level 3: 1 easier to remember; 2 shows understanding; 3 not a summary.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Say what a summary is Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Pick the important parts Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Leave out small details Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Write a short summary Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Retelling everything. Keep it short.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Use who-what-end frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child learns to summarise. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Ask: Tell me in two sentences.
  • Praise brevity.
  • Read together.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: say what a summary is; pick the important parts; leave out small details; write a short summary.

Prerequisite knowledge. Comparing stories.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Model summarising.

Explanation (10 min). Teach important parts.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise.

Independent activity (10 min). Share.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. Who? What? How did it end?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use frames. Extension. Summarise articles.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Retelling everything. Keep it short.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 8-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Use who-what-end frames. Enrichment. Summarise a longer text. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 2 » Reading: Foundational Skills; Grade 2 » Reading: Literature; Grade 2 » Reading: Informational Text. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core RL.2.2 (recount stories and determine their central message); IES What Works Clearinghouse Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade; Cambridge Primary English Stage 2 (reading). These sources informed the lesson.

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