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Year 3 English Reading

Summarising

A summary captures the most important ideas of a text — in your own words and much shorter than the original.

What is a summary?

A summary is a shorter version of a text that keeps only the most important information. It leaves out minor details, examples, and repetition. A good summary is much shorter than the original.

What to include

  • The main topic or subject
  • The key points (most important ideas)
  • The conclusion (if there is one)
  • No examples or minor details

How to summarise

  1. Read the whole text first.
  2. Find the main idea of each paragraph.
  3. Pick the 2–3 most important points.
  4. Write them in your own words.
  5. Check — is it much shorter than the original?

Your own words

A summary should be in your own words, not copied from the text. This shows you have understood the ideas. Use synonyms and rephrase sentences to show your understanding.

Key Vocabulary

summary — a short version of a text keeping only the main ideas
main idea — the most important point a paragraph or text is about
key points — the most important pieces of information
paraphrase — to rewrite something in your own words

Worked Example

Original Text (85 words):

"Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals. They live in groups called pods and communicate using a series of clicks and whistles. Dolphins are known for their playful behaviour — they often leap out of the water and ride the waves created by boats. They are also known to help injured members of their pod. Dolphins use a special skill called echolocation to find food; they send out sound waves that bounce off objects and return to them."

Good Summary (30 words):

"Dolphins are intelligent social mammals that live in groups, communicate through sounds, and use echolocation to find food. They are also known for their playful and helpful behaviour."

Knowledge Check

Question 1

Which of the following best describes a summary?

Question 2

When writing a summary, you should write in:

Question 3

Read this paragraph:

"The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, stretching over 2,300 kilometres along the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 4,000 types of mollusc, and countless other sea creatures. The reef is under threat from climate change, which causes coral bleaching."

Which is the best summary?

Question 4

Which of the following should NOT be included in a summary?

Lesson Summary