Summarizing Main Idea

When would you most likely summarize a book? 

• when you want to forget a book you've read

• when you want to tell a friend your opinion of a book but not what it was about

• when you want to tell a friend the gist or the main idea of a book

• when you don't understand a vocabulary word you read in a book

Read the following passage and then choose the best summary or main idea.
There are five teams of students in the fifth grade. The blue team has math first period, and the red team has science. The yellow team gets to go outside early in the morning, while the green team goes to music. Only students on the orange team get to play games first period. Each student wears a nametag with his or her color, so that the teachers and students all know where a student should be.

• Students are organized by teams with color names .

• The blue team has math first.

• Students wear nametags.

• The yellow team has the best schedule.

Read the following passage and then choose the best summary or main idea.
The Elk River flows from the far northern part of the state all the way to the southern tip. All kinds of animals rely on it for drinking water, people eat the fish they catch in it, and farmers in the state depend on it for irrigating their crops. Since there is very little rain in this state, the Elk River gives animals and humans the water they need to stay alive. Even though the river is not nearly the biggest in the nation, it is very important to the people and animals that live near it.

• The Elk River is a small river.

• The Elk River starts in the northern part of the state.

• The Elk River is very important to people and animals.

• People catch fish in the Elk River.

Read the following passage and then choose the best summary or main idea.
Books lay in the middle of his floor. Several broken toys were shoved halfway under the bed, and dirty clothes were everywhere. Frank's parents kept telling him to clean his room, but it never seemed to get clean. In fact, if Frank did manage to clean part of it, the rest of the room just got messier. In one corner of the room was an old peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and an open bag of potato chips was thrown on the dresser.

• Frank's room was a mess.

• A peanut butter and jelly sandwich was in one corner of the room.

• Frank liked potato chips.

• Frank got in big trouble because his room was not clean.

What is the main idea of a documentary that explores the impact of plastic pollution on ocean life?

• The process of making plastic products.

• The history of plastic usage worldwide.

• Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to ocean life.

• Ocean life is diverse and includes many species.

What is the main idea of a documentary that explores the impact of plastic pollution on marine life?

• The different types of marine life affected by pollution.

• The process of how plastic ends up in the ocean.

• The harmful effects of plastic pollution on marine life.

• Ways to reduce plastic usage in daily life.

What does summarizing a text involve?

• Repeating the text word for word.

• Focusing on the most important points and condensing them.

• Discussing the characters in depth.

• Explaining why the text was written.

What is the best summary for a report on the effects of global warming on polar regions?

• Global warming leads to melting ice caps, endangering wildlife and raising sea levels.

• Polar regions are cold and covered in ice.

• Many scientists study climate change.

• People should reduce their carbon emissions.

Read the following passage and then choose the best summary or main idea.
Jose carefully poured out the bag of marbles on his bed. He picked his ten favorite marbles and carefully set them to the side. Then he got out a small bag from his top drawer, and put the ten marbles inside. Just to make sure he wouldn't forget them, he placed the bag of marbles in his backpack. Jose loved show and tell, and he was excited that he would get to show his class some of his favorite marbles.

• Jose had lots of marbles.

• Jose was getting his favorite marbles ready to take to school for show and tell.

•  Jose would rather play marbles than play baseball.

• Jose placed the bag of marbles in his backpack.

Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers.  They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.  Mrs. Jones works nights.  She bakes cakes, cookies, and pies.  Mrs. Brown works in the daytime.  She bakes bread and rolls.  Both Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are very good bakers.
What is the main idea?

• Mrs. Jones bakes pies.

• Mrs. Brown bakes rolls.

• Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers

• They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.