How to Write a Summary in 8 Easy Steps

Writing a good summary demonstrates that you clearly understand a text...and that you can communicate that understanding to your readers. A summary can be tricky to write at first because it’s tempting to include too much or too little information. But by following this easy 8-step method, you will be able to summarize texts quickly and successfully for any class or subject.

1) Divide…and conquer. First of all, skim the text you are going to summarize and divide it into sections. Focus on any headings and subheadings. Also look at any bold-faced terms and make sure you understand them before you read.

2) Read. Now that you’ve prepared, go ahead and read the selection. Read straight through. At this point, you don’t need to stop to look up anything that gives you trouble—just get a feel for the author’s tone, style, and main idea.

3) Reread.Rereading should be active reading. Underline topic sentences and key facts. Label areas that you want to refer to as you write your summary. Also label areas that should be avoided because the details—though they may be interesting—are too specific. Identify areas that you do not understand and try to clarify those points.

4) One sentence at a time. You should now have a firm grasp on the text you will be summarizing. In steps 1–3, you divided the piece into sections and located the author’s main ideas and points. Now write down the main idea of each section in one well-developed sentence. Make sure that what you include in your sentences are key points, not minor details.

5) Write a thesis statement. This is the key to any well-written summary. Review the sentences you wrote in step 4. From them, you should be able to create a thesis statement that clearly communicates what the entire text was trying to achieve. If you find that you are not able to do this step, then you should go back and make sure your sentences actually addressed key points.

6) Ready to write. At this point, your first draft is virtually done. You can use the thesis statement as the introductory sentence of your summary, and your other sentences can make up the body. Make sure that they are in order. Add some transition words (then, however, also, moreover) that help with the overall structure and flow of the summary. And once you are actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys!), remember these tips:

· Use appropriate tense.

· Make sure to include the author and title of the work.

· Be concise: a summary should not be equal in length to the original text.

· If you must use the words of the author, cite them.

· Don't put your own opinions, ideas, or interpretations into the summary. The purpose of writing a summary is to accurately represent what the author wanted to say, not to provide a critique.

7) Check for accuracy. Reread your summary and make certain that you have accurately represented the author’s ideas and key points. Make sure that you have correctly cited anything directly quoted from the text. Also check to make sure that your text does not contain your own commentary on the piece.

8) Revise. Once you are certain that your summary is accurate, you should (as with any piece of writing) revise it for style, grammar, and punctuation. If you have time, give your summary to someone else to read. This person should be able to understand the main text based on your summary alone. If he or she does not, you may have focused too much on one area of the piece and not enough on the author’s main idea.

II. GIST Writing

GIST stands for Generating Interactions between Schemata and Text

GIST (or Gist) is a comprehension strategy that is used both during reading and after reading. It is one approach to summarizing a text. When using GIST, students create summaries that are 20 words or less for increasingly large amounts of text

How does it work?

1. Define what the "gist" of something is.

2. Read the first paragraph/section of the assigned reading. The size of the section will depend upon the grade level and size of the complete text.

3. Write a 20 word summary that describes the main idea in that section.

4. Read the second paragraph/section of the assigned reading.

5. Write a 20 word summary that combines the material in the first gist statement and the new material.

6. Continue this procedure until a 20 word summary is created for the entire reading.

Tips and Suggestions

*GIST can be used with both expository and narrative text.

*Do not use this strategy with more than 3 paragraphs/sections.

*There are many variations of this strategy that can be used.

*These options may work better for some students because it breaks down the steps in the process so summarizing and combining are two separate parts.

*It will improve reading comprehension as well as summary writing. When using GIST, students must delete trivial information, select key ideas, and generalize in their own words, which are three major strategies necessary for comprehension and retention.

Getting the GIST

Read the first two sentences of the following paragraph. Write a summary of the two sentences using no more than 15 words. Read the second two sentences of the paragraph. Write a summary of the two sentences using no more than 15 words.

Proper nutrition is essential for healthy living. The media is filled with information and misinformation about proper nutrition and how to maintain a healthy weight. The U.S. Food Guide Pyramid serves as a guide for what people can eat each day and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The Pyramid includes a variety of foods that enable people to get the nutrients needed to keep their bodies healthy and help them maintain a healthy weight.

Step 1 (First two sentences) ____

Step 2 (Second two sentences)

____