Summarising Informational Texts

Introduction

When you read a science article, a textbook page, a news report, or an information website, you meet many facts. You usually do not need to remember every sentence. A useful skill is summarising: giving the most important ideas in a shorter form and mostly in your own words.

This aiMOOC is designed for learners in Grades 5–6. You will learn how to find the main idea, choose key supporting details, notice the structure of a text, paraphrase information, and write a clear summary.

A good summary is like a small map of a larger text. It shows the important parts and leaves out details that are not needed for understanding the big picture.

What you will learn

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

Recognise informational texts: Identify texts that explain facts, ideas, processes, events, or topics.
Find main ideas: Work out what a paragraph, section, or whole text is mostly saying.
Choose key details: Keep details that explain or prove the main idea.
Paraphrase: Restate information accurately in your own words.
Write summaries: Combine the main idea and key details into a short, objective text.
Check understanding: Compare your summary with the source to make sure it is accurate and complete.

Understanding Informational Texts

What is an informational text?

An informational text explains a real topic. Its main purpose is to help a reader learn. You may find informational writing in textbooks, encyclopedias, museum signs, websites, news reports, manuals, biographies, brochures, and science or history articles.

Informational texts often contain:

Facts: Information that can be checked.
Definitions: Explanations of important words or ideas.
Examples: Specific cases that make an idea clearer.
Explanations: Reasons, processes, causes, effects, or relationships.
Text features: Headings, captions, diagrams, maps, tables, bold words, or labels.

Different sources may organise information in different ways. When you summarise, your job is not to copy the layout. Your job is to understand the important ideas and explain them clearly.

Text features help you navigate

Before reading closely, look at the title, headings, pictures, captions, diagrams, and bold words. These features can give clues about the topic and about what each section will explain.

For example, if a section is called Why Bees Matter, you can predict that the section will explain reasons bees are important. A caption under a photograph may add a useful detail, while a decorative picture may not add information you need in your summary.

Ask yourself:

What is this section mostly about?
Which words or ideas appear more than once?
Which diagram, caption, or example helps explain the main point?
Which details are interesting but not necessary?

What Makes a Good Summary?

A strong summary is shorter than the source, accurate, clear, and focused on the most important information. It does not simply copy several sentences from the original.

Main idea and key details

The main idea is the most important point a writer wants you to understand about a topic. A longer text can have more than one main idea, especially when it contains several sections.

Key details explain, support, or develop a main idea. A useful test is: If I remove this detail, will the reader still understand the important point? If the answer is yes, the detail may not belong in a short summary.

Another useful strategy is to ask:

What topic is being discussed?
What is the writer saying about that topic?
Which details best explain that message?

Topic, main idea, and detail are different

These three levels are easy to mix up.

Topic: The general subject, often expressed in a few words.

Main idea: The most important message about the topic, usually expressed as a complete thought.

Detail: A fact, example, reason, or explanation that supports the main idea.

Example:

Topic: School gardens

Main idea: School gardens can help learners understand science by giving them real plants and soil to observe.

Detail: Learners can watch seeds sprout and measure plant growth.

A summary needs the main idea and only the details that matter most.

Objective and in your own words

An objective summary reports what the source says without adding your own opinion. Avoid comments such as I think this is amazing or This was boring unless the task asks for a personal response.

Use your own words whenever you can. This is called paraphrasing. Paraphrasing does not mean changing just one or two words. It means keeping the original meaning while expressing it in a new way.

Source idea: Many animals depend on wetlands for food and shelter.

Paraphrase: Wetlands provide food and places to live for many kinds of animals.

The meaning stays the same, but the wording and sentence structure change.

A Step-by-Step Summarising Method

You can use the following method with one paragraph, one page, or a longer article.

Step 1: Preview the text

Read the title and headings. Look at pictures, diagrams, captions, and bold words. Predict the topic and the purpose of the text.

Do not write your final summary yet. First build a quick picture of what the text is about.

Step 2: Read for understanding

Read the whole section carefully. If a word is unfamiliar, use the sentence around it, a glossary, or a dictionary to work out its meaning.

After reading, look away from the page and ask: What did I just learn? If you cannot answer in one or two sentences, reread the section.

Step 3: State the main idea

Try to write one sentence that explains the most important message of the section.

A helpful frame is:

This section mainly explains that ...

Then remove the words This section mainly explains that and keep the clear idea that remains.

Step 4: Select key details

Choose only details that directly support the main idea. Important details often explain:

what something is,
how something works,
why something happens,
what causes or results from something,
how two things are alike or different, or
what problem exists and how it can be solved.

A detail may be true and interesting but still be too small for the summary.

Highlighting can help, but do not colour whole paragraphs. If almost everything is highlighted, nothing stands out as important.

Step 5: Paraphrase your notes

Close or cover the source for a moment. Explain the main idea and key details as if you were telling a classmate who has not read the text.

Then check the source again. Make sure you did not change the meaning, add a fact that was not there, or leave out something essential.

Step 6: Build the summary

Start with a sentence that names the topic and gives the main idea. Add the most important supporting details in a logical order.

Use linking words when they help the reader follow the ideas. Examples include because, therefore, however, also, first, and finally. Do not use a linking word just to make the summary sound longer.

Step 7: Check and improve

Read your summary beside the source and ask:

Is the main idea clear?
Did I include only important supporting details?
Did I use mostly my own words?
Did I keep the facts accurate?
Did I avoid my personal opinion?
Is the summary much shorter than the source?
Does the order make sense?

A summary is finished when another reader can understand the big idea without needing every detail from the original.

Text Structures and Summaries

Writers organise information in common patterns called text structures. Recognising the structure can help you decide which details belong in your summary.

Description

A description text explains the features or characteristics of a topic. Look for the most important qualities rather than listing every example.

Summary focus: What is it, and what are its most important features?

Sequence

A sequence text explains events or steps in an order. Signal words may include first, next, then, and finally.

Summary focus: What happens, and which stages are necessary to understand the process?

Compare and contrast

A compare-and-contrast text shows similarities and differences between two or more things.

Summary focus: What is being compared, and what are the most important similarities or differences?

Cause and effect

A cause-and-effect text explains why something happens and what happens as a result.

Summary focus: What causes the event or change, and what important effects follow?

Problem and solution

A problem-and-solution text explains a difficulty and one or more ways to deal with it.

Summary focus: What is the problem, why does it matter, and what solution is suggested?

Worked Example

Source text

City Trees

Many towns and cities plant trees along streets, near homes, and in parks. Tree leaves create shade, which can make outdoor spaces more comfortable on hot days. Tree roots help water move into the soil, and trees provide food or shelter for many insects and birds. However, young city trees need care. During dry weather, they may need extra water, and damaged branches may need to be removed safely.

Thinking it through

Topic: City trees

Main idea: Trees can help city environments, but they also need care.

Key detail 1: Trees provide shade.

Key detail 2: Their roots help water move into soil.

Key detail 3: They support insects and birds.

Key detail 4: Young trees may need watering and maintenance.

A small detail such as the exact place where one tree is planted would not be needed unless it changed the main idea.

Example summary

City trees improve urban spaces by providing shade, helping water soak into soil, and supporting wildlife. Young trees also need regular care, especially in dry weather or when branches are damaged.

Notice that the summary keeps the main idea and the strongest details. It does not copy every sentence from the source.

Smart Note-Taking

You do not need to write full sentences while reading. Short notes can help you hold the important ideas in your mind.

Use keywords, not copied sentences

Write a few important words beside each paragraph. For the city-tree example, your notes might be:

shade — water into soil — wildlife — needs care

These notes are short enough that they push you to explain the idea in your own words later.

Organise ideas visually

A simple concept map can place the main idea in the centre and connect it to key details. You can also make boxes for causes and effects, two columns for a comparison, or arrows for a sequence.

The picture above is an example of a concept diagram. Your own organiser can be much simpler. The goal is to show which ideas belong together before you turn them into sentences.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Mistake: Copying sentences word for word.

Fix: Cover the source and explain the idea aloud before writing it.

Mistake: Including every detail.

Fix: Keep details only when they help explain the main idea.

Mistake: Writing only the topic.

Fix: Turn the topic into a complete message about what the text says.

Mistake: Adding your opinion.

Fix: Report the source fairly unless the task asks for your view.

Mistake: Changing the meaning while paraphrasing.

Fix: Check your new sentence against the source after you write it.

Mistake: Making the summary too short to be useful.

Fix: Include enough key details for a reader to understand the main idea.

Quick Practice

Read this short informational text:

Rain gardens are shallow planted areas that collect rainwater from roofs, paths, or other hard surfaces. Instead of rushing straight into drains, some water can soak into the ground. Plants in a rain garden can slow the flow of water and provide habitat for insects. A rain garden must be placed and cared for properly so that water can drain safely.

Now try these questions before looking back:

What is the topic?
What is the main idea?
Which two or three details are most important?
Which words could you paraphrase?
Can you write a two-sentence objective summary?

A possible main idea is: Rain gardens collect and slow rainwater while also supporting plants and insects, but they need suitable placement and care.

Your wording may be different. What matters is that your summary stays accurate, short, and focused.

Interactive Tasks

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

What belongs in a strong summary of an informational text? (The main idea and the most important supporting details) (!Every example and small fact from the source) (!Only the reader's personal opinion) (!A copied version of the first paragraph)

What is the main idea of a text? (The most important message the writer gives about the topic) (!The longest sentence in the text) (!Any fact that sounds surprising) (!The title copied word for word)

What does it mean to paraphrase? (To express the same meaning accurately in your own words) (!To copy a sentence without changing it) (!To add information that the writer did not include) (!To replace every word with a longer word)

What makes a summary objective? (It reports the source without adding personal opinions) (!It tells whether the reader liked the text) (!It adds a new argument about the topic) (!It changes facts to make them more exciting)

What does a cause-and-effect structure explain? (Why something happens and what happens as a result) (!Only the appearance of a person or object) (!A list of unrelated facts in random order) (!Two characters speaking to each other)

Which detail should usually be left out of a short summary? (A small detail that does not help explain the main idea) (!A fact that directly supports the main idea) (!A cause that explains an important effect) (!A key step needed to understand a process)

How can a heading help you summarise? (It gives a clue about what a section is mostly about) (!It proves that every sentence in the section is equally important) (!It tells you to copy the whole section) (!It replaces the need to read the text)

What should you do before writing the final summary? (Read the text carefully and identify its main idea) (!Choose the most colourful sentence) (!Write your opinion before reading) (!Copy all the bold words into one paragraph)

Which question is useful when checking a summary? (Can a reader understand the big idea from this short version) (!Did I include every number from the original) (!Did I make the summary longer than the source) (!Did I add as many opinions as possible)

Why is a summary usually shorter than the source? (It keeps the essential ideas and leaves out less important details) (!It changes the topic to something simpler) (!It removes the main idea) (!It uses only the first and last sentence)

Memory Game

Main idea	The most important message about the topic
Key detail	Information that directly supports an important point
Paraphrase	The same meaning expressed accurately in new wording
Objective	Fair and factual without personal opinion
Heading	A label that tells what a section is about
Caption	Text that explains a picture, map, or diagram

Drag and Drop

Match the correct terms.	Topic
Description	Explains important features or characteristics
Sequence	Shows events or steps in an order
Compare and contrast	Shows important similarities and differences
Cause and effect	Explains reasons and results
Problem and solution	Presents a difficulty and a way to address it

...

Crossword Puzzle

Summary	What is a short version containing the most important ideas?
Details	What supporting pieces of information explain a main idea?
Paraphrase	What means expressing a source idea accurately in your own words?
Objective	What word describes a summary without personal opinion?
Heading	What text feature names the topic of a section?
Sequence	What structure puts steps or events in order?

LearningApps

Cloze Text

Open-Ended Tasks

Easy

Main Idea Detective: Choose one short informational paragraph from a school book and write its topic, main idea, and two key details.
Headline Hunt: Find three headings in an informational text and write one sentence predicting what each section will explain.
Twenty-Word Summary: Read a short classroom text and summarise it in no more than twenty words without copying a full sentence.
Picture and Caption Check: Choose a diagram or photograph with a caption and explain whether the caption contains information that belongs in a summary.

Standard

Two-Sentence News Summary: Read a suitable news article selected by your teacher and write a two-sentence objective summary that names the main idea and key details.
Compare Two Summaries: Ask a partner to summarise the same text, compare both versions, and explain which details you each chose and why.
Visual Summary Map: Turn an informational page into a concept map with one main idea and several connected key details, then use the map to write a paragraph.
Interview a Reader: Interview a classmate or family member about how they decide what matters in a nonfiction text and report the three most useful strategies you heard.

Advanced

Source Comparison: Read two short sources about the same topic, summarise each one separately, and explain how the writers choose different details.
Teach Summarising: Create a one-minute teaching video or live mini-lesson that shows younger learners how to find a main idea and leave out minor details.
Podcast Summary: Listen to a short educational audio or video, take keyword notes, and record a spoken summary that stays factual and concise.
Research Challenge: Investigate a science, history, or geography question using two reliable sources, write a combined summary in your own words, and list which source supported each main point.

Learning Assessment

Main Idea and Evidence Assessment: Read a new informational text, state its main idea, select three key details, and explain how each detail supports that idea.
Paraphrasing Assessment: Rewrite three important source ideas in your own words and explain how you checked that the meaning stayed accurate.
Structure Transfer Assessment: Identify the text structure of an unfamiliar passage and show how that structure changes the information you include in a summary.
Summary Revision Assessment: Improve a weak summary that contains copied wording, minor details, and an opinion, then explain every change you made.
Cross-Source Assessment: Summarise two short sources on the same topic and write a final paragraph explaining what both sources agree is most important.

Evidence of Learning

Your learning can be shown through the following evidence:

Knowledge: You can explain the difference between a topic, a main idea, a key detail, a paraphrase, and a summary.
Reading skill: You can identify important information in unfamiliar informational texts and recognise common text structures.
Writing skill: You can write accurate, concise, objective summaries using mostly your own words.
Products: You can create summary paragraphs, concept maps, notes, comparison charts, spoken summaries, or short teaching videos.
Transfer: You can use summarising in English, science, history, geography, research tasks, and everyday information reading.
Reflection: You can explain why you included some details, left out others, and changed wording during revision.

OERs on the Topic

The following English Wikipedia page introduces the idea of a summary and links to related forms of shortened writing:

Linked Learning Areas

Summarising informational texts connects reading, writing, research, media literacy, and subject learning. The same skill helps you study a science explanation, follow a historical account, compare geography sources, understand a set of instructions, or prepare notes for a presentation.

Summarising Informational Texts

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