Summary (narrative) – a shortened version of the original story or article. It should include a beginning, middle and end. It includes information about the characters and setting, the situation or problem the character is facing 2 – 3 events that happened as the characters deal with their situation or problem. It includes information about the problem was solved or how the situation ended.
Summary (expository/non-fiction) – a shortened version of original article. It should include main ideas and important details. It should also reflect the structure of the text. (If, for example, it is a how-to piece, then the summary should be written in the same sequence of steps; if it is a compare and contrast structure, likewise, it should follow the compare and contrast text structure.)
Retelling – orally or in writing restating what is remembered from the text
Topic: the topic is the subject of the text. The topic can usually be stated in one or two words: dinosaurs, skateboarding, etc.
Main idea - the statement the author makes about the topic, or the most important idea. It usually can be stated in one or two sentences.
Filed under: Summarize, Summary Tagged: | Expository Summary, main idea and details, Narrative Summary, Retelling, Summary, topic
