GIST Writing Practice

Name:

Date:

📖 Part 1: Understanding GIST

1. What is a GIST sentence?

A very long sentence that tells everything about a story

A short sentence that tells the main idea and important details

A sentence that only tells who the characters are

2. Read this short story:

Kiwi the bird lived in the New Zealand forest. One day, she lost her way home. A friendly tui helped her find the right path by singing loudly. Kiwi followed the beautiful song and found her burrow safely.

3. What are the key details in this story? Tick all that apply:

Kiwi is a bird

She got lost

A tui helped her

She found her way home

The forest had many trees

4. What is the main idea of the story?

Birds live in forests

A lost kiwi gets help to find home

Tui birds can sing beautifully

✏️ Part 2: Writing GIST Sentences

5. Write a GIST sentence for the kiwi story above. Use this sentence starter:

This story is about ________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

6. Read this new story and write your own GIST sentence:

Maya and her whānau went to the beach at Piha. They built sandcastles and collected shells. Suddenly, it started to rain heavily. They packed up quickly and ran to their car, laughing all the way.

Write your GIST sentence here:

7. Fill in the blanks to complete this GIST sentence:

A GIST sentence should include the __________ idea and __________ details, but not __________ single thing that happens in the story.