📖 Part 1: Understanding Main Ideas

1. What does it mean to summarise a text? Circle the best answer:

Copy the text word for word

Write down the main ideas in your own words

Only write about the details you found interesting

Make the text longer by adding more information

2. When summarising, which of these should you include? Check all that apply:

Main ideas

Every small detail

Key facts

Your own words

Examples that aren't essential

Important conclusions

🔍 Part 2: Identifying Main Ideas

Read this short text about New Zealand's kiwi bird:

The kiwi is New Zealand's national bird and is found nowhere else in the world. These unique birds cannot fly because they have tiny wings and heavy bodies. Kiwis are about the size of a chicken and have long, thin beaks that help them find food in the ground. They are nocturnal, which means they are active at night and sleep during the day. There are five different species of kiwi, and sadly, all of them are endangered. The main threats to kiwis include introduced predators like stoats, cats, and dogs. Conservation efforts are working hard to protect these special birds for future generations.

3. List three main ideas from this text about kiwi birds:

4. Which details from the text are less important for a summary? Circle two:

Kiwis are about the size of a chicken

Kiwis cannot fly

All kiwi species are endangered

They have long, thin beaks

Kiwis are New Zealand's national bird

✍️ Part 3: Writing Your Own Summary

5. Now write a summary of the kiwi text in your own words. Remember to include only the main ideas and leave out unnecessary details:

6. Complete these sentence starters to help organise your thinking:

The most important thing about kiwi birds is ________________________________

Another key fact is that they ____________________________________________

The main problem facing kiwis is _______________________________________

🎯 Part 4: Summary Skills Practice

7. Match each summarising step with its description:

1. Read carefully

2. Identify main ideas

3. Use your own words

4. Leave out details

A. Don't copy the original text

B. Remove examples and minor facts

C. Understand what the text is about

D. Find the most important information

8. A good summary should be:

Longer than the original text

Much shorter than the original text

Exactly the same length as the original

Only one sentence long

🌟 Part 5: Extension Challenge

9. Explain why you chose to include certain ideas in your kiwi summary and why you left others out:

10. Think of a book, movie, or TV show you know well. Write a 3-sentence summary of it:

Text Summarising Skills

Text Summarising Skills

📖 Part 1: Understanding Main Ideas

🔍 Part 2: Identifying Main Ideas

✍️ Part 3: Writing Your Own Summary

🎯 Part 4: Summary Skills Practice

🌟 Part 5: Extension Challenge

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