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Summarise a Text
Grade 4 - Reading - On Level
Worksheet 1
1After reading "Prairie Dog Warning," which summary is most accurate? A prairie dog standing near its burrow gave a sharp bark. Other prairie dogs froze, then hurried underground. Scientists watching the colony wrote that different calls can warn about different kinds of danger.
2Which sentence best summarizes the whole passage "Solar Oven Test"?
3The passage says: Before the cleanup, Luis sketched the riverbank and marked where trash collected after storms. He asked volunteers to bring gloves, bags, and a bucket for sharp cans. After the group finished, Luis added notes about which spots would need a trash bin next month. Which choice should be left out of a summary because it is an opinion?
4Which detail belongs in a summary of "Debate Team Switch" because it helps explain the central idea?
5Read this possible summary of "Solar Oven Test": "Mara proves that clouds make food cook faster in a solar oven." Why is it weak?
6After reading "The Maple Tree Journal," which summary is most accurate? Every Friday, Tessa measured the maple twig taped beside her window. In March, the buds were tight and brown. By late April, each bud had opened into a small green leaf, and Tessa drew the change beside last month's sketch.
7Which sentence best summarizes the whole passage "The Maple Tree Journal"?
8The passage says: Every Friday, Tessa measured the maple twig taped beside her window. In March, the buds were tight and brown. By late April, each bud had opened into a small green leaf, and Tessa drew the change beside last month's sketch. Which choice should be left out of a summary because it is an opinion?
9Which detail belongs in a summary of "River Cleanup Plan" because it helps explain the central idea?
10Read this possible summary of "Debate Team Switch": "Jonah refuses to change his claim after seeing Anika's chart." Why is it weak?
About this worksheet
A useful summary is short, accurate, and focused on the important ideas in the text. Fourth graders often struggle in two opposite ways: they copy nearly every detail, or they make the summary so short that it leaves out the point. This worksheet asks children to compare summaries that are complete, partial, inaccurate, or padded with opinions. The passages are brief enough to reread, but the answer choices are close enough that guessing from memory is risky. When reviewing the page, ask your child to explain why the correct summary includes the central idea and the most important action. Also ask what was left out. Leaving out a small detail is not a mistake; leaving out the reason the passage was written usually is.
What your child will learn
Choose an accurate summary of a passage
Keep the central idea and key details
Leave out minor facts and personal opinions
Notice when a summary changes what happened
Worked example
A passage about Tessa's maple journal should be summarized as watching buds change into leaves, not as only taping a twig to a window.
Common mistake
Picking a sentence from the passage instead of a summary of the whole passage.
Helpful hint
A summary should be shorter than the passage but still tell the main point.
Worksheet 1