Summarising: What’s it all about?

Being able to read is an extremely useful skill to have. For many people, it is one of life’s pleasures. But what is the purpose of reading?

1. We might read a text to gather information about a topic or idea.

2. We might read a text to learn how to do or make something.

3. We might read a text to understand the opinions of others.

4. We might read a text to be entertained.

In all of these situations, the reader must be able to decode the words on the page, then create meaning from them.

The goal of reading any text is to create meaning. Without meaning, a text is nothing more than a series of words on a page! Reading can be a frustrating and unenjoyable process when we don’t understand the meaning of a text.Reading comprehension strategies are tools that readers can use while reading to help them comprehend (understand) a text.These strategies can help readers to stay engaged with a text and gain greater enjoyment while reading.

Summarising means to briefly retell the main events or ideas from a text in your own words.

Texts can include a wide range of characters, events and information. Reducing these details down to the most important points can help strengthen your understanding of what you have read. When summarising a text, you need to identify and remember the key ideas and vocabulary. You then need to retell or ‘recap’ what happened in the text using your own words.Summaries are brief. They should not go on for pages and pages

This week our year fours have beel leaneing all about summarising! Click here to watch Miss Natalizio summarising a story for us.

Make sure you logon to Seesaw to see all the great summarising our Year Fours have been doing this week!

Why do you think summarising is important?