Summarizing and Main Idea

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Summarizing and Main Idea
Using Mildred Taylors
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Yvonne Bradley at Martin City Middle
School CSD 4
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This activity covers the MAP Test, Communication
Arts Grade 7 objectives on details, literal
comprehension, determining the main idea, and
summarizing from read text.
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What is summarizing?
When you summarize in math you take any number of
digits and add them together to get a total. For
example the sum of 19 43 21 27 is 110. In
reading you do the same thing, you add the main
events together to get the general idea of what
the passage is about. You do not use one of the
main events as the summary any more than you use
one of the digits in the above problem as the sum
of the problem.
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Steps for Summarizing
(Click to see steps)

• Determine the main events/facts from the passage
• Write a short statement about the finding of what
  these events have in common
• To check, does your summary address the whole
  passage?

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Lets Do It!

• In the book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the
  children in the book handle a problem that occurs
  . Read pages 48-56 for information to respond to
  these questions

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Determine the basic facts/events of the passage

• What are the basic events/facts?
• Have students write out their ideas on this, then
  click to see possible answers.

• A school bus full of white students veered toward
  Cassie, Stacey and group deliberately splashing
  them with muddy water.
• The kids on the bus yelled racial epithets at
  Cassies group as they passed.

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More Facts

• Stacey suggested they meet at noon at the tool
  shed to stop the bus from splashing them again.
• The group dug a trench in the road and disguised
  it to make it look a little washed out.
• The bus came and broke its axle in the trench.
• The white students on the bus had to get out and
  walk and would have to walk for the next few
  weeks.

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Determine what these events have in common and
write the summary.

• Have students write out their ideas on this, then
  click to see possible answers.

• The answers should include
• The group was deliberately soaked by a bus of
  racist students and driver. They got revenge by
  setting a trap for the bus and disabling it.

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Which would be your choice for the summary?

• Have students write out their ideas on this, then
  click for further questions.

• A group of kids get disrespected by racists.
• A group of kids get revenge for a wrong.
• A bus breaks down in the mud and the kids on the
  bus have to walk.

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The right choice was

• A group of kids get revenge for a wrong.

Why?
Because it took the main events and put them
together to show what the whole passage (in
total) was about!
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Now, take another passage and do the same thing.
Make sure you answer the following questions
Extension Activity

• What are the main events/facts?
• What was the most important factor in making your
  decision?
• Check Does the summary address the whole
  passage?