Summary
A summary of a story recounts it in a succinct way and includes only the most important information, ideas, or details. It may include supporting details to the main idea as well as the sequence of the story (e.g. beginning, middle, end or chronological order).
Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut (1823-1886) was a prominent woman from South Carolina. Her husband, James Chesnut, was a U.S. Senator before the Civil War. Well-educated, intelligent, and well-connected, Mary understood, as the Civil War began, she had a front row seat to a historic moment in history. She began recording…
This passage from Act III, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is the sword fight between Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, and Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. As the scene opens, Mercutio is in the a public square with Benvolio and some servants when Tybalt and his friends arrive. An argument starts,…
Have you ever been watching when a tv weatherperson points to a large, white spiral of storm clouds spinning over the Earth on their video screen? If so, then you’ve gotten a small look at what the most powerful storm in the world looks like: a tropical cyclone. Tropical cyclones start as…
At breakfast, Sarah saw that her mother was wearing overalls. That meant that she was planning to work in the garden. “What are you planting today?” asked Sarah. “Today I will plant radishes and carrots,” answered Sarah’s mother. “Would you like to help?” Sarah was happy. She wanted to learn more…
Anika pulled her wheeled suitcase behind her as she followed her parents through the airport. She looked all around her in the huge building that seemed to be filled with thousands of people. It was going to be her first time on an airplane. She was very excited, and maybe…
Published in 1869, Mark Twain’s book The Innocents Abroad tells of his trip through Europe and the Mideast in 1867. In this passage, Twain has arrived in Gibraltar, gateway to the Mediterranean Sea. He is taking a tour of Rock of Gibraltar and has already heard the story of the…
“Oh, no. Oh, no,” cried Thumbelina. “I don’t want to marry Mr. Mole.” Chipper the field mouse shook his head. “But, it’s your wedding day! There’s no way of getting out of it now.” SWWOOOOOCCCCHH. Bluebird swooped down. “Thumbelina, my dear friend. It’s been a long time. How have you…
This young mermaid is the youngest of five sisters. She has never seen the world above the sea, but she has heard many stories about the land of humans. ————————- Nothing gave her so much pleasure as to hear about the world above the sea. She made her old grandmother…
Elena loved school. She woke up early every morning and ate her breakfast quickly so she would never be late. Kindergarten was fun! Elena also loved to play with her baby sister after school. Maria slept late because she was little, so Elena had to wait until the afternoon to…
Alexander pushed with all his might against a huge stone. “I saw a wizard put jewels behind the stone. If we can move it, they’ll be ours. We’ll be rich.” “It’s too heavy for us to move,” said Raja. He leaned against the rock and wiped his forehead. “We can…