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).

African American Inventors: Patricia Bath

Dr. Patricia Bath was the first black woman medical doctor to receive a patent in the United States. She now holds four patents for her inventions, which are related to preventing and restoring sight in patients. Born in 1942, she was raised in the Harlem area of New York City.…

The Spelling Bee

Thursday was the day of the class spelling bee, and Maria had studied all week long to make sure she was ready. Maria was a very good speller. She wanted to win the spelling bee so she could represent her class in the school-wide spelling bee at the end of…

The Pumpkin Patch

One bright October morning, Tyler woke up and noticed that the sun was shining in her bedroom window. Everything seemed more colorful than usual. The sky was very blue, and the leaves on the big maple tree were turning yellow and red. “Jacob, wake up!” she called. “Fall is here!” Jacob…

Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised

Marilla Cuthbert and her brother, Matthew Cuthbert are getting old, and they have decided to have an orphan boy from a nearby orphanage come live with them and help them on their farm. In this passage, Marilla is telling their neighbor, Mrs. Rachel Lynde, about their decision. ————————————— Marilla was…

Jimmy’s New Year’s Resolution

“Happy New Year, everyone!” Jimmy’s dad put a plate of hot pancakes down on the center of the table. “It’s the first day of the year. What’s your resolution for the next twelve months?” Jimmy’s sister, Julia, spoke first. “I want to get an A in math. I’m going to…

The Flight

 Peter Pan is the story of Wendy, Michael, and John Darling who go away with a magical boy named Peter Pan. Peter can fly, and he teaches the children to fly also. They take off to go to Peter’s home Neverland. In this passage, they are on their way.  …

The Puppy Who Lost Her Wag

Cookie loved to play with her seven brothers and sisters. They would play and wrestle with each other until they were too tired to play anymore. Then the puppies would cuddle up and take naps together. It was nice to always have someone to be with, and Cookie’s tail was…

Peter’s Coal Mine

The Railway Children is the story of of an English family with three children named Peter, Phyllis, and Roberta. The mother and children move to a house near a railway, or railroad track, after the father has been put in prison. In this passage, the children and their mother have…

Primary Source: Gold in California!

On January 24, 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill near present-day El Dorado County, California. At that time, California was a new territory of the United States and sparsely populated. It took a while for the news to reach the established parts of the U.S. The first publication of…

The Island Come True

Peter Pan is the story of a boy who did not want to grow up and his adventures in a magical place called Neverland. Many interesting people live in Neverland including some wicked pirates lead by Captain Hook, Peter’s biggest enemy. In this passage, Hook tells his bo’sun, or ship’s…