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).

Primary Source: Opening of the Panama Canal

Formally opened on August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal was considered a “wonder of the modern world.” The project involved digging over 50 miles across the tropical Isthmus of Panama to connect the Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico with the Pacific Ocean. Previously, to navigate from one ocean to another required…

Primary Source: The Statue of Liberty

Designed by Frenchman Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the construction of The Statue of Liberty began in the 1870s. Originally named “Liberty Enlightening the World,” the statue was erected in New York Harbor and officially dedicated on October 28, 1886. However, bad weather postponed the fireworks display that had been planned for…

African American Inventors: Elijah McCoy

Elijah J. McCoy was born in Canada in 1844. His parents had been slaves in Kentucky, but they escaped. The anti-slavery volunteers of the Underground Railroad helped them get to Canada. After the Civil War was over in 1865, the family returned to the U.S. and lived in Michigan. As…

The Mayflower Compact

The Mayflower Compact  was a document written and signed by the Pilgrims as they arrived in the New World in 1620. The group had originally planned to go to the Hudson River area, which was part of the Virginia Colony. Bad weather, however, put them farther north, near the coast of Massachusetts. Since they…

Rocky and the Squirrels

Rocky Raccoon was playing by himself at the park. He noticed a group of squirrels nearby, playing soccer with an acorn. It looked like fun, and Rocky wished he could play too. However, thinking about talking to others made him nervous and he wasn’t sure how to start. Why would…

The Astrologer

A man who lived a long time ago believed that he could read the future in the stars. He called himself an Astrologer, and spent his time at night gazing at the sky. One evening he was walking along the open road outside the village. His eyes were fixed on…

Arachne’s Web

What had seemed like a good idea two weeks ago was turning into one of the most stomach-churning experiences of Katie’s life. She cautiously peeped through the heavy black curtains and then quickly yanked her head back into the backstage gloom. “She’s out there,” Katie breathed to Mila and Renee.…

The Kenny Method

It was a sunny day in the Australian Outback. Elizabeth Kenny, a self-taught nurse, was making her rounds visiting patients on farms and cattle stations. At one farm, she was told of a sick child on a neighboring farm. She knew that must be her next stop. When Elizabeth got…

Primary Source: Mother’s Day Oberved All Over America

While the roots of a day to honor mothers began earlier, when Anna Jarvis’ mother died in 1905, Jarvis dedicated herself to promoting the idea of one day to recognize mothers. She started in Philadelphia, and the movement grew quickly. This is a newspaper article from the Boston Herald on…

The Witch Tells Fortunes

Hallowe’en at Merryvale is a book about a group of boys who attend a Halloween party at the home of one of the boys. It takes place in the early 20th century in a small town called Merryvale. The boys are good friends,and most have nicknames: Reddy, Toad, Fat, etc.…