To use some of the tips and tools we reviewed, let's examine
several examples of questions about identifying or writing
a summary.
We have read Birdfoot's Grampa,
by Joseph Bruchac in the previous lesson and have
already figured out the theme or main message.
A summary is a little different because it focuses
only on information within the poem itself. A
summary tells us what is the main thing that happens
in the poem. Review the poem again by clicking
on the book icon on the right. Then keep the poem
open while we go through the question and explanations.
Question:
Which of these sentences best summarizes this
poem?
|
Birdfoot's
Grampa |
|
|
Remember to:
- Read the question before reading the passage.
- Look for the sentence that best describes the basic
story of the poem.
-
What are the key
words in this question? (best,
summarizes)
-
Which choices can you eliminate right
away, and which are possibly correct answers?
Remember
the "YES, NO, MAYBE" tool.
Multiple Choice Answers:
- A man is teaching his grandson to drive.
Think
to yourself:
The
poem says, "The Old Man must have stopped our
car two dozen times to climb out . . . " That
means that Grampa is driving the car, not Birdfoot.
It doesn't say anything about learning to drive a car.
You would choose NO for this response. This statement
does NOT summarize the main thing that happens in this
poem.
- A man stops the family car to collect toads to
take home.
Think
to yourself: Grampa
does stop the car. The first part of the statement is
true, but Grampa isn't collecting toads to take home.
The poem says he gathers the frogs into his hands, and
they he gets "knee deep in the summer roadside
grass," which means he is taking them off the
road. Because he says, "They have places to
go, too" you would think he is letting them
go, not collecting them. He lets them go to the places
they decide to go. The poem doesn't say he takes them
home. Again, you would choose NO for this response.
This statement does not summarize the main thing that
happens in the poem.
- A man keeps interrupting a trip to rescue small
animals.
Think
to yourself: Grampa stops
his car over and over and over to gather frogs into
his hands. The poem says, "The Old man must
have stopped our car two dozen times . . . "
Then he takes them to the side of the road where they
won't get squished by the car wheels. We know this because
he is "knee deep in the summer roadside grass,"
and says, "They have places to go, too."
He definitely is rescuing these small animals! Yes,
this sentence summarizes the main thing that happens
in the poem - Grampa saving frogs. It does not make
any statement of opinion, but sticks to the events in
the poem.
- A family loses its way on a car ride in the country.
Think
to yourself: We've
decided C is a good answer already, but we need
to look at the last option as well. This is the least
valid summary statement for this poem. The poem has
nothing to do with getting lost. Grampa stops the car
on purpose. He is not lost. Eliminate this answer
quickly.
|
Example
2 >>
|
