🦅

Reading – Summarizing

Reading · Level 5 · CCSS: RI.5.2, RL.5.2 · Worksheet 2 of 5 · Practice Set 8

Level 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Practice SetsSet 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Set 6 Set 7 Set 8 Set 9 Set 10

1 Read the Story

📖 Read this story carefully. You will write a summary of it!

The Lost Hiking Group

A group of campers from Pinewood Scout Troop set out on a day hike through Cedar Ridge Forest. Their guide, Ms. Alvarez, had marked the trail carefully, but a fallen tree blocked their usual path partway through the hike.

The group took a detour around the fallen tree but ended up on an unmarked trail instead. Ms. Alvarez calmly pulled out a compass and a paper map, reminding the scouts how to find their bearings using landmarks. The scouts worked together, spotting a distinctive rock formation they recognized from the map.

Using the landmark, the group found their way back to the main trail within twenty minutes. They finished the hike safely, and Ms. Alvarez praised the scouts for staying calm and remembering their map-reading skills.

2 Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then

🎯 Use the SWBST strategy to organize your summary.

Somebody → Wanted → But → So → Then

Part	Fill In
Somebody (Who?)
Wanted (What did they want?)
But (What was the problem?)
So (What did they do?)
Then (How did it end?)

3 Write a Summary

✍️ Now write your summary in 2–3 sentences. Include only the MOST important parts — leave out small details!

Tip: A good summary does NOT include: the exact brand of compass used, what the scouts ate for lunch, or how tall the fallen tree was.

4 Summary vs. Detail

📋 Decide: does each statement belong in a summary, or is it just a detail?

Statement	Summary or Detail?
The scout troop took a wrong turn during their hike.
A fallen tree blocked their usual path.
Ms. Alvarez used a compass and map to find their bearings.
The scouts spotted a rock formation from the map.
The group found their way back within twenty minutes.
The scouts finished the hike safely using their map skills.

5 SBA Performance Task: Extended Response

This section is like a performance task on the state test. Read carefully, find evidence, and write a complete response.

Question: Write a summary of this passage that includes the main idea and the most important supporting details. Leave out minor details.

My claim or answer:

Evidence 1: (Quote or detail from the text)

Evidence 2: (Another quote or detail)

My explanation: (Connect the evidence to your claim in 2-3 sentences)

+ Bonus Reading Practice

Use this short practice to extend Set 8.

Topic words: trail, sign, tree, path

1. Write one sentence using two of the words above.

2. What detail would you expect to find in a passage about this topic?

3. Write one inference a reader could make from a text about this topic.