SUMMARIZE What is Summarizing? When you summarize you put the main idea of the text into your own words. Summaries are significantly shorter than the text being summarized. Summarizing helps readers focus on the main ideas and important points of the text. When you summarize, you should include: • only the main ideas or points of the text • key words or phrases from the text • your OWN words. When you summarize, you should NOT include: • unnecessary details from the text • the author’s exact words (unless you are directly quoting the author). © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.