Find Key Details

Find Key Details

What students learn

Students learn that a summary starts with the main idea and then includes only the key details. Open with Summaries Start with Main Idea and Key Details so students hear the idea of "most important" right away.

Why it matters

Readers cannot include every detail in a summary. They must decide which facts matter most and which facts can be left out. Summaries Skip Unimportant Details shows how a summary stays short by leaving out less important information.

Learn the idea

A good note taker looks for the main point, the important people or events, and the few details that help explain the story. Summaries Choose the Best Details helps students practice choosing details that support the main idea.

Try it

Give the child a short article or paragraph and ask them to underline the sentence that says the main idea. Then have them circle two details they would keep in a summary and cross out one detail they would leave out.

Parent guide

Ask the child why a detail belongs in the summary. If they cannot explain it, it may not be one of the key details. Keep the practice brief and repeat the same question pattern often.