Directions: Follow the prompts below to write a one-paragraph summary. Remember, a summary is a brief retelling of the most important parts of the story, without minor details or your own opinion.

Go through each section and jot down notes about what you think is necessary to know to explain what you wrote in your topic sentence. Your notes don’t have to be complete sentences. We’ve given you some examples (and crossed out what does not belong).

Opening Section:
It was November 13, 1909, at the Cherry Mine
one of the most devastating coal mine fires in American history
people starting to panic (does not belong)

Take out anything you wrote that is not necessary. Add anything that’s missing.

Ask yourself:
- Did I include information about what happened? Where and when it happened? Why it happened? Who was involved? How it ended?
- Is there a detail or two describing the main topic?
- Did I write details that aren’t essential for understanding the main topic? Get rid of those! (See example in Section 2.)

Tip!
Use your notes to summarize the article out loud with a partner. This will help you decide if you need to add or take out any information.)

Use your topic sentence and your notes to write your one-paragraph summary retelling what happened in your own words. Reread it to make sure it’s clear and that it sums up what’s important in the article.