Writing Worksheet · Grades 4–6
Summary Writing Worksheet
A 3-page worksheet for grades 4-6 that teaches the keep-vs-omit judgment behind a good summary. Students decide which sentences belong in a summary about how butterflies grow, then write 1-2 sentence summaries of two short passages about the sun and about owls. Includes a worked aquarium field-trip summary and a sample-answer key.
Full Member resource. See what membership includes →
Subject
Writing
Grades
Grades 4–6
Skill Focus
Summary Writing, writing skills
Lesson Length
25 minutes
Lesson Overview
About this worksheet
Writing a summary is harder than it looks. Students have to identify the main idea, hold on to the supporting details that earn their place, and let go of the rest – the side stories, the personal opinions, the small facts that do not change the picture. This worksheet builds that judgment with a focused reference, a sort-and-label exercise, and two short writing tasks.
Page 1 opens with a reference box that defines a summary as a short retelling that keeps the main idea and key details and omits small facts, opinions, and personal stories, and walks students through a worked aquarium field-trip summary so the keep/omit cuts are visible side by side. Section A then gives five sentences about how butterflies grow and asks students to label each KEEP or OMIT for a summary.
Page 2 is the writing task. Students read two short passages – one about the sun and one about owls – and write a 1-2 sentence summary of each in the boxes provided. The passages are short enough that the keep/omit thinking from Section A can be applied directly.
Page 3 is a compact answer key. Section A lists the five KEEP/OMIT labels with a one-line rationale (keep the main idea and key details; omit opinions and personal stories). Section B gives one sample summary per passage; any student answer that captures the main idea and key details is acceptable.
How to Use This Lesson
Read the reference box aloud and compare the original aquarium paragraph to the worked summary – point to which details survived and which were cut.
Do Section A item 1 together (the four-stage main idea is KEEP), and let students complete items 2-5 independently.
Read each Section B passage aloud once, then give students 5-7 minutes to write the summary in the box.
Have students trade summaries with a partner; partners check that the main idea is captured and no opinions or personal stories crept in.
Use the answer key on page 3 as a sample model – point out that student wording can vary widely as long as the main idea is intact.
Optional extension: students bring in a short news article (under one page) and write a 2-sentence summary using the same keep/omit habit.
For the teaching side of this worksheet, Teaching Summary Writing covers where students go wrong and how to introduce it.
Printable Resource
A classroom-ready PDF with everything in one printable resource.
Full Member Resource · Printable PDF · 3 pages · Answer Key
Summary Writing Worksheet
A 3-page worksheet for grades 4-6 that teaches the keep-vs-omit judgment behind a good summary. Students decide which sentences belong in a summary about how butterflies grow, then write 1-2 sentence summaries of two short passages about the sun and about owls. Includes a worked aquarium field-trip summary and a sample-answer key.
For Teachers
Teaching this? Here is the full lesson plan
Using Text Evidence: Proving It From the Page — a complete 45-minute lesson plan for Grades 6-8: objectives, warm-up, direct instruction, guided and independent practice, assessment, and differentiation. Free to read, no sign-in required. This resource is one of the student materials it uses.
This is a Full Member resource
Unlock this worksheet — plus 1,000+ printable worksheets with answer keys across seven subjects, Kindergarten through grade 9. Cancel anytime.
See membership options →Keep Exploring Writing
Related Worksheets
More for Grades 4–6Audience and Purpose Worksheet · Compare and Contrast Essay Worksheet · Figurative Language in Writing Worksheet · Five-Paragraph Essay Outline Worksheet · Paraphrasing Worksheet · Persuasive Writing Worksheet