Retell or Summarize? Choosing the Right One

Retelling and summarizing are both useful, but for different jobs. Retell when someone wants to know the whole story, step by step, like a friend who missed the movie.

Summarize when someone wants the big idea quickly, like your teacher asking what a book was about. Here is the same story both ways. Retell: 'First, Bo lost his hat. Next, he looked in his room. Then he checked the yard. Last, he found it on the dog!

' Summary: 'Bo lost his hat and finally found it on his dog. ' Same story, different length.

• 1Retell to share the whole story in order.
• 2Summarize to share the big idea quickly.
• 3Pick the one that fits the job.