Today is rung 5 of 10 on this topic
Summarising without retelling
Can do: Reduces a chapter or article to a few sentences, keeping only what matters.
Why it matters
Summarising is the highest-value study skill there is, and it's what revision, note-taking and essay planning all depend on later.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
The "summary" is nearly as long as the original, or it's the first thing they remember rather than the most important.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Summarise that chapter in three sentences."
Solid looks like: Three sentences covering the whole chapter, not just the opening.
The full activity for this topic · 10 minutes
Twenty Word Limit
- 1Read it, then close it. Summarising with the text open is copying.
- 2Write a summary with a hard limit of twenty words. Count them.
- 3Cut it to ten. The cutting is the thinking.
- 4Compare with the original: what got lost, and did it matter?
- 5Do it verbally in the car for a film or a school day, too.
If it's too hard
One paragraph, twenty words.
If it's too easy
Summarise two sources on the same topic and note where they differ.
Say this
"Twenty words, no more. What has to go? If you can cut it and still understand, cut it."