Summarizing a Three-Paragraph Article
A class reads a three-paragraph article about a school garden. Paragraph 1 explains that the garden was started three years ago with a grant of $2,000 and twelve volunteers. Paragraph 2 describes the crops grown, including tomatoes, beans, and herbs, and notes that the herbs were added because they repel insects. Paragraph 3 reports that the garden now supplies the cafeteria with salad twice a week and that a waiting list of thirty students wants to join the club. Students must write a one-sentence summary. Three drafts are on the board: Draft 1 lists the grant amount and the volunteer count. Draft 2 says the garden grows tomatoes, beans, and herbs. Draft 3 says a student garden started with a small grant now supplies the cafeteria and has more interested students than it can take.
1. Which draft is the best summary, and why are the other two weaker?
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Draft 3 is the best summary. A summary should capture the main idea and the most important supporting points in compressed form, not list every detail. Draft 3 covers the origin (a small grant), the current function (supplying the cafeteria), and the result (more students want in than can join). Those are the load-bearing facts across all three paragraphs.
- Draft 1 takes one detail from paragraph 1 and drops paragraphs 2 and 3 entirely. It is accurate but incomplete.
- Draft 2 lists the crops, which is a supporting detail, and leaves out what the garden does and what has happened because of it.
A useful test: if a reader only saw the summary, would they know what the article is mostly about? Draft 3 passes; Drafts 1 and 2 do not.
2. A student argues that Draft 3 leaves out too much and that a summary should include the crops. How would you respond?
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I would agree that the crops are in the article and that leaving them out loses something, but I would separate important from interesting. A one-sentence summary cannot hold every fact, so the writer must choose the facts that carry the main idea. The article's main idea is that a small, volunteer-started garden became a valued part of the school. The grant, the cafeteria supply, and the waiting list all support that idea directly. The list of crops supports it only loosely, and the detail about herbs repelling insects is a sub-point inside that list.
If the assignment allowed two sentences, adding the crops would be reasonable. At one sentence, including them would push out a fact that matters more. The judgement call is about proportion: a summary should mirror the shape of the original, giving the most space to what the article gives the most weight.