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Year 7 English — Note-making and summarising

Turn a passage into short notes under headings, and write a summary that keeps the meaning in far fewer words.

Name: ________________________

Before you start

A page of notes, with every line drawn as a block. Find out what each line is, and notice how far along the page each one begins.

123456
  1. 1. The main heading — what the whole passage is about
  2. 2. A sub-heading
  3. 3. A point belonging to that sub-heading
  4. 4. Another point belonging to the same sub-heading
  5. 5. The next sub-heading
  6. 6. A point belonging to the second sub-heading

The further right a line begins, the smaller the idea it belongs to. That indentation is doing as much work as the words are, which is why a page of notes can be taken in at a glance and a paragraph cannot.

  1. 1.Write one word: The short title written at the top of a set of notes is called the ____.

  2. 2.Write one word: Notes are set out under a main heading and several ____-headings.

  3. 3.Match each short form to the words it stands for.

    • govt.
    • &
    • e.g.
    • etc.
    • yrs
    • info
    • and
    • years
    • information
    • government
    • for example
    • and so on

  4. 4.What is the main purpose of a summary?

    • a) To repeat the passage word for word
    • b) To give the main ideas in far fewer words
    • c) To add your own opinion about the passage
    • d) To list every example in the passage

  5. 5.Which of these should NOT go into a summary?

    • a) Your own opinion of the passage
    • b) The conclusion the writer reaches
    • c) The most important reasons the writer gives
    • d) The main idea of the passage

  6. 6.Which would make the best heading for a passage about how bees make honey?

    • a) Honey is sweet
    • b) How bees make honey
    • c) Bees
    • d) Bees are insects that live in colonies and are found on every continent except Antarctica

  7. 7.Which is the best note for this sentence? "The Sun is the star at the centre of our solar system, and it provides the energy that keeps life on Earth going."

    • a) Sun, star, centre, solar, system, energy, life, Earth
    • b) Sun — star at centre of solar system; gives energy for life on Earth
    • c) The Sun is the star at the centre of our solar system.
    • d) The Sun is very important to all of us.

  8. 8.Which is the best one-sentence summary of this passage? "Trees give us oxygen. They hold the soil together with their roots. They give shade, and homes to birds. Cutting them down harms all of this."

    • a) Trees do many useful things, so cutting them down is harmful.
    • b) Roots hold soil together and birds need homes and shade is pleasant.
    • c) Trees give us oxygen.
    • d) Birds live in trees.

Answer key — Year 7 English — Note-making and summarising

  1. 1. heading
  2. 2. sub
  3. 3. govt. → government; & → and; e.g. → for example; etc. → and so on; yrs → years; info → information
  4. 4. b) To give the main ideas in far fewer words
  5. 5. a) Your own opinion of the passage
  6. 6. b) How bees make honey
  7. 7. b) Sun — star at centre of solar system; gives energy for life on Earth
  8. 8. a) Trees do many useful things, so cutting them down is harmful.