HOW TO WRITE A SIMPLE SUMMARY OF A STORY

 Writing a summary for a story means you retell the story using important information in very few words. That's more or less five sentences. Basically, we can simply make use of the elements of a story.

IN ORDER FOR YOU TO SUMMARIZE:

• STEP 1: Read the story thoroughly. There are stories that might require you to read more than once. Make sure you very well have understood the story to make an effective summary.
• STEP 2: Identify key information. It is time to jot down the WH's: who, what, where, when, why and how. These information shall make up your summary.

1. WHO is in the story? Talk about the relevant characters; usually the main characters.
2. WHAT happened in the story? This could be narrowed down by identifying the conflict or the problem in the story.
3. WHEN did the story happen? This is the setting that requires you to state the time the story happened.
4. WHERE did the story happen? This is another setting that requires you to state the place the story happened.
5. WHY did the story happen? This could be answered by stating why the problem or conflict happened.
6. HOW was the problem resolved? State how the solution was reached or if the story did not really end or reach to a resolution, you could state how it ended. 

• STEP 3: Retell the story. Now, retell the story in a very short version using the WH's. Remember to have five sentences more or less.

Let's try an example using the Manobo folktale CYCLE OF THE SUN AND THE MOON

STEP 1: I have read the story and understood it, so let's go.

STEP 2: Here are the information I gathered to complete the WH's

STEP 3: Using the information in the table above, I am now ready to write a simple summary of the story.

Long time ago on a farm, the Sun and the moon lived peacefully and had two babies. When the Moon went to fetch water, she ordered the Sun never to go near them but the Sun couldn’t resist the love he felt for them. He went to kiss them and immediately they burned and turned to ashes before his very eyes. The Sun hid in the forest gravely embarrassed of his actions but he showed up as he felt pity for his wife, the Moon. They had a terrible fight which made the moon flee from the Sun; thus the endless cycle of the Sun chasing the Moon.

References

Bullock, Holly. The Simple Summary. YouTube. (2014 Jan 3). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-ki6TP4EYs