Name: _______________________________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________________

How can I summarize a text?

Review

To summarize a text:

• Write about the most important idea. A summary is a

short version that
• Include important details.
retells what’s
• Use your own words. most important in
the text.
• Include only facts, not opinions.

Don’t forget to look for key facts in timelines and other visual aids.

Read
Facing the Challenges of the Dust Bowl curve of the land rather than in straight lines. This helped
keep soil in place. In addition, cover crops were planted in
In 1931, a severe drought hit the Great Plains. Crops
unused fields. Cover crops are plants, such as oats and
withered, leaving the soil exposed. Winds picked up
clover, that are not meant to earn money for the farmer.
the dry soil and carried it across the land. Dust covered
Reservoirs were large holes that were dug to catch rain,
everything. Many families could no longer stay on their
and the water that was collected was used to water crops.
farms. They had to move west in search of jobs and new
land to farm. In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt became president.
Roosevelt had ideas about how to help the Dust Bowl
April 14, 1935, became known as Black Sunday because
farmers. As part of his plan, called The New Deal, the
it brought a giant dust cloud to the Great Plains. In 15
government could make loans to struggling farmers. It
minutes, the thick dust had covered cars, fields, and
could also buy failed farms. Workers from the Civilian
buildings. Though Black Sunday was an extreme example,
Conservation Corps (CCC), another New Deal program,
the dust storms had become all too common in the Great
planted trees, built reservoirs and helped in other ways.
Plains.
In 1939, the drought ended. People had learned important
Scientists and the U.S. government hurried to find
lessons. They could not forget the Dust Bowl. They
solutions to the area that became known as the Dust Bowl.
continued to use farming methods that protected the soil.
They needed ways to help farms and restore the soil.
Four million acres of unusable farmland were returned to
Farmers were urged to use methods that would protect grasslands. Today, the Great Plains is once again a land of
the soil. One method was plowing fields along the natural shining wheat fields and vast stretches of corn.

The Dust Bowl

Tree planting
Severe drought Black Sunday effort begins to Rain returns
hits the happens on April try to stop soil and drought
Midwest. 14. loss. ends.

1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939

Fourteen Dust Bowl Efforts reduce
major dust spreads to dust by 65
storms hit. affect 27 percent.
states.

© Edgenuity Inc. Summarizing and Drawing Conclusions in an Informational Text 1

 Name: _______________________________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________________

Practice
1. Circle the part of the timeline that shows that the attempts to save the soil worked.

A timeline
presents events
2. Which of these are main ideas from the passage? Check all that apply. in the order they
{ A drought hit the Great Plains in 1931.
 happen and can
 Thick dust covered cars and buildings. show how events
connect to each
{ Farmers changed their methods to those that would protect the soil.
 other.
{ The New Deal and the CCC helped Dust Bowl farmers.


3. Which of these is a key detail from “Facing the Challenges of the Dust Bowl”?
a. “Black Sunday was an extreme example”
To determine key
b. “Cover crops are plants, such as oats and clover”
details, figure out
c. “Roosevelt had ideas about how to help the Dust Bowl farmers.” what the text is
d. “They could not forget the Dust Bowl.” mainly about and
ignore any extra
information.
4. Which of these is the best summary of the passage? Circle the letter
for the correct answer.
a. The dust bowl was scary. A giant dust cloud covered everything on Black Sunday. Farmers
plowed the land in straight lines. Scientist tried to help them. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
bought struggling farms. After the drought ended, four million acres of land were unusable.
b. The dust bowl was caused by the wind blowing dry soil. Farmers were taught new ways of
protecting the soil. President Roosevelt helped the farmers. All these efforts reduced the
dust. When the drought ended, wheat, corn, and grass could grow again.

How can you tell which are the most important details to include in a summary?

Possible answer: Look for the details that go with the main ideas.

© Edgenuity Inc. Summarizing and Drawing Conclusions in an Informational Text 2