Summarise issues found in the texts read

Summarising helps us:

• Remember the important ideas in a story
• Share a story with others quickly
• Understand what we have read

Step 1: Read or Listen Carefully

First, read the text or listen to the story carefully. Pay attention to what happens from the beginning to the end.

Step 2: Find the Main Idea

Ask yourself: What is the story mainly about? This is the main idea. It tells us the most important point.

Step 3: Answer Wh-Questions

Use these questions to find the key details:

• Who? – Who are the main characters?
• What? – What happened?
• Where? – Where did the story happen?
• When? – When did it happen?
• Why? – Why did it happen?
• How? – How was the problem solved?

Step 4: Put It Together in Your Own Words

Now, write or say a short summary using the information you gathered. Keep it short and clear.

Here is the story "Road accident" from your textbook:

Last week, I visited my aunt in a nearby district. On the way, our bus stopped suddenly. We saw four people getting off the bus. A schoolboy was lying on the road. He was hurt badly. A car had hit him while crossing the road. Next to him was a school bag. A man opened it and found an exercise book. On the cover, the name 'Baraka Musa' was written. Inside the book, there was a phone number. The man called Baraka's father.

Baraka's father came quickly in a taxi. They took Baraka to hospital. Later, we heard that Baraka got better and he was discharged.

Let's Summarise Using Wh-Questions

The Summary

A schoolboy named Baraka Musa was hit by a car while crossing the road. A man found his name in his school bag and called his father. Baraka's father came quickly and took him to the hospital, where he got better.

Notice how the summary is much shorter than the original story but still tells the main issue.

• Always ask yourself: What is the most important thing that happened?
• Do not include every small detail — only the key points
• Use your own words, not the exact words from the text
• Keep your summary clear and short

In everyday life in Tanzania, you can use summarising skills when you tell your mamma or dada about something you watched on television, when you explain to a friend what a teacher taught in class, or when you report what happened at a market or in your village. For example, if you hear news about a new road being built in Dodoma, you can summarise it by saying: "The government is building a new road in Dodoma to help people travel more easily."