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Summary writing rubric: grades K–2, 3–5 and 6–8

This summary writing rubric scores how well a student boils a text down: the main idea, the key details that support it, the right order, their own words, and keeping it short with no opinions added. It fits fiction and nonfiction. Grades 3–5 and 6–8 use four levels with points, with key details counting twice; K–2 uses three plain levels for an oral or written summary. Print it, or open it in the rubric maker to change any cell.

Written for Peabody Teach. Checked . Free to print, copy and change.

Summary writing rubric, grades K–2

3 levels, 4 criteria, no points (a switch in the maker adds them).

Summary writing rubric (Grades K–2)Name ____________________ Date ________
CriteriaWow!YesNot yet
Big ideaI tell the big idea in one sentence.I tell part of the big idea.I tell one small detail, not the big idea.
Important partsI tell the three most important parts.I tell one or two important parts.I tell parts that are not important.
In orderI tell the parts in order and use first, next and last.I tell most parts in order.My parts are mixed up.
My own wordsI use my own words the whole time.I use my own words most of the time.I copy the book's words.
Open in the maker
  • I can tell what the text is mostly about.
  • I can pick the most important parts.
  • I can tell the parts in order.
  • I can use my own words.

Summary writing rubric, grades 3–5

4 levels, 5 criteria, 24 points in all.

Summary writing rubric (Grades 3–5)Name ____________________ Date ________ Total ____ / 24
CriteriaExceeds4 pointsMeets3 pointsApproaching2 pointsBeginning1 pointScore
Main ideaStates the main idea clearly in the first sentence, with the title and author.States the main idea.States a detail or topic instead of the main idea.Main idea is missing./ 4
Key detailscounts ×2Includes all the key details and leaves out minor ones.Includes most key details with few minor ones.Misses key details or includes many minor ones.Details are missing or not important./ 8
OrderFollows the order of the text with clear transition words.Follows the order of the text.Some parts are out of order.Order is confusing./ 4
Own wordsWritten entirely in the student's own words.Mostly own words; a short phrase is copied.Several sentences are copied.Mostly copied from the text./ 4
Brief and fairShort and to the point, with no opinion added.Mostly short, with no opinion.Too long, or includes an opinion.Retells everything, or is mostly opinion./ 4
Open in the maker
  • I can state the main idea of the text.
  • I can choose the key details that support the main idea.
  • I can put events or ideas in a logical order.
  • I can paraphrase instead of copying.
  • I can keep my summary short and leave out my opinion.

Summary writing rubric, grades 6–8

4 levels, 5 criteria, 24 points in all.

Summary writing rubric (Grades 6–8)Name ____________________ Date ________ Total ____ / 24
CriteriaExceeds4 pointsMeets3 pointsApproaching2 pointsBeginning1 pointScore
Central ideaStates the central idea precisely, with title, author and text type, in an opening sentence.States the central idea accurately.States the topic or a partial idea.Central idea is missing or wrong./ 4
Key detailscounts ×2Selects the details that build the central idea and shows how they connect.Selects the main supporting details.Includes some key details mixed with minor ones.Key details are missing./ 8
Text structureMirrors the text's structure, such as cause and effect or problem and solution, with fitting transitions.Follows the order of the text.Order wanders from the text in places.No clear order./ 4
ParaphraseAccurate paraphrase throughout; any quote is short, marked and needed.Accurate paraphrase with a few borrowed phrases.Some meaning is changed, or phrases are copied without quotes.Copied or inaccurate./ 4
Objective and conciseAbout a quarter the length of the original or less, objective, with no wasted words.Concise and objective.Wordy, or slips in a judgment.As long as the original, or mostly opinion./ 4
Open in the maker
  • I can state the central idea of the text accurately.
  • I can select the details that develop the central idea.
  • I can reflect how the author organized the text.
  • I can paraphrase accurately and quote only when needed.
  • I can write a concise, objective summary.

When to use it

  • After reading an article, a chapter or a short story.
  • As a quick check of reading comprehension, scored on one or two rows only.
  • Before research writing, so students practice paraphrasing without copying.

What to say to students

  • First tell the big idea in one sentence.
  • Pick only the most important details. Leave the small stuff out.
  • Use your own words, not the author's sentences.
  • A summary is not your opinion. Save that for another day.

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The criteria are generic and written for this site, with no standards codes, so they fit any curriculum. Open one in the maker to change a word, add a row or switch to a single-point rubric; what you change stays in your browser.