Duck Overboard
Summarising the Main Idea
L.I. To look for keywords and phrases
Good readers notice key words. Here are some clues to help you find key words:
Key words are directly connected to the topic
Key words are often repeated in the title and the text
A key word helps you to remember an important idea
Use this table to help you summarise the main ideas in a text in your own words. It is important that you use your own words to show your understanding and to avoid plagiarism. If you don’t know what some words mean, look them up.
Keywords from the title
Duck Overboard
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Keywords from subheadings
Main Idea
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New words I need to look up
Stupendous
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Read the text and record key words/phrases that answer these
questions:
What?
In January 1992 a stupendous storm washed three containers off a ship that was bound.
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Where?
Washington in the United States and Hong kong.
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When?
1992
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Who?
Curtis Ebbesmeyer
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Why?
While the ducks are undoubtedly a loss to the bath-time fun of thousands of children
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How?
No less than 29,000 plastic bath toys.
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Now using the words you wrote down summarise the text in 25 words or less.
Overboard
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Duck
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Stupendous
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Great Britain
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stamped
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Container
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North America
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Washington
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United States
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Titanic
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American
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finding
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Undoubtedly
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January 1992
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sea water
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frogs
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science
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Sank
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Great Britain
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potted bobbing
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Oceanographer
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float
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Curtis Ebbesmeyer
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reward
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directions
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A ship with plastic bath toys in a container went overboard when the