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Summarizing
means figuring
out what is really
important in the text and explaining it in your own words. A summary should be short—you don't tell all the details. A good summary will help you remember what you read.
Ahoy, matey! Jelly Bones Jones has taken you aboard his pirate ship, the Bonny Stingray. You'll be his first mate! And does he have a lot of work for you. Report to Jelly Bones immediately!
Report to Captain Jelly Bones JonesAhoy, matey! It's mighty important to take proper care of yer peg leg. Every night before bunk, give it a good polishin' with beeswax. Ye want it t' shine brightly in th' sunlight. Take it off afore ye sleep. Ye don't want it t' get tangled up in the hammock. Arrrgh! And avast! 'Tis most important to keep it away from termites! Them wee cooties will chew right through the sturdiest peg leg.
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Next Pirate Skill
Avast! Whether ye got two good eyes or just one, ye must know how to wear an eyepatch. Me dear ol' mum taught me this when I be a wee lad. Put on the eyepatch as soon as ye wake in the mornin'. Ye don't want to scare the swabbies with yer looks, especially before grub! Simply slide yer patch over one eye. Be careful not to snap the strap — arrrrgh! And then most important, scowl, like the scurvy sea dog ye be. Never forget th' scowl!
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Next Pirate Skill
Out here on the briny deep, a pirate must know how to keep a good lookout. First, climb all the way up t' the crow's nest. It's mighty high above the waves and climbin' up can bring on the sea sickness. Arrgh, shiver me timbers! So don't look down if ye be afraid o' heights! But ye get a splendid view from the crow's nest. Use yer spyglass to scan the horizon fer ships. And don't mind them birds—unless they take a dislikin' to ye! Arrgh!
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Next Pirate Skill
Ye may not be a singer, but that's no matter on the Bonny Stingray. Every swashbuckler has got to know how to sing a few sea shanties. Shanties be songs about pirates. Maybe ye'll write a shanty about me one day, yo ho ho! Always sing a shanty as ye swab the deck and hoist the sails. Ye've got to sing 'em loud, sing 'em hearty, and most important, sing 'em out of tune!
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Next Pirate Skill
Let me show ye how to walk the plank the pirate way. Do ye think we sea dogs make our captives walk the plank? Avast, matey, that's a scurvy lie! Walkin' the plank is much too fun to waste on yer enemies. First, it's best to do it on a blazin' hot day, for that's when the deep blue sea is so refreshin'. Yo ho ho, and shiver me timbers! Any dive will do—swan dive, jackknife, belly flop—as long as ye make a big splash. Me favorite dive? Th' six pounderball, o' course And o' course, don't forget yer rubber duckie! Yaaaaaargh!
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Create Pirate Handbook
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E-mail your summaries to your teacher or someone else so you can talk about them later.
My summaries of the Pirate Handbook and The Adventures of Jelly Bones Jones
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A service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board
First look for the main idea - what pirate skill is Jelly Bones talking about? Drag it to the brown bar at the top of the mast (that's the yardarm).
Then look for the supporting details — what would a new pirate need to know to do that skill? Drag those over to the sail.
Click Next to go to the next pirate skill. If you don't see a Next button, you need to drag the main idea to the yardarm or drag more supporting details to the sail.
After you finish all the skills, you get to write your own pirate handbook. Explain how to do each pirate skill. Use your own words, not pirate language.
Listen carefully to Jelly Bones' directions. He gives lots of details that aren't important. You need to summarize the directions by drawing a line on the map.
Start at the red ship and use your mouse to draw the path that Jelly Bones describes. Every time Jelly Bones talks, start where you left off and add a new part to your line.
If you need to try again, draw your line a little differently. Read the directions again and only draw the important parts of Jelly Bones' directions.
Use your own words to summarize each part of Jelly Bones' adventure. Don't just copy Jelly Bones' words. Think about what happened, then tell it in your own way. Make it interesting for other people to read!
When you see your summaries all together, read the whole story and see if it makes sense. Click on any part to change it.
