Summarizing Worksheets - Free Printable

Let’s solve this step by step.

We are given two short passages and asked to write a summary for each — one about the Bald Eagle and one about Mount Rushmore. A good summary should be short, clear, and include only the most important ideas from the passage.

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First Passage: Bald Eagle

Key points from the text:
- The bald eagle is America’s national bird.
- It lives near water (lakes, rivers, coasts) because it eats fish.
- It builds big nests in tall trees or cliffs.
- It was almost extinct but now its population is growing again.
- People helped by protecting them and stopping harmful chemicals like DDT.

So, we can write a simple summary that includes these main ideas without extra details.

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Second Passage: Mount Rushmore

Key points from the text:
- Located in South Dakota.
- Has faces of 4 U.S. presidents carved into a mountain.
- Started in 1927, finished in 1941.
- Made by sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his team.
- Took many years and hard work; some workers died during construction.
- Now it’s a famous tourist spot with over 2 million visitors per year.

Again, we want to capture the big ideas simply.

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Now let’s write clean summaries using those key points.

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Final Answer:

Summary for Bald Eagle:
The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. It lives near water so it can catch fish to eat. These birds build large nests in tall trees or on cliffs. They were once close to disappearing, but thanks to protection laws and banning bad chemicals like DDT, their numbers are going up again.

Summary for Mount Rushmore:
Mount Rushmore is a giant sculpture in South Dakota showing the faces of four U.S. presidents. Work began in 1927 and ended in 1941. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum led the project, which took many years and was very dangerous — some workers even died. Today, more than 2 million people visit every year to see this amazing monument.