GIST Summarization Template The template instructs students to focus their thoughts to the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a text or video option and then utilize that knowledge to generate a GIST summary. The GIST summary should be two paragraphs long and use the same structure as a formal essay (introduction, body, conclusion). Gist summaries are used by news organizations to summarize new material without writing an entire article about it. This saves time for both the reader and the journalist. The template provides guidance on selecting important information from the source document and organizing that information in a compelling way. It also helps students identify key ideas in the source material and provide detailed explanations of those concepts. Finally, the template encourages students to be concise and relevant when summarizing real-world sources of information. Here's an example of a GIST summary generated from the movie "The King's Speech": In the beginning of the movie, we see a young King Edward VIII speaking before a crowd at a university campus. He talks about his love for Princess Elizabeth and how their marriage will unite Britain under one royal family. Then we cut to the present day and find the king living in exile while his wife gives birth to their son.