Improve your Composition How to write a summary

Improve your Composition How to write a summary ---By Hou Lijuan

Teaching aims: Through this lesson, students will be able to 1. find out the key elements of the story; 2. think critically and draw the enlightenment(感悟) of the story; 3. master some practical writing techniques to write a summary; 4. develop an interest in writing a summary.

Lead-in Do you like them? Why? Attractive outlook: figure A slim _____ smile A charming _____ and dressin Tasteful makeup ________ manners Elegant (优雅的)_____ … Inner beauty: actingskills Excellent _____ …

What contribute to an excellent composition? • Beautiful and neat andwriting h_____ • Brief s_______ ummary • Well-organizedaragraphs p____ Large vocabulary and phrases Various sentence structures Correct grammar Proper conjunctions ★Write fluently and accurat

How to summarize a passage?

Guidance: 1. Focus on main ideas and omit(省略) examples, details. (注重大 意，省去详细的例子，细节) 2. Don’t copy the original sentences, but write in your own words. (不要照抄原句，但是要用自己的语言概括) 3. Be brief and concise. (简明扼要的) 4. Write in the third person. ( 用第三人称) 5. About 30 words (25 -40 words)

How to write in your own words? Step 1: Skills for improving words/ phrases/ sentences字词句 提升 Step 2: Skills for polishing up the paragraph 语篇提升

How to write in your own words Step 1: Skills for improving words/ phrases/ sentences字词 句提升 Tip 1: Use words of the similar meaning 同义替换法 1. After three hours of waiting for the train, our patience was finally exhausted. →After three hours of waiting for the train, we became more impatient and more _______. 2. Businessmen shouldn’t hide from their responsibility to protect the environment. bear/ shoulder/ take responsibility to Businessmen should ________their protect the environment

Tips 2: Adopt the opposite way when saying a sentence 正话反说 法(虚拟) 1. Because you didn’t follow my advice, you have failed the exam. had followed would If you ______my advice, you ________the exam. passed 2. Thanks to your help, we finished couldn’t the task inhave time. If it had not been for your help, we _________the task in finished time.

Tip 3: Change the part of speech 词性转化法 1. Reading loudly can make your confidence stronger and stronger. strength → Reading loudly canen _____ your confidence. 2. The ability to explain things clearly is the most important quality of an ideal teacher. explanation →The ability to give a clear ______ is the most important quality of an ideal teacher. 3. In general, men areawareness not aware of this problem as women. →Men should raise the _______ of this problem in general.

Tip 4: Change the structure of the sentence 句式变化法 1. Teachers should give more credit to students. be Students should ______more credit. given 2. Regardless of the hardships we face in study, we shouldn’t give up hope. shouldgive up hope. _____hardships we face in study, never _____we Whatever/ No matter what

Tip 5: Use the compound sentences 使用复合句 (定语/名词性从句 等) Trees are cut down without limit. It results in the soil being washedwhich away. …, ______consequence results in the soil of being washed away. …, as a _________, it results in the soil being washed which away. What that _____ causeswhy the soil to be washed away isthat ____ tress are cut down. The reason _____the soil is washed away is ____ trees are cut down. ( )( )

Tip 6: Use the non-finite forms of the verb 使用非谓语 1. Large quantities of waste flow into our water and kill the wildlife in the river. killing Large quantities of waste flow into …, ______ the wildlife in the river. flowing With large quantities of waste ____ into our water, the wildlife …is killed. 2. I ask around and find that many people willing to pay a little higher price for environmentally friendly things. Askin _______ around, I find that many people willing to pay … g 3. Their conflict turned into a horrible argument. It led to their relationship breaking up. leadin àTheir conflict …, _______ to their relationship breaking up. g approachin 4. As summer approaches, the temperature gets higher and higher.

Tip 7: Use the shortest possible transitions 连词连接法 注意：使用一些短而精的连词，如and, finally, thus, therefore, while, however, but, yet, including, instead of, rather than, instead 等 They shouldn’t blame each other. They should have a heart- toheart communication. Instead They shouldn’t Instead of blame each other. ____, they should have … ______blaming each other, they should have … than rather They should have a heart- to- heart communication _____blame each other.

Tip 8: Change the order of the words 词序改变法 1. As for the conflict, both of them should be blamed because they were not calm and made cruel remarks to hurt each other. are to blame Both of them _____ for the conflict because they were ( not calm and made cruel… ) 2. Whether thebe project It to seen( will benefit us or not remains to be ) seen. __ remains _______ whether the project will benefit us or not.

How to write in your own words? Step 2: Skills for polishing up the paragraph 语篇提 升

夹叙夹议文章概括的方法 --- 串联要素+感悟 Tip 1: find out the key elements ( 要素) who → 谁 Sentence structures： what→ 何事 The story mainly tells us that… The passage describes … when→ 何时 What is revealed in the passage is that… where→ 何地 why → 原因 result→ 结果 …. , which led to sb doing … Tip 2：combine the elements and your enlightenment(感悟) 万能公式：The story mainly tells us that sb. (who……) did sth. (at someplace at sometime ) because of / as a result of /due to ……, which led to ……

Material 1: Last Sunday I went fishing. After setting up my fishing rod with bait, I sat down on the bank of the lake. But two hours later, I didn’t catch any fish. I got very angry and began to pack up my stuff, preparing to go back home. Just then, I saw an old man sitting near me. To my surprise, his basket was full of fish, so I went over to him, wanting to know why. “Excuse me, but how long have you sat here? ” I asked. “About four hours, ” he answered. “Four hours? ” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Yes. It’s very important to be patient, ” the old man said. “Don’t consider fishing a tiring sport. Just enjoy it. ” Suddenly, I understood what he said. I must learn to be patient. Then I sat there and waited for fish patiently. I felt a fish touch the bait, but I didn’t move and waited for the right moment to reel it in. At last, I caught it. This made me very happy. In the following six hours, I caught over 10 fish. On my way home, I thought what had happened on the bank. I gradually realized that the secret of success was patience.

Your summary？ Fill in the blanks who what why result Enlightenme nt(感悟) I an old man no fish Caught ___ full of His basketwas ____fish Had no_______ patien made/ caught ce Learned to be patient and _____ it The ____ secretof success is patience.

Presentation Show Time

One possible version who intended to give up The passage mainly tells us that the writer , who had no patience at first, (influenced by an old man), learned to be patient and succeeded in catching fish. Finally , he realized patience is the key to success. (37 words)

Practice and presentation Task: Pair work Student A: Provide elements & enlightenment Student B: Write the summary & presentation 25 -40 words Add some useful writing techniques

Material 2: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is Li Hua from Senior Three. I'm here today to share with you a good lesson from an overseas Chinese student living in Germany. It is a true story. After years of hard work, this Chinese student graduated with amazing academic achievements. Everyone thought he was going to get a good job easily and have a bright future. But to his disappointment, he was not even allowed the chance for an interview! The third time he was turned down, he couldn't help telephoning the company to ask why they didn't want him. The answer was simple, "We don't hire dishonest people in Germany. What was wrong you might wonder? The truth is, shortly after he arrived in Germany, this clever student found that it was easy to skip buying subway tickets. So, to save money, he often went without a ticket. As a result, he had been caught without a ticket in the subway three times. From this story, we learn that we may get short-term benefits by dishonest means, but the truth will come out sooner or later and the cost is high. So remember, honesty is the best policy. That's all for my speech. Thank you! who/ what/ why+ enlightenment

Presentation Show Time

One possible version: xcellen The passage mainly tells us that an e_____ t Chinese student whokipped s_______ buying tickets intentionally (故意地) ailed f_____ to find a job in Germany. Finally, he realized thatonesty h_______ is the best policy. (31 words)

Material 3: There an old horse and a little horse on a farm. One day the mother horse asks the little horse to send the wheat(小麦) to the mill. The little horse is very happy. He carries the wheat and runs toward the mill. But there is a river in front of the little horse. He stops and does not know what to do next. Just then Aunt Cow is passing by. The little horse asks, “Aunt Cow, please tell me. Can I cross the river ” Aunt Cow answers, “It is not deep, you can cross it. ” When the little horse begins to cross the river, a squirrel (松鼠)shouts at him, “Little horse, don‘t cross it, you will be drowned(溺死). Yesterday one of my friends was drowned in it. ” The little horse is very afraid. Finally he decides to go home and ask his mother. The mother horse asks, “Why do you take the wheat back ? What‘ happened, My child? ” The little horse answers sadly, “There is a river in front of me. Aunt Cow said it was not deep. But the little squirrel said it was deep. What shall I do ? ” The mother horse says, “My child, you should try to cross the river by yourself. If you do not try, how do you know the river is deep or not ” who/ what/ result + enlightenment The little horse carries the wheat and returns to the riverside. At last, he succeeds

One possible version: ncouragement The story tells us that with mother’s e_____, a rossin in c____ the river himself, little horse succeeds or findingeither that it isgn______ shallow(浅的) n____ deep, which reflects it is your own e______dvic rather than xperien e other’s a____ ce that really counts. (40 words)

Material 4: A boy found an eagle’s egg and he put it in the nest of a hen(鸡窝). The eagle(鹰) hatched(孵化) and thought he was a chicken. He grew up doing what chickens do—scratching for food and flying short distances. It was a dull life. Gradually the eagle grew older and bitter. One day he and his chicken friends saw a beautiful bird soaring on the currents of air, high above the mountains. “Oh, I wish I could fly like that!” said the eagle. The chicken replied, “Don’t give it another thought. That’s the mighty(强大的) eagle, the king of all birds—you could never be like him!” And the eagle didn’t give it another thought. He went on cackling and complaining about life. He died, thinking he was a chicken. My friends, you too were born an eagle. The Creator intended you to be who/ what/ why+

One possible version: orn in a hen nest(鸡窝), an eagle desired to fly B____ aughe but was l______ at by his chicken fellows(伙伴). d iving Eventually, he died , g____ up his dream, which reveals(揭露了) to become void real eagles, we should onfidenceinfluences and have c_______ in a____ negative ourselves. (40 words)

Review the steps of writing a summary Step 1: find out the key elements ( 要素) who/ what/ when/ where/ why / result/ …, which led to sb doing … Step 2: combine the elements and your enlightenment(感悟) 万能公式：The story mainly tells us that sb. (who……) did sth. (at someplace at sometime ) because of / as a result of /due to ……, which led to …/. Finally/eventually…… Step 3: write in your own words, about 30 words. 同义替换/正话反说(虚拟)/词性转化/句式变化/复合句/非谓 语/连词连接/词序改变法等 Step 4: beautiful handwriting

Homework 1. Polish up your writing skills for summary. 2. Rewrite your summary. 3. Share your summary with your classmates. Practice makes perfect!