Summarizing Getting to the Point What is a

Summarizing Getting to the Point

What is a summary? • A summary is a shortened passage, which retains the important and necessary information of the original. It is a fairly brief restatement --- in your own words ---of the contents of a passage. • Note: you simply report back what the writer has said, without making value judgments (giving your opinion).

What is a Summary? A summary is a shortened version of an original text. It includes the main idea and major supporting points, and should reveal the relationship between the major points and the main idea.

Summarizing is a powerful reading strategy. It increases comprehension and retention of information.

When you summarize, you restate the most important information of a text, using your own words.

Summary Short account of the central ideas of a text Summaries are not a place for… § Opinions § Background knowledge § Personal information

How To Summarize 1. Read the text. 2. Don’t let big words scare you. 3. Ask, “What was this text about? ” Your Answer… § Should cover main point and key ideas § Should be in your own words § Shouldn’t just be a word or two

Good readers summarize. As they read, they pause to sum up the important ideas or events. This helps them remember the information. As you read a story, note the main events. After you read, ask yourself what the main events were and in what order they occurred.

Steps in writing a summary Ø Read the article To understand the article and find the general theme. Ø Reread the article Divide into sections and label each section. Understand the important parts. Ø Write one-sentence summaries Summarize each section of thought.

Should It Go in My Summary? Only major ideas and necessary information should go into a summary. Ask yourself: “Do you need this information to understand the text? ” If the answer is yes, put it into your own words in your summary.

Main Idea and Key Points The main idea is what the text is about. Key points are arguments or information that is used to support the main idea. Key points may be developed or elaborated with supporting details. Your summary should only include main ideas and key points, not supporting details.

Summarizing is: • Keeping • Deleting • Paraphrasing

Keeping Keep only the important information and main ideas.

Deleting Do not include supporting details in your summary.

Paraphrasing Use your own words!!!

Organizers The following 2 slides show examples of organizers that will assist you with summarizing.

- Topic: Main Idea: exam

To summarize a story, you need to include the narrative elements.

You should include the setting, the main characters, the problem and the resolution.

Important details that take you from the problem to the resolution should be included in the summary.

Summary Your Turn!

Example Text A penny for your thoughts? If it’s a 1943 copper penny, it could be worth as much as fifty thousand dollars. In 1943, most pennies were made out of steel since copper was so, the 1943 copper needed for World War II, penny is ultra-rare. the 1955 Another rarity is double die penny. These pennies were mistakenly double stamped, so they have overlapping dates and letters. If it’s uncirculated, it’d easily fetch $25, 000 at an auction. Now that’s a pretty penny. . . . T .

Incorrect Example Response 1 This text is about pennies. § This response is too short. § It does not include key ideas. Incorrect Example Response 2 The 1943 copper penny is worth a lot of money. Copper was hard to get during the war so there aren’t many of them. The 1955 double die penny is worth a lot too. These pennies were stamped twice on accident. § Too much unnecessary stuff. § Main idea is not clear.

Correct Example Response This text is about two very rare and valuable pennies: the 1943 copper penny and the 1955 double die penny. § Includes key information. § Doesn’t include unnecessary information § Is a complete sentence.

Practice Summarizing nursery rhymes. Directions 1. We will read each nursery rhyme. 2. Summarize the nursery rhyme in as few words as possible. 3. Include key information. 4. We will discuss our answers.

1 The itsy bitsy spider Climbed up the water spout Down came the rain and Washed the spider out Up came the sun and Dried up all the rain And the itsy bitsy spider Climbed up the spout again.

2 Humpty Dumpty Sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty Had a great fall. All the King's horses And all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty Together again.

3 Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard To give her poor dog a bone. But when she got there The cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none.

4 Jack and Jill went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after. Up Jack got and home did trot, As fast as he could caper, And went to bed to mend his head With vinegar and brown paper.

5 Little Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet, Eating some curds and whey. Along came a spider Who sat down beside her And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Example Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. A spider fell but got up again. An egg fell and was irreparably broke. An woman had no food to feed her dog. A boy fell, hurt his head, and bandaged it. A spider scared away a girl.

Summarizing Let’s practice One paragraph at a time…

Example paragraphs… A tornado is a powerful, twisting windstorm. It begins high in the air, among the winds of a giant storm cloud. People who have watched a tornado’s howling winds reach down from the sky have said it’s the most frightening they have ever seen. In some parts of the United States, these windstorms are called twisters or cyclones.

Main Idea Supporting Detail

Main idea and supporting details Tornado is powerful, twisting windstorm Part of giant storm cloud Frightening Also called twister or cyclone

Sentence Summary… Tornadoes are frightening, powerful, twisting windstorms sometimes called twisters or cyclones that start in giant storm clouds.

Tornadoes cont… Tornadoes are not the only whirling windstorms that move through the earth’s air. Dust devils, hurricanes and typhoons all have twisting winds. But these windstorms differ from tornadoes in important ways.

Main idea and supporting details Dust devils, hurricanes, and typhoons have twisting winds Whirling windstorms Differ from tornadoes

Sentence Summary… Dust devils, hurricanes and typhoons also have twisting winds, but they are different from tornadoes.

People used to play football bareheaded. After many injuries, players began to use plain, leather caps. Plastic helmets and masks appeared later. Still, many players were getting hurt. To make helmets better, designers studied --- woodpeckers! Their tough, spongy skulls became the model for modern football helmets. Steck-Vaughn - Comprehension Skills - Main Idea - Level F. Pg. 34

Now, summarize the text from the previous slide. Remember to paraphrase. Your summary should only be a few sentences.

Here is an example of a summary for the passage you read. During football’s early days, many injuries occurred due to little or no head protection. Improved football helmets were designed using woodpecker skulls as a model.

Your summary and paraphrase will not be exactly the same as the example shown. However, it should include the following important details.

• Football was originally played with little or no head protection • Injuries occurred • Improved helmets/head protection were modeled after woodpecker skulls

Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting • You can borrow from the works of other writers as you research. • As a good writer, you should summarize, paraphrase and quote to blend source materials in with your own. • But you should make sure your own voice is heard!

REMEMBER • Summaries are short restatements of a work's main points. • When writing a summary, be sure to record the work's major ideas. • Summaries condense a text's main ideas into a few concise sentences. • A summarized work is always much shorter than the original. • A summary should be written in your own words.

Remember to summarize as you read. It will help you remember the information.