SUMMARIZING

Presented by:Austria, Princess Erbie

C.

BSEd Physics 2A

S.Y. 2011-2012

What is it?

Abstracts the important ideas of a selection which may be poetry or prose, expressing them in the briefest way possible.

A summary is a brief, accurate restatement of a speaker’s or a writer’s words;

It extracts the meat from all the details and ideas contained in the material.

It requires clear thinking and high reading ability.

To put in your own words a shortened version of written or spoken material, stating the main points and leaving out everything that is not essential.

It is more than retelling; it involves analyzing information, distinguishing important from unimportant elements and translating large chunks of information into a few short cohesive sentences.

Fiction & nonfiction texts, media, conversations, meetings, and meetings can all be summarized.

Practice in summarizing will improve your thinking, speaking and writing. Skill in summarizing will help you to be more efficient in studying, preparing reports, taking notes, and writing tests.

GUIDELINES

Use your own words.Follow the original sequence of ideas.

Reduce the original to one-third or one-fourth.

Refrain from the use of unnecessary words and repetitions.

Exclude examples.Ensure that you do not include your own opinions.

Why is it important?

Summarizing allows both students and teachers to monitor comprehension of the material.

Summarizing helps students understand the organizational structure of lessons or texts.

Summarizing is a skill at which most adults must be proficient to be successful.

Different strategies

FictionLiterature dealing with imaginary characters and situations(e.g. novel story, poem, song and story).

Non-fictionform of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact (e.g. local newspapers/magazines, part of a school handbook, passage from a textbook, biography and other factual materials).

Read / Listen to the conversation between Susan and Ken and summarize why their marriage is in trouble.

Conversation:

(Adapted from Impact Values , by Richard R.Day, Junko Yamanaka & Joseph Shanles , Longman Asia ELT, Hong Kong , 2003, page 9.)

Susan: Sweetie', do you know what day it is?

Ken: Excuse me, but I'm very busy right now. I have to answer this e-mail.

Susan: You forgot, didn't you?         Ken: What? Did you say something? Can't

you wait until tomorrow? I'm really busy right now.

Susan: Agh!Ken: Why are you sitting on my

keyboard? Look what you've done!

Susan: You forgot my birthday!

Ken: Is it today? Really? Today? Let me check my appointment file on my computer. Please get off   my keyboard.

Susan: You don't have to check your computer file. My birthday is TODAY! This is your wife   talking to you. Do you need to check your computer file to see who I am?

Ken: Okay, okay. I believe you. I'm sorry. I'm... I'm really, really sorry. Now, please get off   my keyboard and...and I'll send you an email birthday card.

Susan: Agh! What is wrong with you? You spend all of your time with your computer. Do you still   love me?

Ken: Of course I do. Now, if you get off my keyboard, I'll order some flowers from the flower   shop's website.

Susan: I don't care about flowers. I'm worried about you. Do you remember when we were first   married? We used to do so many things together. We used to hike in the mountains, we used to ride our bikes...

Ken: You know I remember. But that was before computers. Now I use my computer to go   anywhere in the world. I can hike mountains in Europe and go bike riding in China.

Susan: But that's not real. And I'm not with you. I'm worried about your health. You spend all day   with your computer at your office and then all night and the weekends with your computer at home.   It's not healthy.

Ken: But I'm happy. I love my computers, okay? Because I love you, I will see my doctor and   checkups, all right? Now, please get off my keyboard and I'll send an email to my doctor to make   an appointment.

Summary: Susan is upset with Ken's obsession

with the computer. Today is her   birthday but he has forgotten it because he is on his

computer answering an e-mail message. When she reminds him of her birthday, he says he will send   her an e-mail card, and will order some flowers from a website. But Susan   does not care about flowers, she is

more concerned with his health and she   would like Ken to spend more time with

her, not with his computer.

When can you use it?

Reading/EnglishHave students summarize stories, a chapter

from a novel, an act from a play, a poem, or an entire short story. Ask students to summarize the life of an author or a piece of science fiction or historical fiction.

WritingHave students use a story map to

summarize a work of fiction or nonfiction in a paragraph. Have them write a paragraph that summarizes a style of writing that their favorite author uses.

MathHave students summarize an important

theorem in geometry such as the Pythagorean theorem, the quadratic formula, or how to do long division. Have them summarize the life of an important mathematician such as Pythagoras.

Social StudiesSummarize the events leading up to an

historical event such as the Civil War. Have students summarize an interesting case such as the Dred Scott case or the life of an important historical figure such as Martin Luther King, or Abigail Adams.

ScienceHave students summarize the process of photosynthesis, a recent science experiment, or the life of an important scientist such as Marie Curie or Thomas Edison.

END. . .

Group Activity

The Call – Regina SpektorIt started out as a feeling

Which then grew into a hopeWhich then turned into a quiet thought

Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder

Till it was a battle cry

I'll come backWhen you call me

No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changingDoesn't mean it's never

Been this way before

All you can do is try to knowWho your friends are

As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizonAnd follow the light

You'll come backWhen it's over

No need to say good bye

You'll come backWhen it's over

No need to say good bye

Now we're back to the beginningIt's just a feeling and no one knows

yetBut just because they can't feel it too Doesn't mean that you have to forget

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger

Till they're before your eyes

You'll come backWhen they call you

No need to say good bye

You'll come backWhen they call you

No need to say good bye