© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Chapter 7: Organizing Ideas
Reading Across the Disciplines: College Reading and Beyond, 3/e
Kathleen McWhorter
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
In this chapter you will learn how to:
Organize ideas by: Highlighting Annotating Paraphrasing Outlining Mapping Summarizing
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Highlighting
Analyze the assignment. Assess your familiarity with the subject. Read first, then highlight. Use the boldface headings. Highlight main ideas and only key
supporting details.(continued)
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Highlighting
Avoid highlighting complete sentences. Move quickly through the document as
you highlight. Develop a consistent system of
highlighting. Highlight no more than 15-25% of any
given page.
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Annotating
Circling unknown wordsMarking definitionsMarking examplesNumbering lists of ideas, causes,
reasons, or eventsPlacing asterisks next to important
passages(Continued)
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Annotating
Putting question marks next to confusing passages
Making notes to yourselfMarking possible test itemsDrawing arrows to show relationshipsWriting comments, noting
disagreements and similaritiesMarking summary statements
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Paraphrasing
A paraphrase is a restatement of a passage’s ideas in your own words.
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Paraphrasing Effectively
Read slowly and carefully. Read the material entirely before
writing. Pay attention to exact meanings and
relationships among ideas. Paraphrase sentence by sentence.
(continued)
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Read each sentence and express the key idea in your own words.
Don’t try to paraphrase word by word. Instead, work with ideas.
For words or phrases you are unsure of, check a dictionary.
You may combine several sentences into a more concise paraphrase.
Paraphrasing Effectively
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Outlining
Read an entire section and then jot down notes.
As you read, be alert for organizational patterns.
Record the most important ideas in the briefest possible form.
Think of your outline as a list of the main ideas and supporting details of a selection.
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Write in your own words; do not copy sentences or parts of sentences from the selection.
Use a system of indentation to separate main ideas and details.
Outlining
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Use Indentations to Separate Main Ideas and Details
TOPICMain Idea
Supporting Detailfactfact
Supporting DetailMain Idea
Supporting DetailSupporting Detail
factfact
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Mapping to Show Relationships
Mapping – drawing of a diagram to describe how a topic and its related ideas are connected.
Visual means of learning by writing; organizes and consolidates information.
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Mapping to Show Relationships(Concept Mapping)
Identify the topic and write it in the center of the page.
Identify ideas, aspects, parts, and definitions that are related to the topic. Draw each detail on a line radiating from the topic.
As you discover further details, draw new lines branching from the idea that the details explain.
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Mapping to Show Relationships(Concept Mapping)
TOPIC
Detail
Detail
Detail
DetailDetail
Diagram presents ideas spatially rather than in list form.
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Mapping to Show Relationships(Process Diagrams)
Diagram visually describes steps, variables, or parts of a process.
The Search Process
PeriodicalsBooksEncyclopedia
Overview of
Topic
Detailed Information
Basic Information
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Mapping to Show Relationships (Time Lines)
Shows sequence or order of events as a central focus.
1932—F.D.R. elected President 1933—Emergency Banking Relief
Act 1934—Securities and
Exchange Commission authorized
1936—F.D.R. reelected
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Mapping to Show Relationships (Part & Function Diagrams)
Diagrams that are labeled drawing.Use and description or classification of
physical objects.Example: learn the parts and
functions of the brain by drawing it.
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Summarizing to Condense Ideas
As a first step, highlight or write brief notes on the material.
Write one sentence that states the writer’s overall concern or most important idea.
Be sure to paraphrase, using your own words rather than those of the author.
Review the major supporting information that the author gives to explain the major idea.
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
The amount of detail you include depends on your purpose for writing the summary.
Present ideas in the summary in the same order in which they appeared in the original material.
If the writer presents a clear opinion or expresses an attitude toward the subject matter, include it in your summary.
If the summary is for your own use only, do not worry about sentence structure.
Summarizing to Condense Ideas
© 2006 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Visit the Companion Website
http://www.ablongman.com/mcwhorter