Summarizing: Condensing Texts Without Omitting Key Points
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Presentation Transcript
Summarizing: A Definition • A summary is a shortened version of written material that presents the central ideas and key points expressed in a piece of writing.
Why Summarize? • Summarizing helps you review and understand what you are reading.
How often do you summarize? • Think about these questions: • Hey, what did you do last weekend? • That book looks good. What’s it about? • What happened in the game last night? • Okay, tell me what he said? • So, what are your plans over break? • Now, turn to your neighbor and answer this question: • What did you do after school yesterday?
How to Summarize… • To summarize: • Step 1: • Skim the text. • Use your THIEVES elements to help you get a sense of the central ideas.
To Summarize Nonfiction: • To summarize: • Step 2: • Perform a close reading • Distinguish important information from unimportant information • Learn the central ideas
To Summarize Nonfiction: • To summarize: • Step 3: • Write your summary
Stick to the Facts! • Summaries should be objective (free of any personal opinions). • Ask yourself: • Who is the story/text about? • What is going on? • When is it happening? • Where does it take place?
Summarizing • The goal of a summary is to condense a text without omitting key points.
Summarizing • A good summary should: • Include the central ideas • Include only important information • Tell about the entire text in an organized manner • Be free of any personal opinions • Restate meaning in the reader’s OWN WORDS
Example: • "Last night, the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1, to win the National League Division Series. Barry Bonds hit his third home run of the series in the fourth inning against pitcher Kevin Millwood. The Braves had a chance to win in the ninth inning, but Sheffield struck out with two men on base, and Jones grounded into a double play."