Lesson Four

LESSON FOUR

Now you have reached the last lesson of this Unit. You are doing a wonderful job and gaining much knowledge on how to paraphrase and summarize. As you can see, these two skills will help make reading, writing, and note-taking much easier.

In Lesson Three, you learned that summarizing is similar to paraphrasing. It is very important that you do not plagiarize when you are doing a summary of someone else’s work. The difference between a summary and a paraphrase is that a summary is even shorter in length than a paraphrase.

Lesson Four will give you the opportunity to summarize a few nonfiction pieces. You will read original writings and see a summary of each writing. Then the Practice Sections will give you a chance to put into practice what you have learned. As stated earlier, the more you practice something the easier it becomes.

In a summary you need to tell the main ideas in somewhat the same order as given in the original selection. A summary is a general overview of the original piece and is very broad. Summaries can be used when you want to list the main ideas of a piece, provide common information about a certain topic from many sources, and present an overview of a topic, story, or writing. Remember that a summary is much shorter than a paraphrase.

Please read the following Original Writing One and then focus on the Summary of Writing One. Notice how the summary lists the main points, and yet it does not stray from the idea of the original writing.

ORIGINAL WRITING ONE

"Honest discourse" -- that was the goal of the conference held in Anyplace, Wisconsin, on December 7 and 8; and "honest discourse" is what took place. The presenters shared research which, in most cases, had never been made public before. Not only was valuable, documented research presented; but it was also discussed openly and honestly. When clear-thinking adults can sit down and logically reason together, the children of our state may have a chance to experience genuine education reform.

SUMMARY OF WRITING ONE

A conference held in Anyplace, Wisconsin, on December 7-8 presented well-written, documented research about education reform. Open and honest debate occurred afterwards by the audience participants.

Notice that the original writing and the summary offer the same pertinent information. However, the summary highlights only the main points and offers a broad overview of the original writing.

Let's do some more practice with summarizing. Read the following original writings and then the summary of each writing. Focus on the main points.

ORIGINAL WRITING TWO

Projects and activities can breed student cynicism. It does not take long for some students to figure out that activities waste a lot of time and that some activities are pretty lame. Students may wonder what the point is, especially when they encounter dozens of projects or activities during the course of the school year instead of a well- chosen handful carried out with precision and depth. Teachers have to ask themselves... Do we give up making that mural of the Underground Railroad in order to get a more in-depth understanding of the Civil War through reading the Emancipation Proclamation or memorizing the Gettysburg Address? Which is doable in a shorter amount of time, and which is more valuable?

SUMMARY OF WRITING TWO

Because of the necessity to preserve class time and use it well, teachers have to prioritize their assignments. Teachers must evaluate whether a class project which requires great amounts of class time to produce and present is truly valuable as a learning tool.

ORIGINAL WRITING THREE

The traditional classics cannot be improved upon. They are timeless and have proved themselves to be superior pieces of literature by appealing to countless generations. Children should be introduced to independent reading of traditional classics as early as possible and should continue to read the classics as they progress all the way through school.

SUMMARY OF WRITING THREE

The traditional classics have stood the test of time; young children should be encouraged to start reading the classics as soon as possible in their young lives.

The traditional classics cannot be improved upon.
They have stood the test of time.

PRACTICAL USES OF SUMMARIES

Why would you use summaries?

1. To enrich your writing
2. To highlight a particular body of material (a phrase, sentence, etc.)
3. To give examples of certain topics
4. To draw attention to important statements
5. To give a brief account of material which is quite lengthy
6. To tell important ideas in a limited amount of time
7. To cover the important points in a passage when you have only limited lines on which to write
8. To help you and the reader learn to focus on comprehensive statements rather than on insignificant details

MORE PRACTICE ON SUMMARIES

Being able to select the key words or phrases that will support the topic of the material is very crucial in writing a good summary. If you know how to pick out the most crucial points to support the topic, then writing a summary should be easy.

Read the paragraph below and see if you can pick out the key points:

The various colorful rock striations at the San Andreas Fault remind me of the clay I played with as a small child. I loved receiving a new box of clay. Each long, rectangular block of clay was cool to the touch and beckoned me to start attacking it with my hands. I would roll it out flat, layer each color, and smash them together! The bands of colorful clay were then formed into waves by my little hands and were stood up on end to dry. It is funny, but those clay "mountains" that dried there on the table at my childhood home looked so much like the mountains I am climbing right now on the outskirts of Palm Springs. The formations caused by that unbelievable earthquake at the San Andreas Fault line surely remind me of the fun times I had molding the clay mountains on my kitchen table. Now as I am standing on this craggy mountaintop, I am in awe of Nature's creation -- the enormous folded, banded rocks alternating from light to dark to light. The multi-colored mountains definitely do remind me of my clay childhood art project!

The paragraph above lists many key phrases that describe the
wonders of the San Andreas Fault.

When writing a summary, be sure to list the most crucial points.

The colorful striations of the San Andreas Fault resemble
colorful clay that has been pressed together.

Let’s take two paragraphs and summarize them. Please read the following paragraph below:

ORIGINAL PARAGRAPH

Here at the Korakia Pensione Resort in Palm Springs, California, I feel as if I am traveling back in time and around the world without ever having to leave my hotel suite which just happens to be the original Palm Springs library. Its walls display gilt-framed paintings by the noted artist Gordon Coutts, who created and sold his masterpieces in this very location. Surrounding me are rare first-edition books autographed by their well-known authors. I can vividly picture the artists and writers as they undoubtedly held their discussions sitting in this same library. Even Winston Churchill, the brilliant biographical author and British statesman, wrote his books in this very spot. I move my index finger over the signature in the books and smell their leather covers. I sense the age of the manuscripts, the originality of the artwork, and the history of the place. I have stepped back in time without leaving the current time zone.

The writer takes you back in time with specific details about the resort.

When you summarize, be sure to focus on these details and main points.

The main idea or topic sentence is found in the first sentence: "Here at the Korakia Pensione Resort in Palm Springs, California, I feel as if I am traveling back in time and around the world without ever having to leave my hotel suite which just happens to be the original Palm Springs library." The main idea is that the author is experiencing unbelievable moments while sitting in her suite, a historical library, at a resort in Palm Springs. Based on this main idea, let's pick out the important details in the paragraph which need to be generalized (summarized).

SAMPLE SUMMARY

The Korakia Pensione Resort in Palm Springs, California, allows me to experience the world without ever having to leave my room. My suite is the original library of Palm Springs and is filled with rare books which are autographed by famous authors. Gordon Coults, a well-known artist, created and sold his paintings right in this room; and Winston Churchill’s stories were inspired here. I am fascinated with the manuscripts, the artwork, and the historical background of this resort. I feel as if I have stepped back in time.

The summary lists the main points which include the writer’s ability
to experience another place without having to leave her room. All
other sentences support this main idea.

PICKING OUT KEY POINTS

Being able to select the key words or phrases that will support the topic of the material is very crucial in writing a good summary. If you know how to pick out the most crucial points to support the topic, then writing a summary should be easy.

Read the paragraph below and see if you can pick out the key points:

The various colorful rock striations at the San Andreas Fault remind me of the clay I played with as a small child. I loved receiving a new box of clay. Each long, rectangular block of clay was cool to the touch and beckoned me to start attacking it with my hands. I would roll it out flat, layer each color, and smash them together! The bands of colorful clay were then formed into waves by my little hands and were stood up on end to dry. It is funny, but those clay "mountains" that dried there on the table at my childhood home looked so much like the mountains I am climbing right now on the outskirts of Palm Springs. The formations caused by that unbelievable earthquake at the San Andreas Fault line surely remind me of the fun times I had molding the clay mountains on my kitchen table. Now as I am standing on this craggy mountaintop, I am in awe of Nature's creation -- the enormous folded, banded rocks alternating from light to dark to light. The multi-colored mountains definitely do remind me of my clay childhood art project!