Lesson Three

LESSON THREE

Good job on the last two lessons. In Lesson Two, you read a few paragraphs and a paraphrased version of the paragraphs. You were given a chance to practice paraphrasing nonfiction work. Paraphrasing will get easier as you continue to practice. You also saw examples of what plagiarizing looks like.

In this Lesson, you will be learning how to summarize non fiction writing. To summarize something means to "present something in condensed form." If you are summarizing nonfiction writing, you will shorten it and make it more concise. In other words, if you summarize nonfiction writing, you will express it in fewer words and will choose words that are clear and succinct.

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. You will restate the main ideas of the nonfiction writing. The difference between a summary and a paraphrase is that a summary is even shorter in length than a paraphrase. Due to this reason, it is very important that you include only the most important details in order to restate the main ideas of the original writing.

As you summarize, you will need to draw upon the skills of making decisions and drawing conclusions because it will be critical for you to decide what to include and what not to include in your summary. Making decisions and drawing conclusions will require that you think critically.

REVIEW OF SUMMARIZING

To repeat, summarizing is another way to express someone else’s ideas and details in your own voice. To summarize means to condense (to make more concise; shorten) or reduce a body of material to its main points. If you summarize something, you will list the main points and shorten the original details and ideas. It is very important to know what to take out and what to leave in when summarizing. In general, a summarization should be about half as long as the original piece.

You must first read the material that you will be summarizing and know the main idea. Then be sure to pick out the sentences that support the main idea. Your summary should be written in your own words similar to when you paraphrased, but a summary is much shorter than the original writing. When you finish writing a summary, make sure that you have included the main ideas from the original selection but have done so in your own words.

Let’s take two paragraphs and summarize them. Please read the following paragraph examples below (the main points are highlighted in blue):

Original Paragraphs

Here at the Korakia Pensione Resort in Palm Springs, I feel as if I am traveling back in time without ever having to leave my hotel suite. I am sitting in the Palm Spring’s original library where the artist Gordon Coutts created, displayed, and sold his paintings. I am surrounded with rare and first edition books autographed by famous authors. My mind is screaming! I can vividly picture the artists and writers having literary discussions and deciding which souvenir landscape paintings to take home with them to add to their collections. Even Winston Churchill, the unbelievably-famous author, inspired and gave away his stories here. 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, the history of the place. I have stepped back in time without leaving the current time zone.

Through the ornate French doors, I can see a very unique mosaic pool. I fold my body back into the fluffy feather bed with exquisite linens, imprinted with the Korakia insignia. Every single vase and painting in the resort is a historical work of art, dating back from centuries ago. Endless treasures from around the world include Persian rugs, chairs from Afghanistan, vases from Greece, a pillow from Macedonia, and even pine nuts from the isles of Greece. I touch everything I can see. My fingers follow the cool, smooth arches of the room. I am not used to the architecture as it is quite unlike anything in the United States. There are no acute angles anywhere in the interior or exterior of the resort, just beautiful rounded corners. The design is very Mediterranean. The traveler, writer, artist, and historian within me are delighted. My mind, body, and soul are overwhelmed as I travel to another hemisphere without leaving the United States.

There are many main points in the paragraphs above that paint a
beautiful word picture of the Korakia Pensione Resort.

In the beginning sentence, the point of reference is established along with the main idea for the two paragraphs: Here at the Korakia Pensione Resort in Palm Springs, I feel as if I am traveling back in time without ever having to leave my hotel suite. Based on this main idea, let's pick out all the important details in the paragraph that will support it.

Notice the underlined words in the paragraph. Those are the important details that support the main idea and will be placed in the summary.

SAMPLE OF A SUMMARY

The Korakia Pensione Resort in Palm Springs allows me to experience the world without ever having to leave my room. My suite used to be the original library of Palm Springs and now houses rare, first edition books autographed by famous authors. Renowned artist Gordon Coults created and sold his paintings right in this room and the unbelievably-famous writer Winston Churchill’s stories were inspired here. 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 ever having left my motel room.

The hotel room contains wonderful treasures from around the world including items from Persia, Afghanistan, Greece, Macedonia, and Morocco. The Mediterranean design of the resort is reflected in all the architecture and furnishings. Because I am a traveler, writer, artist, and historian, I am delighted with the Korakia Pensione Resort where I can travel all over the world without ever having to leave the historical hotel.

A few treasures from around the world are displayed in the hotel
lobby.

CRITICAL THINKING

As you know by now, writing a summary requires that you use critical thinking in order to determine what to include and what to leave out. Critical thinking and making decisions will require that you draw conclusions.

Critical thinking is when you look deeply into words. When you use critical thinking skills, you do not try to interpret what the writer has said based upon what you want him/her to say. You look at the writer's actual words very closely, and you also consider what inferences might be present in the text. Thinking critically will help you to evaluate the piece of composition that is before you. When you evaluate the work, you can pick up the details upon which the author wants you to focus. You can pick up ideas that are implied based on the author’s choice of words, and you can more fully enjoy the reading. Critical thinking will help you come to a conclusion of what to include and what to leave out of your summary.

When deciding what to include in your summary, be sure to refer back to the introduction of the nonfiction selection. Be sure to locate the topic sentence and write general statements which refer to the main ideas of the original selection. In the conclusion of your summary, you will need to reiterate in different words the topic sentence from the original piece.

Introduction 1: Apples and oranges are considered fruits.
Conclusion 1: Apples and oranges are both fruits, but their unique characteristics make them very different from each other.

Introduction 2: Many people think that there is no nature to be found in the city.
Conclusion 2: In conclusion, with parks, flower gardens, and hiking trails, the city offers many natural retreats.

Many people think that there is no nature in the city.
This could be a topic sentence for a paragraph.

In conclusion, with parks, flower gardens, and hiking trails, the city
offers many natural retreats.
The topic sentence is reiterated in this conclusion.

Introduction 3: Smoking causes many preventable health-related issues.
Conclusion 3: To summarize, this article has explored the many health-related issues caused by smoking and explains the disadvantages of smoking

Introduction 4: The soft speaking, French-accented fellow in a red woolen sailing night- watch hat, which will soon become an international trademark for undersea adventure, arrives once again on his boat, The Calypso, a floating laboratory complete with underwater television gear.
Conclusion 4: When Jacques Cousteau and his boat come to Cozumel, exciting explorations take place; and many new sea creatures are located and studied.

Introduction 5: Snuba is a way for snorkelers, using compressed air, to experience the beauty of the sea floor. Snorkelers as young as eight years old can practice snuba without having to go through scuba training.
Conclusion 5: Snuba is a delightful way for even young children to learn to dive in a very safe environment; snuba is virtually guaranteed to whet a person's appetite for more sea adventures.

This would make a good concluding sentence:
Snuba is a great, safe way for kids to enjoy the underwater

Reading quality literature can help you to think critically and not to make assumptions and generalizations based on faulty ideas. This will help you to know which details are the most important ones to include in your summary of nonfiction writing. Good literature will help you to develop a background of knowledge from which you can draw when you read other works. Drawing conclusions is dependent upon your having a solid foundation of basic knowledge. One of the sources for this knowledge comes from your reading great pieces of well-known literature.

Your own experiences are very limited. Reading high-quality literature will help you to expand your experiences by seeing the world through the eyes of the authors who write the stories. It is very important that you can see through the eyes of the writers so that you will know which points are the most important to include in a summary of that writing. Without leaving your chair, you can get to "travel" to different locations, learn about different periods of history, and “meet” various types of people. You can study about new cultures and gain much knowledge and wisdom from the great literature that you read. Seeing different points of view and learning different values will help you to evaluate and understand your own culture and beliefs. When you are able to see from different points of view and to have an open mind, you will be able to draw conclusions based upon critical thinking and not your own limited experience and knowledge.

Without leaving your chair, you can "travel" to different locations,
learn about different periods of history, and “meet” various types of people.