Summarizing
teaches students how to discern the most important ideas in a text
, how to ignore irrelevant information, and how to integrate the central ideas in a meaningful way. Teaching students to summarize improves their memory for what is read. Summarization strategies can be used in almost every content area.
What is a summary and its purpose?
What is the purpose of a summary? A summary is
meant to inform your reader
—who has not read the text or seen the presentation—of what the text is about. It describes its purpose or main idea, and summarizes the supporting arguments that develop that idea.
What is important in a summary?
A summary
should contain all the major points of the original text
, but should ignore most of the fine details, examples, illustrations or explanations. … A summary must contain only the ideas of the original text. Do not insert any of your own opinions, interpretations, deductions or comments into a summary.
How can summary writing benefit you?
Summarizing helps you
find the main points and key details
Summarizing is like panning for gold—it helps you look for and find the main points and key details in every paragraph. Effective learning is all about identifying and understanding main points and key details.
What is in a good summary?
A good summary should
give an objective outline of the whole piece of writing
. It should answer basic questions about the original text such as “Who did what, where, and when?”, or “What is the main idea of the text?”, “What are the main supporting points?”, “What are the major pieces of evidence?”.
How long is a summary?
A summary is always shorter than the original text,
often about 1/3 as long as the original
. It is the ultimate “fat-free” writing. An article or paper may be summarized in a few sentences or a couple of paragraphs. A book may be summarized in an article or a short paper.
What is an example of a summary?
The definition of summary is a statement presenting the main points. An example of summary is
a type of review of what happened at a meeting
. … Summary is defined as a quick or short review of what happened. An example of summary is the explanation of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” told in under two minutes.
What are the features of a summary?
Know the three essential characteristics of a summary
A good summary has three basic characteristics:
conciseness, accuracy, and objectivity
. Conciseness: unlike paraphrase, summary condenses information.
How many sentences are in a summary?
A summary paragraph should be
no longer than six to eight sentences
. Once you finish a draft of the summary paragraph, read it over and revise it so it is short and to the point. Remove any sentences or phrases that seem redundant or repetitive.
What are the objectives of summary writing?
A summary has two aims:
(1) to reproduce the overarching ideas in a text, identifying the general concepts that run through the entire piece
, and (2) to express these overarching ideas using precise, specific language.
What are the basic skills of writing a summary?
Summary writing skills are your means of expressing that you have read and understood a text. What Should a Summary Paragraph Include? First, a summary includes
the identification of the source
; second, the controlling idea; and third, a description of the development of the controlling idea..
What are the steps to writing a summary?
- Find the main idea. …
- When you begin writing, set the article aside and work from your list. …
- Organize your summary. …
- Keep opinions to yourself. …
- Make your summary concise. …
- When you are finished drafting your summary, compare what you have written with the original.
What are the five parts of a summary?
These five components are:
the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution
. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical way that the reader can follow.
What are the three main requirements for writing summary?
A good summary has three basic characteristics:
conciseness, accuracy, and objectivity
. Conciseness: unlike paraphrase, summary condenses information.
What are the five steps in writing a good summary?
- Step 1: Read the text. …
- Step 2: Break the text down into sections. …
- Step 3: Identify the key points in each section. …
- Step 4: Write the summary. …
- Step 5: Check the summary against the article.
How should a summary look like?
A summary begins with an introductory sentence that states the text's title, author and main point of the text as you see it. A summary is
written in your own words
. A summary contains only the ideas of the original text. … Write a last sentence that “wraps” up your summary; often a simple rephrasing of the main point.
