4.2 Anita Archer - SummaryWriting - Handout - Center on Teaching ...

Summing it up:
Writing Summaries
CTL Research to Practice Conference
Interventions for Struggling
Writers
<strong>Anita</strong> L. <strong>Archer</strong>, Ph.D.
Educational Consultant and Author
archerteach@aol.com
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What is a summary
!! Condensed version of all or part of a longer
written product.
!! Conveys the main ideas of the author.
What are the attributes of good
summary
!! Attributes - A Summary
!! Is concise.
!! Is a straightforward presentation of information.
!! Focuses on the author’s ideas, opinions, information, or
story.
!! Highlights the major points.
!! Provides the reader a broad view of the
written product.
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!! Accurately represents the author’s ideas.
!! Is written in your own words.
!! Why is summary writing important
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BIG IDEAS
Teaching Any Written Product
!! WHAT
!! Critical attributes
!! Rubric
!! HOW
!! Writing Process
What
!! Ask yourself, what are the CRITICAL
ATTRIBUTES of a well-written product.
!! Represent in a simple, easy to understand RUBRIC.
!! Provide an EXAMPLE to illustrate the critical
attributes.
!! Guide students in analyzing examples and nonexamples
of the written product.
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Rubric - Summary of Article
(See Examples 1 and 2.)
Rubric - Summary of Article
Content of Summary Student Rating Teacher
Rating
1. Topic - Is the topic of the original article stated Yes No Yes No
2. Main Idea/Opinion - Is the main idea of the article (or
author’s position) clearly stated
3. Major Points/Reasons - Does the summary focus on the
major points, reasons, and/ or information from the article
4. Accurate - Are the major points, reasons, and/or information
accurate
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
5. Own Words - Is the summary written in your own words Yes No Yes No
6. Concise - Is the summary shorter than the original article Yes No Yes No
Conventions
Student
Rating
Teacher
Rating
1. Handwriting - Is the handwriting legible Yes No Yes No
2. Spelling - Are the words spelled correctly, particularly the
words found in the article
3. Capitalization - Is correct capitalization used including
capitalization of the first word in the sentence and proper names of
people, places, and things
4. Punctuation - Is correct punctuation used including a period at
the end of each telling sentence
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
7. Combined Ideas - Are some of the ideas combined into
longer, more sophisticated sentences
Yes No
Yes No
8. Understanding - Is the summary easy to understand Yes No Yes No
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Example - Summary
(Illustrates all of the attributes.)
Summary - Just Say No to Uniforms
In this article, Theresa Jenkins expresses her
contention that schools should not require students
to wear uniforms. She believes that requiring
uniforms could have many negative outcomes
including robbing children of their individuality,
requiring them to wear clothing that is not matched
to their body type, and increasing the wardrobe
budget for families to cover the cost of regular
clothing and uniforms.
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Non- Example - Summary
(Includes opinions other than those of the article’s author.)
Summary - Just Say No to Uniforms
The author of this article believes that schools
should not require school uniforms for a number of
reasons. First, wearing school uniforms takes away
a child’s chance to express their personality through
their choice of clothing. I think this is particularly
important when you are in middle school and you
are trying to make a statement about yourself
through the t-shirts, jeans, and jackets that you
select. Second, students won’t have a chance to
practice picking out their own outfits, something that
they would have to do everyday before they go to
work.
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Non- Example - Summary
(Is not written in the student’s own words.)
Summary - Just Say No to Uniforms
!! Requiring school uniforms takes away the
opportunity for students to learn how to select their
own outfits. Uniforms blur an individual’s sense of
self, make students self-conscious when the
uniforms don’t fit correctly, and cost the same if not
more than normal clothes. Schools should just say
no to uniforms.
HOW
!! Writing process
!! Prewriting
!! Writing
!! Revising
!! Editing
!! Publishing
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HOW
!! Writing process
P = Prepare
O = Organize
W = Write
E = Examine
R =
Repair
HOW
P = Prepare
T = Topic
A = Audience
P = Prepare
Read the article a number of times.
Ask yourself, what is the topic
What is the main idea
What important things did the author say about
the main idea
P = Purpose
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HOW
Writing Frames - Narrative Summary
(See Examples 3, 4, and 5.)
!! O = Organize
!! Scaffolding for organization of product
!! Writing frames
!! Strategies
!! Think Sheets - Graphic Organizers
The main character in this story is ____.
The problem in the story is __________.
This is a problem because __________.
The problem is solved when ________.
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Writing Frames - Narrative Summary
Writing Frames - Expository Summary
(See Examples 6 and 7)
____________________________ took place in
______________________. The main character
was
_________________________________________
_, a______________________________. In this
story, _____________________________’s
problem was ________________. He/she first tried
to resolve this problem
by_____________________. Then, he/she
_________________________________________
_.In the end, the problem was solved when
_________________________________________
Canoes, long narrow boats that are propelled through the water
with oars, have changed over time. Native Americans made
canoes from _____________ and _____________. To make
canoes from birch bark, they had to _______________
__________________________________________________.
To make canoes from logs, they had to __________________
_________________________________________________.
Today canoes are made by ___________________________
and are used for mostly for ___________________________.
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Summary Writing Strategy
(See Example 8)
Write down the topic of the summary.
List
- Make a list of important ideas.
Cross-out - Cross out any unnecessary or weak ideas.
Connect - Connect ideas that could go in one
sentence.
Number - Number the ideas in the order that they
will appear in the paragraph.
List - Make a list of important ideas.
Penquin’s birth!
!
!! Male takes care of egg!
!! Female lays egg!
!! Female leaves
!! Female spends winter at sea!
!! The water is very cold!
!! Male puts egg on his feet under belly!
!! Male stays on egg for two months!
!! Male doesn’t eat!
!! Egg hatches!
!! Male must care for baby!
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Cross-out - Cross out any unnecessary or weak
ideas.
Connect - Connect ideas that could go in one
sentence.
"Penquin’s birth!
" "Male takes care of egg!
!
" "Female lays egg!
" "Female leaves
" "Female spends winter at sea!
" "The water is very cold!
" "Male puts egg on his feet under belly!
" "Male stays on egg for two months!
" "Male doesn’t eat!
" "Egg hatches "!
" "Male must care for baby!
Number - Number the ideas in the order
that they will appear in the paragraph.
"Penquin’s birth!
" 3 "Male takes care of egg!
!
" 1 "Female lays egg!
2 " "Female leaves
" "Female spends winter at sea!
" "The water is very cold!
" "Male puts egg on his feet under belly!
4 " "Male stays on egg for two months!
" 5 Male doesn’t eat!
" "Egg hatches "!
6 " "Male must care for baby!
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Write a summary.
The birth process of penguins is
fascinating and quite different from that of
other animals. The female penguin lays an
egg. However, the female penguin leaves
soon after laying the egg and spends the
winter in the sea. Meanwhile the male must
take care of the egg. For two months, he
places the egg on his feet under his belly.
During this time, the male penguin doesn’t
eat. Even after the baby penguin hatches,
the male penguin continues to take care of
the infant penguin.
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Think Sheets
Narrative Think Sheets
(See Example 9)
Expository Thing Sheets/Graphic
Organizers
(See Example 10)
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Summing it up!
Writing summaries promotes growth both in written
expression and in reading comprehension. Because of the
complexity of the task, robust, systematic explicit instruction
must be provided. First, introduce students to the critical
attributes of a written summary using a simple, easy to
understand rubric, illustrated with examples and non-examples.
Next, apply the writing process to summary writing. Have
students prepare by reading the article/story a number of times
while thinking about the topic, main idea, and other important
ideas. Highlighting and note-taking can be used to scaffold this
reflective activity. Next, assist students in organizing their ideas
using writing frames, writing strategies, or think sheets. Finally,
model the transcription process in which the ideas in the plan
are translated into a coherent paragraph or series of
paragraphs.
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