How to summarize for Project 3

1. Summary:
the reduction of a large amount of
information to its most important
points

2. Paraphrasing
 Express the meaning of (the writer or speaker
or something written or spoken) using different
words, esp. to achieve greater clarity. (webster)
 Tell what you read, what happened, what you
saw or what you heard…but do it in your own
words

3. Points to take note of
 Typically includes main idea and often includes
the major details with minor details.
 Length varies – depends on original text
 A paragraph = sentence or two
 An article = paragraph
 Textbook chapter = several pages of notes
 Only one main idea in a summary
 Patterns of Organization can be helpful

4. Tips for Summarizing
 Read the entire selection before beginning
 Ask what the topic is.
 Ask what point the author is making about the
topic.
 Use different colored highlighters (transition
words / Major Supporting Details)
 Write summary (use your own words)

5. Structure of a Summary
Begin the summary with a Lead-In Sentence
including the reading and author’s name and
their main point (in your own words)
 In the reading “What is Intelligence, Anyway”, Isaac
Asimov attacks the traditional definition of intelligence.

6. Continue with your summary by identifying the
first major detail and supporting that with a
minor detail. Be sure to use your own
words. Then point out the next major detail
and minor detail, etc. You will need to use
appropriate transitions to introduce each
major detail.
 First of all, Asimov establishes that he is extremely
smart. He proves this by explaining his entrance test to
the army was a score of 160 when most people only
score 100. Asimov then …

7. Outline
A. Main Idea
1. Major support
a. Minor Support
2. Major support
a. Minor Support
3. Major Support
a. Minor Support
An outline to summarize an
article (or video) doesn’t need to
be word-for-word. Use your own
words to explain the important
details.