1. Textbook Reading, Lecture 5 Writing Effective Summaries

2. What is a summary? A condensed version of an
original piece of writing,
including all important info.
& leaving out extra, non-
essential details

3. Want to tell about
event in shorter
amount of time or
space
Why do we
summarize?
Want to identify
main idea & impt.
details of a story
Want to stay alert while reading
Want to better understand an article
by reorganizing ideas in a meaningful way
Want to make it easier to study for exams and
write term papers

4. How do you write a good summary?
Good summaries include:
*Reading article first
*Identifying key points
and supporting details
*Writing key points and
details IN YOUR OWN
WORDS, using concise
sentences
Summary writing is an art form
requiring both practice and patience!

5. 1. Begin your summary with a sentence that includes both of the
What are the
steps to writing
an excellent
summary?
1. Begin your summary with
a sentence that includes both of the
following:
A. Title & Author (if the summary
is on an essay or article)
Ex. In his article, “How to Manage
Your Time,” John Doe
states…

6. 2. Then, using your own words, write
what the author is saying about the
subject.
Ex. In his article, “How to Manage
Your Time,” John Doe states…
that the key to effective time manage-
ment lies in disciplining oneself to do
tasks that are unenjoyable.

7. Re-read the material to separate most important points from details.
After I’ve written the first
sentence of my summary, then
what do I do?
Re-read the material to separate most
important points from details.
2.List the important points in short phrases
on a piece of scratch paper.
3.Put the phrases for the important
points into complete sentences within a
paragraph, adding in necessary supportive
details as you go along.