1. In one sentence, write the main idea of this paragraph
In one sentence, write the main idea of this paragraph. This paragraph is about...
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to walk on the surface of the moon, but they were not the last. That was Gene Cernan, the last man to step off the lunar surface. In total there have been twelve men who have walked on the moon, all of whom had done so between 1969 and 1972, which is the most recent non-Michael Jackson moon walking.

2. Understanding Main Idea
You must comprehend the text.
Focus on the BIGGEST idea.
This paragraph is about moon walkers.
Armstrong & Aldrin
First Men on the Moon
Cernan was the
Last Man on the Moon
12 Men Have Walked
On the Moon

3. What did the writer write about?
To know what summary and finding the main idea are.
To understand how to structure a summary.
To be able to evaluate a summary and summarize an article in groups.
What is a summary?
Summary; Main Idea;
Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing

4. Quotation versus Paraphrasing
To know what summary and finding main idea are.
Quotation versus Paraphrasing
What’s the difference?
A quotation permits you to use another person’s exact language.
A paraphrase allows you to use your own words to present someone else’s essential information or ideas.
Summary; Main Idea;
Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing

5. Paraphrasing Pointers
To know what summary and finding main idea are.
To understand how to structure a summary.
Paraphrasing Pointers
Read the original text carefully and underline any key ideas.
Use your own words to restate the main and supporting ideas of the original text. To help prevent copying, try NOT to look at the original source. Use a dictionary and thesaurus to find exact meanings and synonyms of words in the original text.
Do NOT change the meaning of the original text.
Do NOT include your own opinions.
Summary; Main Idea;
Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing

6. Paraphrasing Example Original selection
Circle the most important words and phrases.
Paraphrasing Example
Original selection
Sport drinks or fluid/electrolyte replacement beverages help to “top up” blood glucose levels. This, in turn, helps to preserve or “spare” your glycogen stores and promote endurance. Sport drinks also replace minerals like potassium and sodium that are lost during exercise. But not all runners can tolerate sport drinks. Recognizing this, it is important to experiment during training to assess their impact on your individual performance. Never try a sport drink on race day if you have not already tested it during training.
Effective paraphrase
On the National Post website, John Stanton states that sport beverages can enhance runners’ training performance. The author stresses the importance of exercisers trying the drink prior to training to see if it works for them.
Unacceptable paraphrase
Sport drinks aid in increasing blood glucose levels, which aids in preserving glycogen stores and promoting endurance. It is crucial for trainers to experiment with sport drinks to see if it impacts their training experience.

7. Summary Writing - STEPS
Read the article (Active Reading Habits!)
Reread the article
Write a brief summary for each section of the article
Formulate the main idea
Write your summary (see “TIPS”)
Edit your work
Rewrite a new summary

8. Summary Writing - Tips You must reference the text.
Cite the title, author, and source in the very first sentence.
Example: The article, “The Hijab” is written by Naheed Mustafa.
Identify the main idea.
The main idea usually contains two things:
a) The topic or general subject of the article.
b) The author’s comment/position of the topic.
Simplify the supporting ideas.
Ask yourself who, what, when, where, why, and how questions.
You must follow the importance of the evidence presented, not the exact organization of the text.
Do not include your own opinions.
Check your grammar!
Check your length.

9. Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing
To know what summary and finding main idea are.
To understand how to structure a summary.
Let’s go through your first assignment.
We are going to practise finding the main ideas in an article, and then review a summary of that same article. Let’s read it now. While you are reading, you asking these question to yourself:
What part of the article is most important?
Who is the audience of this article?
Summary; Main Idea;
Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing

10. Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing
To understand how to structure a summary.
To be able to evaluate a summary and summarize an article in groups.
In your groups, try to summarize the article and choose the most important information using the writing frame. (21-minutes)
Exchange your papers to see if the other group is correct?
Summary; Main Idea;
Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing

11. Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing
To understand how to structure a summary.
To be able to evaluate a summary and summarize an article in groups.
Now let’s evaluate a summary about this article.
What are the strengths of this summary? Why?
What are the weaknesses of this summary? Why?
How would you make this article better?
For this assignment, all of the work must be completed in class. You cannot take it home with you. You also cannot copy each other’s summaries or you will be receive a mark of zero (0).
Summary; Main Idea;
Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing

12. Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing
To understand how to structure a summary.
To be able to evaluate a summary and summarize an article in groups.
Demonstrate your ability to extend your understanding of (that is, make connections with) the reading with a response paragraph
~125 words long
Identify how the reading may be useful to you and/or others
Give your opinion.
Summary; Main Idea;
Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing

13. Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing
To know what summary and finding main idea are.
To understand how to structure a summary.
To be able to evaluate a summary and summarize an article in groups.
Tomorrow – We are going to work on the article that you will be summarizing.
Wednesday, the class will be in the library.
Summary; Main Idea;
Audience; Works Cited; Paraphrasing