PARAPHRASING

Strategies for Writing a Summary

Think about the main idea as you read.1.

Reread the passage and highlight important events or details.2.

A good summary includes the main idea and the most important details.

3.

Practice Writing a Summary

Alma knew it was Wednesday because she woke up to the sound of a garbage truck emptying the trash bin outside her apartment. Alma and her parents had lived at the apartments at 307 Lost Forest Lane for almost six years. She had grown to find a strange comfort in the beeps, screeches, and rumbles in city sounds like the garbage truck. These comforts were something she was nervous about losing at boarding school next year. In two months, Alma would be moving to a quiet area of Northern California to attend Collier Academy.

How would you summarize this passage?

Practice Writing a Summary

Alma knew it was Wednesday because she woke up to the sound of a garbage truck emptying the trash bin outside her apartment. Alma and her parents had lived at the apartments at 307 Lost Forest Lane for almost six years. She had grown to find a strange comfort in the beeps, screeches, and rumbles in city sounds like the garbage truck. These comforts were something she was nervous about losing at boarding school next year. In two months, Alma would be moving to a quiet area of Northern California to attend Collier Academy.

Main Idea:

Alma is nervous about leaving home to attend boarding school.

Most important details:

She and her family have lived in the same apartment for six years.

She finds comfort in the familiar sounds of the city.

She is nervous about being in a quiet, unfamiliar place.

Practice Writing a Summary

Alma knew it was Wednesday because she woke up to the sound of a garbage truck emptying the trash bin outside her apartment. Alma and her parents had lived at the apartments at 307 Lost Forest Lane for almost six years. She had grown to find a strange comfort in the beeps, screeches, and rumbles in city sounds like the garbage truck. These comforts were something she was nervous about losing at boarding school next year. In two months, Alma would be moving to a quiet area of Northern California to attend Collier Academy.

Summary:

Alma is nervous about leaving home to attend boarding school. She has lived with her family in the same apartment for six years, and she finds comfort in the familiar city sounds. She is nervous about missing the sounds of home when she moves to the quiet area where the boarding school is.

Guided Practice with Summarization

Read the passage below and answer the question that follows.

Tibet was once an isolated kingdom, unknown to the rest of the world. The people of Tibet were self-sufficient through farming and raising yaks. Their Buddhist beliefs influenced their way of life and culture. At the start of the 20 th century, Tibet operated as an independent country. Then, in 1950, Tibet was invaded by the People’s Liberation Army of China, and Tibet officially came under Chinese rule. The People’s Liberation Army was spreading a new way of life throughout the region. The Army destroyed many structures and items of cultural significance in Tibet. While the people of Tibet have worked to repair the damage, they remain under China’s control. The conflict in Tibet has become prominent throughout the world due to the influence of Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader, the 14th Dalai Lama. He has traveled the world to raise awareness of the situation in Tibet as well as the plight of other oppressed peoples around the world.

How would you summarize this paragraph?

Tibet

Guided Practice with Summarization

Tibet was once an isolated kingdom, unknown to the rest of the world. The people of Tibet were self-sufficient through farming and raising yaks. Their Buddhist beliefs influenced their way of life and culture. At the start of the 20 th century, Tibet operated as an independent country. Then, in 1950, Tibet was invaded by the People’s Liberation Army of China, and Tibet officially came under Chinese rule. The People’s Liberation Army was spreading a new way of life throughout the region. The Army destroyed many structures and items of cultural significance in Tibet. While the people of Tibet have worked to repair the damage, they remain under China’s control. The conflict in Tibet has become prominent throughout the world due to the influence of Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader, the 14th Dalai Lama. He has traveled the world to raise awareness of the situation in Tibet as well as the plight of other oppressed peoples around the world.

Summary:

Tibet

Tibet was once an unknown kingdom, isolated from the rest of the world. Its people were Buddhists and agriculturalists. China’s army took over Tibet and required that its people adopt a new way of life. The 14 th Dalai Lama travels the world in order to gain support for a free Tibet.

What is Paraphrasing???

o PARAPHRASING IS…o Used to rewrite the text in

your own wordso Used to clarify meaning o Used to shorten a longer

statement but keep the main ideas

o Used to avoid PLAGIARISM.

What is NOT Paraphrasing

-Changing a couple of words.

-Deleting a couple words or phrases.

-Rearranging the order of the words.

So How Do We Do It?

o Read the passage carefully

o Decide the main ideas of the passage

o Identify important words or phrases

o Put the main points in your own words

PARAPHRASE ME!

Example 1

ORIGINAL PASSAGEThey have become part of our

imaginations' landscape: the crusty Grinch who stole

Christmas, gentle Horton the elephant, the Cat in the Hat, and the persistent Sam-I-Am with his green eggs and ham. All these and many more are

the creations of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to generations of readers as Dr. Seuss. Since publishing his

first children's book over fifty years ago, Geisel became

perhaps the most successful writer in the whole field of

children's literature.

Theodor Geissel, known by everyone as Dr. Seuss, has been publishing children’s books for over half a century. Because of characters Horton and Sam I Am, Dr. Seuss is the quintessential author in American children’s literature.

Example 2

The Cat in the Hat, a story about a cat reeking havoc at the expense of two innocent children, is a remarkable story because of its ability to create humor with 223 words using rhyme and humorous illustrations.

Highlighted Passage

The adventuresome Cat in the Hat runs amok while Mother is away, leaving a horrible mess for the two astonished children who are so well behaved. The remarkable qualities of the story are its rhyme--done with only 223 words--and its quirky illustrations that are as silly as the tale itself.

Assignment

Read “Swing Low” Identify the main idea

What is the song about Identify and clarify any unfamiliar words

Write them down Get them defined (dictionary/context clues)

Identify any important words/phrases Pay attention to words/phrases that are repeated

Rewrite it in your own words Use the main idea, the repeated words/phrases,

and synonyms for the newly defined/clarified words