Module 1:Skills Builder

Lesson 1.1E: How to Write a Summary

The previous lesson showed you how to focus your reading and ask specific questions to help you understand what you've read, and also to remember the information you've read. The last step in the SQR3 method is summarizing what you've read.

Knowing how to write a good summary is important because it allows you to take a larger piece of information and, using your own words, make it smaller and more condensed. A summary is important because it contains the most important, main ideas from a longer reading passage. Another key to writing a good summary is not to use your own opinion. While you might think or feel a certain way about what you've read, don't let this become a part of your summary. Stick to the facts!

Why Write a Summary?
Writing a summary is an excellent way to remember information. Also, writing a summary will let you know if there are any gaps in your understanding of information you've read.

Writing a summary means you are restating what you have read by condensing information into your own words.

Here are some important things to keep in mind when writing a summary:

• Find the topic sentence that states the main idea in each paragraph. A good question to ask your self is, "What is the most important thing I learned in this paragraph?"
• Get rid of any unimportant or repeated information.
• Use the way in which the reading passage is organized to guide you as you write your summary. (Here are some good questions to ask at this stage: "How does the passage begin?" and "What is in the middle?" and "How does it end?")
• Read carefully the opening and closing paragraphs, headings or sub-headings to find key points.
• Make sure the summary is in your own words. Remember, you are not copying what you've read, but transforming it into your own words.

Below are two different summaries of an original passage. The first one sticks closely to the original text while the second one transforms the passage using new words. Note the differences between the examples and how the second example illustrates a deeper understanding of the original passage.

Original passage:

• In William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, the character of Juliet goes through many changes and tragedies in her life. Shakespeare presents Juliet, in the beginning of the play, as a youthful, naïve girl who would never think twice about disobeying her family. As the play unfolds, however, Juliet changes into a mature, compassionate young woman. Juliet's character undergoes significant changes during the course of the play, and she begins to look at life through a different perspective.

Example one:

• Juliet, a character in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, is naïve and youthful and changes during the play. She becomes mature and compassionate as the play continues. She undergoes significant changes and has a new perspective.

Explanation:

• This summary needs improvement in two ways: 1) Most of the writing is very close to the original text; very little has been put into the writer's own words. 2) The summary is a bit repetitive and contains some information that isn't really necessary, such as comments about Juliet being naïve and youthful.

Example two:

• Juliet is a character who changes through Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. While she is a very devoted girl at the beginning of the play, she slowly changes and begins to see life differently, even realizing it may be necessary to disobey the family she loves.

Explanation:

• This is a much better summary. First, it is written much more smoothly, and follows the same general pattern as the original passage. As well, the writer uses her own words while keeping the main idea intact.

When reading a longer passage, it is useful to take notes as you read. You've been using a variety of templates to help you with some of the other reading strategies presented. A template will also be useful for writing an effective summary. The idea behind using a template is not only to make the task easier, but also to make you a more active reader.

Although this strategy may seem time consuming at first, over time it will become a natural and informal part of your reading process.

Summary
Completing this lesson has helped you to:

• paraphrase main ideas
• understand how to write a summary
• locate main ideas from a reading passage
• reflect on your reading