Summarizing Academic Texts

MODULE 3
 INTRODUCTION
3

BUILDING CONFIDENCE
4
ENGAGING THE
agenda AUDIENCE
5
VISUAL AIDS
6
FINAL TIPS & TAKEAWAYS
11
 Learning
competency:
CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-la-c-4
Uses various techniques in summarizing
a variety of academic texts
ACTIVITY 1
Directions: Read the sentences carefully. Write S if the
statement describes good summarizing and N if not.
1. Sean copied everything from the book.
2. Tomas extracted the key ideas in the text.
3. Fred concentrated on the important details
. 4. Anita looked for key words and phrases.
5. Sean simplified ideas.
6. Kai revised the main idea.
7. To add more information, Alexa added her analysis and
comments to the ideas of the author.
8. Mary wrote down the general and specific ideas of the text.
9. Sean added some of his related research to the information
presented in the text.
10. Lanie extended the message of the text and included some
of her interpretations.
 ACTIVITY 2
Directions: Read the passages below. Read and evaluate these
two texts and answer the following questions after reading them.
In your opinion, which of the passages contains the author’s most
important ideas? Why?
. A) B)
Unfortunately, many people don’t take notes
effectively. Some try to write down everything a
Ineffective note taking
speaker says. They view note taking as a race, pitting becomes a problem during a
their handwriting agility against the speaker’s rate of speech. Often it leads to
speech. As the speaker starts to talk, the note taker confusion and writing
starts to write. But soon the speaker is winning the verbatim what the speaker
race. In a desperate effort to keep up, the note taker
slips into a scribbled writing style with incomplete is stating. This may result in
sentences and abbreviated words. Even this is not a lack of sufficient
enough. The speaker pulls so far ahead that the note information recorded on
taker can never catch up. Control your expressions page.
Finally, the note taker concedes defeat and spends
the rest of the speech grumbling in frustration.
 WHAT IS SUMMARIZING
• ACCORDING TO BUCKLEY (2004), IN HER POPULAR
WRITING TEXT FIT TO PRINT, DEFINES SUMMARIZING AS
REDUCING TEXT TO ONE-THIRD OR ONE- QUARTER ITS
ORIGINAL SIZE, CLEARLY ARTICULATING THE AUTHOR’S
MEANING, AND RETAINING MAIN IDEAS.
• A SUMMARY IS A SHORT RETELLING OF A LONGER
PASSAGE, CONTAINING THE AUTHOR’S MOST IMPORTANT
IDEAS.
• SUMMARIZING HELPS IMPROVE BOTH YOUR READING
AND WRITING SKILLS.
• TO SUMMARIZE, YOU MUST READ A PASSAGE CLOSELY,
FINDING THE MAIN IDEAS AND SUPPORTING IDEAS.
• THEN, YOU MUST BRIEFLY WRITE DOWN THOSE IDEAS IN
A FEW SENTENCES OR A PARAGRAPH.
• It is important to understand the difference between a summary and
a paraphrase. A paraphrase is simply a rewriting of a passage in
your own words. A summary, on the other hand, contains only the
main idea and the supporting ideas of a passage. A summary will be
much shorter than a paraphrase.
• The purpose of summarizing is to briefly present the key points of a
theory or work in order to provide context for your argument/thesis.
• Summarizing is useful in many types of writing and at different points
in the writing process.
• Summarizing is used to support an argument, provide context for a
paper’s thesis, literature reviews, and annotate a bibliography.
• The benefit of summarizing lies in showing the “big picture,” which
allows the reader to contextualize what you are saying.
• In addition to the advantages of summarizing for the reader, as a
writer you gain a better sense of where you are going with your
writing , which parts need elaboration, and whether you have
comprehended the information you have collected.
Basic Rules:
1. Erase things that don’t matter. Delete unimportant details that
are unnecessary for one’s understanding.
2. Only write down important points. If it is not something that
will help you understand or remember, then don’t write it down. Think
of it this way . . . If you had to pay money for every word you write
down, which words would you choose to include in your notes?
3. Erase things that repeat. Delete redundant material. In note
taking, time and space are precious. If a word or phrase says basically
the same thing you have already written down, then don’t write it
again!
4. Trade, general terms for specific names. Substitute
superordinate terms for lists (e.g., flowers for daisies, tulips for roses).
Focus on the big picture. Long, technical lists are hard to remember. If
one word will give you the meaning, then less is more.
5. Use your own words to write the summary. Do not just copy
the sentences from the original text. However, do not inject your
opinion in your summary.
Summarizing Strategies
Summarizing Strategies
1. Somebody Wanted But So Then

“Somebody Wanted But So Then” is an excellent summarizing

strategy for stories. Each word represents a key question
related to the story's essential elements:
• Somebody: Who is the main character?
• Wanted: What does the main charter want?
• But: Identify a problem that the main character encountered.
• So: How does the main character solve the problem?
• Then: Tell how the story ends.

After answering the questions, combine the answers to form a

summary:
Summarizing Strategies
2. SAAC Method

The SAAC method is another useful technique for summarizing any kind of text
(such as a story, an article, or a speech). SAAC is an acronym for "State, Assign,
Action, Complete." Each word in the acronym refers to a specific element that
should be included in the summary.
• State: the name of the article, book, or story
• Assign: the name of the author
• Action: what the author is doing (example: tells, explains)
• Complete: complete the sentence or summary with keywords and important
details .

This method is particularly helpful for students who are learning the format of a
summary and need reminders to include the title and author's name. However,
SAAC does not include clear guidance about what details to include, which some
students might find tricky. If you use SAAC, be reminded of the types of details
that belong in a summary before you will do summarizing.
Summarizing Strategies
3. 5 Ws, 1 H
The Five Ws, One H strategy relies on six crucial questions:
who, what, when, where, why, and how. These questions make
it easy to identify the main character, important details, and
main idea.
• Who is the main character of the story?
• What did they do?
• When did the action take place?
• Where did the story happen?
• Why did the main character do what she/he did?
• How did the main character do what she/he did?
Then, use the answers to the Five Ws and One H to write a
Summarizing Strategies
4. First Then Finally
The "First Then Finally" technique helps students
summarize events in chronological order. The three
words represent the beginning, main action, and
conclusion of a story, respectively:

• First: What happened first? Include the main

character and main event/action.
• Then: What key details took place during the
event/action?
• Finally: What were the results of the event/action?
Summarizing Strategies
5. Give Me the Gist/ Outlining
When someone asks for "the gist" of a story, they want to
know what the story is about. In other words, they want a
summary—not a retelling of every detail.
An outline is a map of your essay. It shows what information
each section or paragraph will contain and in what order.
I. Main Idea
A. Supporting Details
B. Supporting Details
II. Main Idea
C. Supporting Details
B. Supporting Details
EXAMPLE
The Seductive, Destructive Power of Meth
Government health officials and doctors don’t like to
talk about it. The major reason meth (methamphetamine)
hooks people is that it increases their sex drive and
performance—for a short while, anyway. It is even more
powerful than cocaine in this respect. Dr. Mary Holley of
Alabama interviewed meth addicts. Both men and women
said the effect on sex was the number one reason they
used the illegal drug.
After about six months, meth addicts can’t have sex
unless they’re high, and after a while longer, they’re unable
to have sex at all. At first, meth fires up the dopamine
system in the brain. After a while, it burns it out. Once that
happens, the person no longer functions sexually.
EXAMPLE
Besides causing brain damage, meth has other nasty
effects. Paranoia is common. Some meth addicts hallucinate.
Others become violent. Users who inject meth risk contracting
HIV and hepatitis C, a life-threatening liver disease. Those who
share needles are also at risk for other sexually transmitted
diseases. Meth users’ hair and teeth eventually fall out. The
nation’s prisons are filled with former meth users whose teeth
are crumbling. The prisons cannot afford the dental treatment
for them. Meth use has reached epidemic proportions and
affects every part of the country.
Meth use is rampant in big cities and small towns, and
even in rural areas. A 2002 survey by the National Institute on
Drug Abuse revealed that about 5 percent of Americans at
least 12 years old have tried meth at least once. This shocking
statistic translates into more than 12 million people. Here is the
EXAMPLE
Here is the summary:

The Seductive, Destructive Power of Meth The main

reason people get hooked on meth
(methamphetamine) is that it boosts their sex drive
and performance, but only temporarily. After about
half a year, meth users can only have sex when
they’re high, and later on, they can’t have sex at
all. In addition, meth causes brain damage and has
other terrible effects. Meth use has become a
nationwide epidemic.
EXAMPLE
Here’s an explanation:
Paragraph 1: Second sentence is the stated main idea.
Other sentences contain the less important details.
Paragraph 2: First sentence is the stated main idea. The
other sentences are details that explain the reason for
meth’s effects over time.
Paragraph 3: First sentence is the stated main idea. The
rest of the sentences are details that tell some of the
specific “nasty effects” of meth use.
Paragraph 4: First sentence is the stated main idea. The
second sentence repeats the information in the first
sentence. The rest of the sentences are details that give
specific information about how widespread meth use is.
• Summarizing is useful in many types of writing and at
different points in the writing process.
• Summarizing is used to support an argument, provide
context for a paper’s thesis, literature reviews, and
annotate a bibliography.
• The benefit of summarizing lies in showing the “big
picture,” which allows the reader to contextualize what
you are saying.
• In addition to the advantages of summarizing for the
reader, as a writer you gain a better sense of where
you are going with your writing , which parts need
elaboration, and whether you have comprehended the
ACTIVITY 3
Directions: Identify what summarizing strategy is described in the statements. Choose your
answer from the pool of words inside the box. Write the letter of the correct answer.

1. This technique relies on six crucial questions: Who, What, When, Where,
Why, How. These questions make it easy to identify the main character,
important details and main idea. Your summary may not necessarily follow
this order as long as it contains all of these information.
2. It is a map of your essay. It shows what information each section or
paragraph will contain and in what order.
3. It is another useful technique for summarizing any kind of text (such as a
story, an article, or a speech. This includes the title and author’s name.
4. This technique helps summarize events or steps in chronological order or in
sequence.
5. Each word represents a key question related to a text’s essential elements:
Who is the main character of the story? What did the main character want? 20
What was the problem encountered? How was the problem solved? How did
GROUP ACTVITY
Directions: Read the following texts. Write a
summary of the following text using the assigned
technique/strategy.
A. A tornado is a powerful, twisting windstorm. It begins high in the
air, among the winds of a giant storm cloud. People who have
watched a tornado’s howling winds reach down from the sky have
said it’s the most frightening thing they have ever seen. In some
parts of the United States, these windstorms are called twisters or
cyclones.
source: www.edgalaxy.com-cool stuff for Nerdy Teachers

21
GROUP ACTVITY
Directions: Read the following texts. Write a summary of the
following text using the assigned technique/strategy.
B. Coronavirus in the Philippines: The COVID-19 risk, impact and
measures By Praveen Duddu (An Excerpt) Preventive measures by the
Philippine government The Philippine government is taking several
steps to control the spread of the virus, including travel restrictions,
closure of schools and colleges, as well as training schools of the
Philippine National Police. Educational institutes in the country are
announced to be closed from March 9 to March 15, whereas in Metro
Manila the classes will be suspended until April 12. Stringent social
distancing measures will be in place in the National Capital Region
(NCR) for 30 days from March 15. The government announced earlier
on February 2, 2020 that all persons except Filipino citizens and
permanent resident visa holders were temporarily barred from entering
the country. A temporary ban on Filipinos from traveling to China or its
special administrative region was also imposed. A mandatory 14-day
quarantine for Filipinos returning to from China or its special 22
administrative region was announced.
23
QUIZ
I.Directions: Read each statement carefully and
identify whether each statement is true or
false. Write T if the statement is true and F if it
is false.
1. When you write a summary, you can add your own
opinions and other information that you know.
2. When you write a summary, you can present the
author’s ideas in any order you like.
3. Summaries should be only percent as long as the
original selection.
4. Writing a summary means copying the sentences
from the original text.
24
5. Vagueness is acceptable in a summary.
QUIZ
II. Read the text below. Write a summary of the given
text using the technique stated below.
Tom and Bill were walking to school. They passed over a
bridge, as they did every day. But on this day, the river was
full, the water was clear, and the sun was shining in a
cloudless sky. Tom said, “Let’s go fishing!” Bill wasn’t so sure.
“We have a test today. Shouldn’t we go to class?” “None
sense, “said Tom. “ You only live once. A day like this won’t
come along again.” Bill wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but
suddenly a fish jumped from the sparkling water. He decided
Tom was right; they should definitely skip class on such a nice
day!
QUIZ
II. Read the text below. Write a summary of the given text
using the technique stated below.
The Farmer & the Snake
A Farmer walked through his field one cold winter morning. On
the ground lay a Snake, stiff and frozen with the cold. The Farmer
knew how deadly the Snake could be, and yet he picked it up and put
it in his bosom to warm it back to life.
Snake soon revived, and when it had enough strength, bit the
man who had been so kind to it. The bite was deadly and the Farmer
felt that he must die. As he drew his last breath, he said to those
standing around: Learn from my fate not to take pity on a scoundrel.

5 Ws and
1H
THANK YOU….