Summarizing

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Summarizing

• A Rule Based Strategy

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Summarizing Has 3 Steps
To summarize, a student must 1. Delete things 2.
Substitute (replace) things 3. Keep things
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Follow these steps to summarize a paragraph
1. Delete material that is unnecessary for
understanding like introductions that contain
no real information Example Have you ever
wondered how birds fly?
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Follow these steps to summarize a paragraph
2. Delete redundant material sentences that say
the same thing as a previous sentence Example
Both kites and birds have a frame. The frame
in a bird is made of bones, while the frame in a
kite is made of wood.
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Follow these steps to summarize a paragraph
3. Substitute a single word for a
list sentences that contain a list of words
that all fit into a category Example Birds
have beaks, bones, two claws, two legs, and, most
importantly, feathers, which are one key to a
birds flight. The feathers are one part of a
bird that is important to flight.
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Follow these steps to summarize a paragraph
4. Select a topic sentence or create one, by
rewriting the information left! Example One key
to a birds ability to fly is its feathers
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Try this one
Earthquake History of Florida Although Florida is
not usually considered to be a state subject to
earthquakes, several minor shocks have occurred
there. Only one of these caused damage.
Additional shocks of doubtful seismic origin also
are listed in earthquake documents.
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One Possible Summary
First, delete unnecessary information Earthquake
History of Florida Although Florida is not
usually considered to be a state subject to
earthquakes, several minor shocks have occurred
there. Only one of these caused damage.
Additional shocks of doubtful seismic origin also
are listed in earthquake documents.
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One Possible Summary
Second, replace lists of words with a single
word (in this paragraph there is no
list). Earthquake History of Florida Although
Florida is not usually considered to be a state
subject to earthquakes, several minor shocks have
occurred there. Only one of these caused damage.
Additional shocks of doubtful seismic origin also
are listed in earthquake documents.
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One Possible Summary
Third, decide what to keep Earthquake History of
Florida Although Florida is not usually
considered to be a state subject to earthquakes,
several minor shocks have occurred there. Only
one of these caused damage. Additional shocks of
doubtful seismic origin also are listed in
earthquake documents.
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One Possible Summary
Fourth, change, or rewrite information into a
topic sentence Earthquake History of
Florida Florida, several minor shocks have
occurred. Only one caused damage.
In Florida, several minor shocks have occurred,
but only one caused damage.
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More Practice
The following pages contain several more
paragraphs from the article on Florida
Earthquakes (which was taken from the
internet). Feel free to practice!
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A shock occurred near St. Augustine, in the
northeast part of the State, in January 1879. The
Nation's oldest permanent settlement, founded by
Spain in 1565, reported that heavy shaking
knocked plaster from walls and articles from
shelves. Similar effects were noted at Daytona
Beach, 50 miles south. At Tampa, the southernmost
point of the felt area, the trembling was
preceded by a rumbling sound at 1130 p.m. Two
shocks were reported in other areas, at 1145
p.m. and 1155 p.m. The tremor was felt through
north and central Florida, and at Savannah,
Georgia.
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In January 1880, Cuba was the center of two
strong earthquakes that sent severe shock waves
through the town of Key West, Florida. The
tremors occurred at 11 p.m. on January 22 and at
4 a.m. on the 23rd. At Buelta Abajo and San
Christobal, Cuba, many buildings were thrown down
and some people were killed.
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The next tremor to be felt by Floridians also
centered outside the State. It was the famous
Charleston, South Carolina, shock in August 1886.
The shock was felt throughout northern Florida,
ringing church bells at St. Augustine and
severely jolting other towns along that section
of Florida's east coast. Jacksonville residents
felt many of the strong aftershocks that occurred
in September, October, and November 1886.
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On June 20, 1893, Jacksonville experienced
another slight shock, apparently local, that
lasted about 10 seconds. Another minor earthquake
shook Jacksonville at 1115 a.m., October 31,
1900. It caused no damage.
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A sudden jar caused doors and windows to rattle
at Captiva in November 1948. The apparent
earthquake was accompanied by sounds like distant
heavy explosions. Captiva is located on Captiva
Island, in the Gulf west of Fort Myers.
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On November 18, 1952, a slight tremor was felt by
many at Quincy, a small town about 20 miles
northwest of Tallahassee. Windows and doors
rattled, but no serious effects were noted. One
source notes, "The shock interfered with writing
of a parking ticket." It didn't say in what way.
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The three Florida shocks of doubtful seismic
origin rumbled through the Everglades - La Belle
- Fort Myers area in July 1930, Tampa in December
1940, and the Miami - Everglades - Fort Myers
area in January 1942. Most authorities attribute
these incidents to blasting, but a few contend
they were seismic.