CRITICAL SUMMARY ASSIGNMENT

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CRITICAL SUMMARY ASSIGNMENT

• READING FOR UNDERSTANDING
• WRITING TO SHOW UNDERSTANDING

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A Critical Summary is a READING assignment!!!

• The PRIMARY goal is to demonstrate your reading
  understanding
• Reading means finding the authors point
  purpose
• If you do not understand then you can not
  explainstrong reading MUST come first!!!

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Keys to Strong Reading

1. Understand the TITLEthe title reveals the MAIN
   IDEA will give you a guiding question.
2. Search for facts, descriptions, statistics or
   explanations that help explain the MAIN IDEA that
   the title creates

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Keys for Strong Reading (cont)

• 3. After each paragraph question what information
  within the paragraph helps explain the authors
  main point.
• 4. Highlight key vocabulary and unknown ideas
  that you need to look up (google reading)

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Keys for Strong Reading (cont)

• 5. Re-read paragraphs that contain A LOT of
  information to make sure you understand the
  building blocks of the article.
• 6. Read the conclusion twice and ask What idea
  or thought is this author ending with?

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Suggested Reading Strategies

• Create a quick thought for each
  paragraphidentify the paragraphs main point
• Question why the author would mention a specific
  statistic, description or detail
• Infer how any one detail that stands out to you
  connects back to the title

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Suggested Reading Strategies

• Identify confusing statements or unknown
  languageuse google to help unlock understanding
• Analyze (break down) what idea or understanding
  your highlighted details help build up
• Connect by providing your personal reactions
• Connect paragraph topics together to build the
  big picture

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Organizing my Reading

• Once you have finished, read each detail again to
  review the article ideas
• Group the details into categoriesshort articles
  may only have one category long articles may
  have 3 or 4 (maybe more) categories
• Number the details to create a order of
  explanation

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Preparing to Write

• First, understand your GOAL Explain the
  authors main point or purpose.
• Second, know the order you will mention the
  details once you start writing.
• Third, make sure you can EXPLAIN the article
  ideas, not just repeat them.

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Preparing to WriteExplanation Tool

• For every fact or detail you have in this left
  column (or highlighted in the article)

• Be able to explain what that detail means in this
  right column (or a separate notebook)

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Explanation Tool

• The goal of this tool is to help you move past
  repeating information
• Your goal is to explain the article ideas, which
  means you must understand each item the big
  picture

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Objective Summary Paragraph First Section

• Your first sentence should mention the article
  title, the author, and the main article point or
  idea.
• An objective summary means NO I THINK OR I
  CONNECT OR TO ME TYPE STATEMENTS!
• An objective summary only covers the main article
  ideas and explains them to a reader who HAS NOT!
  read the original article.

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Objective Summary Paragraph First Section

• Article details need to be in YOUR WORDS,
  otherwise you need to
• Use quotes for information that is used
  word-for-word
• Use source tags like The author says the
  article goes on to say the article/author
  mentions that to help connect ideas within your
  summary

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Objective Summary Paragraph First Section

• Remember, the main goal of the objective summary
  is to explain the articles main point
• Information needs to be explained for readers who
  have not read the article
• There should be no I think or I would or I
  feel statements in this section
• By the end of the objective summary the reader of
  your critical summary should understand the
  basics of the original article

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Write a Strong, Extension Paragraph

• After you summarize the article, explain what you
  learned and how it might connect to what you have
  studied or to what you already know
• Include your FEELINGS into this paragraph.
• Tell WHY the article made you feel that way.
• You can also include any lingering questions you
  might have after reading the article.

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Write a Strong, Extension Paragraph

• DO NOT create a list of random, passive thoughts.
  If each sentence is an I think sentence, you
  have a list
• Explain your personal thoughtsdont just mention
  those thoughts
• Reflect on WHY this article was writtenwhy did
  the author think it was worth the time it took to
  write??

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Extension Paragraph Tips

• Question why this article information is relevant
  in our world today
• Disagree with ideas within the article and
  explain your stance
• Connect the material to a topic we have been
  covering in class and explain that connection

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Extension Paragraph Tips

• Analyze the article information by reflecting on
  HOW the article built its main point
• Explore any emotion or personal connection the
  article may have triggered
• Forecast how this information might impact our
  future (as a class, as a student, as a
  population, as a world)

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Your Goals

• In writing the summary you have two main goals
• 1. let other people know what the article was
  about in a brief waythey should be able to read
  the summary in under 3 minutes.
• 2. let other people know what you thought about
  the article you readespecially about what you
  have learned from reading.

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Formatting the Critical Summary

• Until you become a master of this writing
  style, label the first section Objective Summary
  in bold as a heading
• When you start your Extension label that
  Extension in bold as a heading.
• Remember to include your name, hour and date as a
  heading at the top of the page

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Be sure to CITE YOUR SOURCE

• At the bottom of your paper, cite your source in
  APA format.
• (Sometimes the articles provide this for you.)
• Use sites such as www.easybib.com to help you if
  you forget.

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Example paper

• Name
• hr. 1
• 9/12/2014
• Captivated by Critters Humans are Wired to
  Respond to Animals
• (my paragraphs would go here)
• California Institute of Technology. (2011,
  September 9). Captivated by critters Humans are
  wired to respond to animals. ScienceDaily.
  Retrieved October 6, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.co
  m/releases/ 2011/09/110909091219.htm