Africana Studies Essay

Creating a Draft/Outline of Essay 1 – Summary Assignment

1. Identify the most general idea within the text. What does the author want to get across to the reader? Why does it matter?

· Write an original sentence below that asserts the main idea of the text. Consider the author’s purpose and audience.

2. Include the author’s name and the reading’s title to identify what you are summarizing.

· Extend your sentence above to include the author’s name and the title of the text you are summarizing. You may have to make adjustments to your original sentence.

3. Now you are ready to summarize. Rephrase the big ideas in the text. Be sure to use your own words. Identify five big ideas below in complete sentences:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Write the first draft of your summary. The goal is to have more information than you need.

Checklist

Have you included all of the writer’s main ideas without adding your own opinions?

Have you written a summary in your own words without using any quotations?

Have you left out all of the writer’s examples and supporting details?

Does your summary read smoothly?

Would someone who had not read the original get a clear overview of it from your summary?

S. Turner-Odom

CSULB, 2016