ENGL 1130 Summary Paper #1

48 CHAPTER 2 Responses, Paraphrases' Summanes' and Quotations

EXERCISE 2.7

Fon-n collaborative leaming groups of three students each. Have each group member take

responsibilrty for one or th]e-totlowing passages from Pauline lrit Erera's "What ls a Family?"

$p. a l6-28).

a The decline in the number of babies placed for adoptron precipitated an increased interest

in intemational adoptions as an alternative, Because these adoptions often involved children

whowereraciallyand/orethnicallydifferentfromtheiradoptiveparents,theadoptioncould notbekeptSecretaShadbeenthepracticeinthepast.ThegrowingaccePtanceofadoptive families,inturn,facilitatedagreateracceptanceofstepfamrliesandotherfamiliesnotrelated by blood. (420)

b. with the increasing numbers and visibility of single-parent, step-, and adoptive families' the

gay liberation movement opened the way for the emergence of gay and lesbian families'

Somegaymenandlesbiansweredivorcedandhadcustodyofthechildren,becominginthe process single-parent families. others chose to give birth

to a child within the lesbian/gay

relationshiP. (420)

c,AnotherfaclorcontrlbutingtofamilydiversitysincethelgTOs,andespeciallytofosterfami- liesandgrandmother.headedfamilies,hasbeenadramaticincreaseintheimprisonmentof Womenandmothers,alegacyofthewarondrugswithitsharshsentencingpo|icies.Mostof the women in prison ,."ih"r" for drug-related offenses, often because

of the activities of a

male Partner: (420)

. Use the systematic paraphrasing procedure (pp. aaa\ to paraphrase your passage Write

yourparaphraseforanaudienceofflrst_yearcollegeStudentswhohavenotreadErera,safticle. . When ail group members have {lnished their paraphrases, pass the sheet with

your paraphrase

tothepersononyourleftandreceivetheparaphraseofthepersononyourright,Onanew sheet of paper, paraphrase the passage you received

from the person on your right Do not

refer to the original text'

.Whenallgroupmembershaveflnishedtheirparaphrases,PaSssheetsoncemoretotheleft

and again paraphrase the passage you receive

.Yourgroupshouldnowhavesenalparaphrasesthathavegonethroughthreeversionsforeach

ofthepassagesfromErera.Workingtogether,comparetheoriginalofeachpassagewiththeflnal versionoftheparaphrase.Doestheparaphrasepreservethemeanlngoftheoriginal?lfnot,where

did the meaning get lost? Which steps in the paraphrasing process worked well, and which were

problematic?Makesureyourgrouprecordernotestheconclusionsthegroupcomesto. . When the class reconvenes, have the recorders explain the conclusions groups

reached about

the paraPhrasi ng Process

G suMMARlzE \\hether you are writing a standard summafy, a brief abstract

of a iournal article, or a

tbrmal pr6cis of ^" ."t;d"; arg,r*.r,rt, your fundamental task is to capture the overall

g*.frir" text, to shorten the original without changing its meaning'

The

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Summanze 49

The following strategies will serve you well

W Standard Summary You can construct a standarcl summary by using strategies that you will find useful for allsummaries.

Apply Summarizing Strategies Strategies for summarizing iiclucle:

Preview the Text" Recollyour prior Knowledge of the Topic, ond Use Criticol Reoding Strotegies The first hvo summarizing strategies recap the active reading techniques that we coveredearlier. Assertive readins iri,,p"rjiu. for rJ,-*roing. x4arkiig ararJr,otrti,,g main ideas,taking notes, ar-rd identlfyi,g irr. "rg;;#;" ancl rhetorical purpose and context arehelpful preparation.

llentifu the Most lmportant ldeos ond the Significant Connections Among lhese ldeos Your annotations and notes shourd direct you to the most important ideas in the text.write out the main ideas and explain Iro*it

"y are related to each other. A summary ismore than a retelling of main ideas; it shourd indicate ,-.rrti.;r;i;;J-o.,g the ideas a,dtie them together in coherent paragraphs.

. Preview the text and recall your prior knowledge of the topic. ' Read the text using criticar reading strategies (marking, annotatrng, eraborating, taking

content notes, and posing and answering guestions). ' ldentify the most important ideas and the signiflcant connections among those ideas.. Delete unimpoftant detail, imelevant examples, and redundancy, . ldentify and imitate the organizational pattern of the text. . Construcl a graphic overview, . ldentify and incorporate the rhetorical context and purpose, . Combine ideas in sentences and paragraphs. . Document your summary.

You need not apply these strategies in order. Nor do you have to use all nine of them, Chooseones that are appropriate forthe source with which you areworking. you can write a standardsummary simply by expraining the rhetoricar iontext and purpose. Lengtr.,y, comprex summariesmay require the full range of strategies.

CHAPTER 2 Responses Paraphrases, Summaries' and Quotations

ldentifi mairr idcas'

Delete Unimportont Detoil, lrrelevont komples' ond Redundoncy

Cioss out or label ,, ,-ro,-'."t'-'tial arll' material that is repetitive' excessivel)' detailecl'

or .nrelated to the main iclea. Acacierric sources are often highly redundant because

,rrttrnls repeat or illustrate cornplex concepts ir-r order to give the rcader more than one

chance to understand thern.

F,lirrrirrate details'

ldentify ond lmitote the Orgonizotionol Pottern of the Source

On page 22, we ld.rtlfi"J ir-,. orgr,.irrtio,',al plai-,s fo-r academic *,riting: (1) time order,

,rrr",lzr,, pro..rr, (z) a.teccclc.t-co.sequent, causc-effect; (3) clescription; (4) statctlent-

response; (5) compariso,,/**rrrt; (6) example; (7) anaiysis/classificatio,; (8) definition;

(c)) analogv. Rarel,v clo ,.,,itor, t"rt,i.i themselves to a single plan; thel' usualll' use these

plans i'r combi.atio'r. iilh".r yoti iclentif the orga.izatio.al pattern, you can follow it as

the skeleton lor your stlrlmaryl Organization tJ''t"1 ' mearling' so votl will be helping

your reader to follorv the train of thor-rght'

,.Aial*iiii

Construct a GraPhic Overview A .rr.f.,l technique for icientifi,ing the principal ideas and detern-rining -h9-w

they tie to-

sether is to create a 'isual clisplai Yo., ,oay ciroose frorn among *ran1' different\'p.es

of

ilir;;:t".i."r,,rg'4"u, cirarts, spicler .raps, Ven. cliagrar]]:, .l::t.-t cliagra,rs, fis1rbonc

diagrar.ns, sequence charts, .oi,'r-r',rr ctr:rrts, :rnc1 ladcleis. We will focus on the graphic

oren1en,. A graphic r;;;i"* is a diagram that represertts the centr.al ideas itt a reading sollrce.s/roris /rou, tl-Lei,t, are related, ani it-rlicates tlte outhor's overall

pLt'tpose' It is a blr-re-

print chartitlg the text's main icleas'

Visual displai: graphic oven'ietr

\\-e $il1 $alk through the process of constructirlg a graphic overvier'v' First' revierv

Vour ur-rderlining. notes. and annotation.. ;rnd select kev riorcls and concepts' Deterrnine

the overall organizational :tructure of the tert arld iderltifi' subsidiary organizatiolal pat-

i.r,.r. 1.h.r., depict the relationships among the ideas b)' drar'ving boxes or circles con-

nectecl by lines or arlo\\ s. Label theboles to sho$. hor'i'the VarioLts points are interrelated'

Be cieative! The graphic or,,en'ie$'sho$.n itt Figure 2-l rvas constrtrcted by one of otrr students

to represent the principal content of_RJrtr'ra Varrcierslicc's "Whcn I Was Young, a. A

Was an A: Gradc l'rflrtiorr in Higher Ed,cation," wl-ric6 appears on llagcs 7-6_77 ' Reread

the articie beforc yotr stuclr,the s-tudent's graphic ovewiew.5:"P i" I'iind tl-rat creating a

graphic ol'erview t, ^

t,igt,iy inclir iclual prJt""' A single' dcfi.itii'e graPhic overvi*v docs

,lrni."irt for each text. Countless i'ariations are possible'

i

Summarize 5t

PROBLEM

In institutions of higher leaming, grade inflation has increased over the years and ths pattern continues.

1 969: 7 percent students received A- or higher; 25 percent received C or lower 1993: 26 percent got As: 9 percent C or lower

CAUSE

EFFECTS

Transcript doesn't tell employers which

students don't get accurate picture of their own abilities.

It's unclear how grades reiate to leaming.

and which are not

SOLUTION: Universities must make explict reforms because grade inflation has become a routine practice.

Use an indexing system of 2 grades, grade lbr class and average grade of all students in class: a public grade for the registrar and a private grade for students to see how they stand in relation to others in class.

Reassess the practice of using student evaluations for personnel decisions. Instructors will raise standards if they are not pressured to give high grades in exchange for positive teaching awards.

Review grading practices to make academic programs more rigorous.

Emphasize academic preparation when recruiting students.

Show that you care about your teaching by actively inslsting that academic standards are of paramount importance: Reward excellence rather than mediocrity.

Figure 2-l Sample Graphic Overview

The graphic overview forces yor-r to think about the big picture. You have to manipu- late clrunks of information like pieces tn a pu,zzle and determine how they best fit together. The graphic overuiew allows you to visualize relationships among main ideas and perceive the text's web of meaning. Notice that the ovewie\r' of Vanderslice's article highlights the central organizational pattern of problem-solution as well as the secondary pattern of cause-effect. You should find it easy to surnmarize this source after vou have seen its rnain ideas diagrammed on a single page.

You can m:lke a graphic overyiew of a text of any length-a single paragraph, sequence of paragraphs, or complete article-but the strategy works best if you fit the

52 CHAffiER 2 Responses, Paraphrases, Summaries, and Quotations

diagram on a single page so that you can see it all at or-rce. This limits the amount of detail in the graphic overview, but if you cram in lots of details, you will soon lose sight of the big picture. The graphic overview works best for recording the general outlines of an argu- ment. When you are working with lengthy texts and want more than a broad outline, you may find the one-page format too restrictive.

You may wish to work with computer-generated graphic overviews. We provide directions for creating a simple graphic overview with Microsoft Word 97-2004. If you are working with other word-processing software, consult the software's Help directory and search for "diagrams."

| , Open a blank Word document.

2. Go up to the main menu bar and click lnsert.

3. Select Text Box from the lnseft menu. A box will be displayed. Select the box by clicking on it.

4. Clickonthecorneroftheboxanddragyourmousetomaketheboxthesizeyouwantit. Then click outside the box to deselect it.

5. Click inside the box and type in words and sentences,

5. Create additional boxes by repeating Steps 3,4, and 5.

7. Move boxes around by selecting them (clicl< on the edge). With your cursor on the edge, drag the box around the page.

B. Connect the boxes with the following procedure:

Go up to the lYain menu and click on Yiew. Scroll down to Toolbars,

From the Toolbar menu, select Drawing. The Drawing toolbar contains a button with a line on it, Click on this button to highlight it.

Bring your cursor to the edge of one box and drag it to the edge of a second box. A line will appear. Each time you wish to draw a line, go backto the line butlon and highlight it.

To delete boxes and lines, click on the edge of the box or on the line to highlight it. Then press Delete.

Before we show you how to convert a graphic overview to a written summary, we need to rernind you about the importance of the rhetorical context of the text.

ldentify and lncorporate the Rhetorical Context and Purpose \bur summarv needs to include information about the rhetorical context of the text. This is particularlr. true if it is a stand-alone summary rather thar-r one that will become part of a longer essar..

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Summarize 53

To determine the rhetorical context, ask yourself the Questions for Analyzing the Rhetorical Context of Texts on page 28. Rhetorical purpose refers to how the author tries to affect or influence the audience. Sometimes the purpose is easily identified because it emerges as a controlling feature of the piece, such as in an argumentative text or a highly opinionated editorial. At otl-rer times the purpose may not be self-evident.

As the following summary of Ronna Vanderslice's "When I Was Young, an A Was an A: Grade Inflation in Higher Education" (see pp. 76-37) illustrates, once you have identified the rhetorical context and purpose, you have launched a concise summary.

SAMPLE BRIEF SUMMARY OF RONNA VANDERSLICE'S "WHEN IWAS YOUNG, AN AWAS AN A: GRADE INFLATION

IN HIGHER EDUCATION"

lnher arlicle"WhenlWasYoun$, an A Was an A, Grade lnflation in t4i$her Educetion," Ronna Vand erslic,e, a

professor ofeducation at Southwestern OKlahoma State University, asserts that frade inflation is an increasin$ly

serious problem that universities must counteract She develops her position by pointin$ out th at colle$etran-

scripts no lon$er $ive accurate information to students or to their potential employers. Writinl in Phi Kappa Phi

Forum.ehe ur$es university faculty to reformtheir $radir$practices and offers various sr4giestions for doinl so.

Combine ldeas in Sentences and Paragraphs For your summary to flow clearly, you need to take the key ideas you have depicted in your graphic overview, make elements parallel, or add logical connectors. You may also comPress several words or phrases into fewer words and reduce items in the same class to a single category.

Document Your Summary Even when you have summarized a text in your own words, you must acknowledge the title and the author. As with paraphrasing, summarizing a sollrce without proper docu- mentation is considered plagiarism. Always cite the text at the point where you use it in your writing and include a cornplete reference in the works cited list at the end of your paper. We explain how to set up a works cited list in the Appendix.

Now we will draw on several of the strategies described above to illustrate the pro- cess of writing a summary. Let's assume that you are preparing to write an essay on grade inflation. You locate the Vanderslice article on pages 36-)7. You read the article using the active strategies we clescribed earlier-carefully previewing, annotating, taking notes, and posing and answering questions as you read. After identifying the main ideas and sig- nificant connections among them, you delete unimportant details and examples. Then,

v CHAPTER 2 Responses, Paraphrases, Summaries, and Quotatrons

lsing the text's organizational pattern as your clle, yoll construct a graphic overview. (See

Figuie 2_11,p.51) You ideniif, the ri-ietorical context of Van<lcrslice's article. Lastly, us-

in{ the grapi.ic overview as your guicle, you combine ideas ir-r sentences ancl paragraphs ancl compose the summarv.

SAMPLE SUMMARY

Summary of Ronna Vanderslicas "When

I Was Voun$ an A was an A: Grade lnflation

in Hi$her Education"

h her article"When I Was Vounf, an A Was an A, Grade Inflation in l\i$her Education," Ronna Vand erslice' a

professor ofeducation at Soufhwestern OKlahoma State Universrfy, asserls that we should be concerned about

increasin$incidents offrade inflation in colle5ies and universities. As a result ofthis lowerin$ ofstand arde' colle$e

transcripts do not tell employers which (udents a re competekl and which are not Students themselvee are not $et-

tin$accurate piclures of their abilities. Most important, thdre is no clear standard of how $rades relateto learnin$

Vanderslice asserts that univergities must maKe explicit reforms to halt this routine practice. She offers a

number of concrete su5giestions for raisinf standards. One recommendation is to use an indexin$ system oftwo

$radee,the $rade for the class a ndthe avera$e $rade of all the students in the class; a public grade for lhe re$-

istrar and a private $radefor students to see how they stand in relation to their peers.

Another su5giestion is to reassess the practice ol usingstudent evaluations for personnei decisions.

lnstructors will raise their standards ifthey are not pr essedto $ivehi$h $radesin exchan$efor positive teachinfl

evaluations. Other recommendations are lrEofoslgrs Io review their $radin$practicee to ma(e academic

pro$rams more ri$orous,for colleSe recruiters to ma[e students aware of the aca demic preparation they will

need, and fo_r professors to show they care about their tea chin$by aclively insistinf that academic standards

are of paramount imporlance and by rewardin$ excellenceinstead of mediocrfrT.

WorkCited

Vanderslice, Ronna. "When I Was Vounf, an A Was an A, Grade lnflation in l-li$her Education." Phi Kappa Phi

F or um & Q Oa 4)' 2 4-25. P rint.

EXERCISE 2.8

Read a selection from Parl ll of this book. Use the summanzing strategies we have discussed to

produce a 250-word summary of the text, Write for an audience of frrst-year college students

who have not read the arlicle, Submit your graphlc overview as well as the {lnal summary'

EXERCISE 2.9

i:s--Day Aaivities:

::-r collaborative learning groups of flve students each' ll ofthis book. Each grouP should

articles outside class.

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