One of the most foundational skills you can work to perfect
as a college student is mastering summarization.
The textbook defines "summary" as, "The use of one's own
words and sentence structure to condense someone else's
text into a briefer version that gives the main ideas of the
original" (Norton Field Guide).
Out of that textbook definition, it is important for you to
underline "own words" and "briefer version." In effect, a good
summary takes a larger work and reduces it to the essential
points/argument that the author is trying to convey to the
reader. This is not an easy thing to do. Frankly, it takes
consistent practice along with the development of a keen
reader's eye to determine what are "main points" versus
what are "supporting details."
GOAL FOR THE WEEK
You goal for this week is:
1.) to read about "reading" as part of the larger writing
process
2.) to practice summary writing through written responses