Summarizing Technical and Academic Texts

CM 1190 Summarizing Technical and Academic Texts Unit 3.1 Understanding Paragraphs

Introduction to Unit 3 In Unit 3 we will discuss: • Identifying topics in paragraphs • Summarizing text • Using PowerPoint effectively • Interpreting graphics: tables, charts, and diagrams

Identifying Topics in Paragraphs Identifying and expressing a paragraph’s topic helps you understand how that paragraph fits into the overall text.

What is a Topic? A topic isword, name, or phrase that tells what the author is writing about. All of the sentences in a paragraph relate in some way to the topic.(Cortina & Elder, 2004) Examples: nameHamad Hospital worddiabetes Phrase  the importance of exercise

What is a Paragraph? A paragraph is a self-contained unit of writing dealing with a particular point or idea. The start of a paragraph is indicated by beginning on a new line and ending without running to the next passage. From the Greek roots para (besides) + graphos (written).

Clues for Identifying Topics • Headings and Titles • Special Print Italics Bold CAPITALS Colored print Font • Repeated names, words, or phrases • Names, words, or phrases that are referred to by pronouns or other words in the paragraph.

Practice Identifying Topics… Identify the topic of the following paragraph. What clues did you use to help you determine the topic? Eating in a fast-food restaurant is fast and easy, but it’s not always good for you. For one thing, the food you eat in fast-food restaurants has a lot of fat. Fast food also has too much salt. Another problem is that the amount of food in each serving is often large in fast-food restaurants, so it’s easy to eat too much. Finally, there are usually not many fruits or vegetables on the menu in a fast-food restaurant. Next time you eat in a fast-food restaurant, think about what you are eating and how much you are eating. Source: K. Blanchard & C. Root. (2005). Get Ready to Read. New York: Longman.

CM 1190 End of Unit 3.1

CM 1190 Summarizing Technical and Academic Texts Unit 3.2 Summarizing Texts

Summarizing Text Summarizingis when large selections of text are reduced to their bare essentials. Items to include in a summary are: General concepts Key ideas Main points

How to Summarize (Step # 1 and 2) Read the original actively. This may mean reading it more than once. Underline or highlight the main ideas and some supporting details in each paragraph.

How to Summarize (Step # 3- First Draft) Include a summary introductionin first draft of the summary containing: • Name of the article • Author • Name of journal, magazine or newspaper (if applicable) • Overall thesis

How to Summarize (Step # 3 continued) • Write a one or two sentence summary for each paragraph or group of related paragraphs. • These sentences should reflect the main idea of each section.

How to Summarize (Step # 4- Final Draft) • Write the introduction again and follow, in order, with the sentences you wrote for each section. • In this draft, use transitional wordsand phrases to join the sentences to make the summary smooth and coherent. Write a concluding sentence.

Practice Summarizing Texts… Practice summarizing the short text below. Do steps 1 and 2. Asthma is a condition which causes difficulty in moving air into and out of the lungs as we breathe. The lungs are the organs of breathing and are often described as being like a pair of large sponges. They do look like sponges, but in terms of their structure and function, it is easier to think of the lungs as an upside-down tree. If you have asthma, you have a problem with your airways, or bronchi. They become narrowed, making it more difficult for air to move to and from the air spaces. The underlying reason for this narrowing is an inflammation of the lining of your airways. This inflammation has several effects. It makes your airways very twitchy, or irritable, so that your response to any form of irritation or stimulus is coughing and a tightening of the muscles which surround the airways. It also makes the lining of your airways swollen and may cause you to produce lots of sticky mucus or phlegm. (Continue to next slide)

Practice Summarizing Texts… Asthma and allergy are not the same, but asthma can be triggered by an allergic reaction to substances such as grass pollen, house dust mites, and pet hair. If you have an allergy, it means that you are sensitive to ordinary everyday substances to which most people do not react. There are many different “triggers” for asthma. Triggers do not cause asthma; they are the factors that may bring on the symptoms or the asthma attacks. Some triggers include virus infections (mainly a cold or flu), exercise, emotional factors and stress, changes in weather, and allergies. • Source: Mazyad, S. S. (2001). English for health sciences: Reading skills intermediate level. Riyadh: King Fahd National Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

CM 1190 Summarizing Technical and Academic Texts Unit 3.3 Using PowerPoints Effectively

Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation software used by teachers, students, and business people to communicate information.

Microsoft PowerPoint Instructors at CNA-Q often use PowerPoint in place of textbooks. It is a teaching tool for instructors. PowerPoint can be a useful learning tool for students.

Microsoft PowerPoint PowerPoints do not provide all the information you will need. You must add your own notes based on the instructor’s lecture.

Taking Lecture Notes Instructors give you clues as to what you should write down: • Material written on the white board • Repetition of important concepts • Emphasis on key points • Examples to help you understand • Summaries given at the end of class • Reviews given at the beginning of class

Taking Lecture Notes When writing notes: • Make your notes brief • Put notes in your own words… however the following should be noted exactly: • Formulas • Definitions • Specific facts Write your notes on the slide near the point being discussed

Taking Lecture Notes After writing notes: Recite the important facts you recorded. Rewrite your notes in summary form. Review your notes often.

CM 1190 Summarizing Technical and Academic Texts Unit 3.4 Summarizing Graphics: Tables, Charts & Diagrams

Interpreting Graphics and Tables Interpreting and describing graphics requires that you… Describe patterns Analyze trends Make comparisons

Describing Patterns These phrases can help you describe a graphic… • This (chart, table) shows that… • It gives data about… • As can be seen from (the chart, table)… • According to (Table 1)… • Looking at the (figures) in… • It is estimated that… • As far as (X) are concerned…

Important verbs Increase Climb Shoot up Leap Rocket Soar The bolded verbs don’t usually need descriptors. Why not? Decrease Decline Slump Plummet Dive Analyzing Trends • Stabilize • Level off • Fluctuate

Analyzing Trends Adjectives are helpful… There has been: A dramatic increase in… A steady improvement in… A moderate growth in… A leveling off of… A slight decline in… A sharp drop in…

Analyzing Trends Adverbs are helpful… The ________of ______ has increased dramatically. improved steadily. grown moderately. declined slightly. droppedsharply.

Making Comparisons • There are more/less/fewer… than… • By far the largest… • Twice the number/Twice as many… • Approximately/Roughly/Nearly/About as many… • Just over/under half/double the number of… in comparison with… • In contrast…

Steps for Summarizing Graphics • Read the graphic carefully. Notice the title, kind of information, high and low points, and trends. • Describe the graphic This (chart/table) shows… • Explain the general trend/shape of the graphic • Explain each trend/shape in the order they appear • Write a conclusion that repeats the main trend, but uses different words. In conclusion,…

Graphics: Examples This graphic shows the types (if any) of health insurance held by people aged less than 65 years. From 1984 to 2004, there is a slight declinein the number of Private policies while the people using Medicaid increased slightly. Around 18% of this age group do not own health insurance. This has remained steady from 1984 to 2004. Far more people in this age group have private health insurance when compared to those using Medicaid.

Interpreting Diagrams A diagram is a spatial representation of an object. Using Prepositions is helpful in describing location and condition. Example: The neck of the tooth is between the crown and the root. Source: http://www.mydr.com.au/files/images/categories/dental/tooth_anatomy_vs2.gif

Important diagram words include: Inside Outside Connected to Fastened to Over Under Fits into Two-dimensional Three-dimensional Label Front view Side view Section Perspective Interpreting Diagrams

Summarizing Technical and Academic Texts