Monday, December 3, 2012

1. Monday, December 3, 2012 • Independent/Dependent Clauses • Summary • Honors: Cause & Effect • Homework: Read for AR, Bring your favorite cookie recipe for Sequence writing

2. Independent & Dependent Clauses • http://www.brainpop.com/english/grammar/clauses/preview.weml • Complete Page 79 as a class

3. A Recipe for a Summary

4. Definition of a Summary What is a summary? A summary briefly restates the most important information or ideas in a passage. A good summary describes the most important information of the passage as a whole, not just the beginning and the end, not just the middle, not just any part, but as a whole.

5. Step One: Divide and Conquer • First off, skim the text you are going to summarize and, if it is longer than one paragraph, divide it into sections. Focus on any headings and subheadings. Also, look at any bold-faced terms.

6. Step Two: Read • Now that you’ve prepared, go ahead and read the selection. Read straight through. At this point, you don’t need to stop to figure out anything that gives you trouble – just get a feel for the author’s tone, style, and main idea.

7. Step Three: Reread • Rereading should be active reading. Underline topic sentences and key facts. • Label areas that should be referred to in a summary. • Cross-out areas that should be avoided because the details – though they may be interesting – are too specific. • Identify areas that you do not understand and use context clues and your knowledge of roots and affixes to clarify those points.

8. Step Four: Identify the Main Idea The main idea of a passage may be stated directly in a topic sentence, which may appear anywhere in the passage. Sometimes, the main idea is not stated directly but is implied, or suggested, by the details in the passage.

9. Step Five: Create(or identify) • Write or find a summary that leaves out the unimportant details and focuses on the most important information from the passage. • A full-paragraph summary is needed for longer passages, and this type of summary will contain a sentence that states the main idea plus supporting sentences that tell the important information in the passage. • To summarize only a paragraph, a summary may be only one sentence, and it will still contain all of the important information. “Synthesize” – put it together

10. Review Time What is a summary? A summary briefly restates the most important information or ideas in a passage. A good summary describes the most important information of the passage as a whole, not just the beginning and the end, not just the middle, not just any part, but as a whole.

11. What are the first four steps of “A Recipe for a Summary” • Step 1 Divide and Conquer: Skim the text, divide it into sections, focus on headings, subheadings, and bold-faced terms. • Step 2 Read: Don’t stop to figure-out anything just get a feel for the passage and its main idea.

12. Still Reviewing (Steps 3 & 4) • Step 3 Reread: Be active. Underline topic sentences and key facts, cross-out unnecessary details. Use context clues, roots, and affixes to figure out words or sections you do not understand. • Step 4 Identify the Main Idea: stated – the passage tells its point to you explicitly; implied – the point is suggested, but not stated out-loud (you have to infer the main idea)

13. What is the final step? • Step 5 Create (or identify): leave out the unimportant details, focus on the most important information, a large passage (a page or more) needs a one-paragraph summary, a small (only a paragraph itself) usually needs just a one-sentence summary

14. Modern Day Miracle(Regulars) • Go over the answers to A Modern Day Miracle • Reread A Modern Day Miracle and go through the steps of summarizing. • Summarize the passage.

15. Cause & Effect (Honors) • The author lists one or more causes or events and the resulting consequences or effects. • The purpose of this text is to explain why or how something happened, exists or works.

16. Cause & Effect (Honors) • Topic: The causes of noise pollution. • Noise pollution is a type of pollution in which distracting, irritating, or damaging sounds effect our quality of life. The causes of noise pollution are not limited to a short list. Some of the causes are loud music, loud vehicles, and specific noises in the work place. The effects of noise pollution can be stress, hearing lose, and heart troubles. Understanding the causes of noise pollution are important because if you are effected by these specific things you can steer clear of them.

17. Cause & Effect (Honors) • As a class we will write a cause & effect paragraph about the effects of too much talking in class. Our paragraph will be 7-10 sentences in length. Look at the paragraph frame on your handout.

18. Cause and Effect (Honors) • Now it is your turn. Choose a topic! Here are a few examples you can choose from. • The effects of not brushing your teeth • The effects of cell phone usage at school. • The effects of not following school rules. • The effects of not being on time to school or work. • The effects of not studying for a test. • Choose a topic, fill in graphic organizer and write a paragraph 7-10 sentences in length. Be sure to go back and check for mistakes in punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Have a friend proofread your paper. Turn in when done! If you do not finish this is homework to be turned in first thing tomorrow. If you finish read for AR!!!!