WRITING

ACADEMIC
TEXTS
Prepared by: Marifel Chavez
Learning Objectives
1. define summarizing and summary
from various writers
2. identify the various techniques in
summarizing
3. summarize various academic texts
 WORD OF THE WEEK

altruistic
having or showing an unselfish concern
for the welfare of others;good;
humanitarian

INTRODUCTION
 Tell me a story
Suppose you told your friend that you
just watched a great film, and your friend
asks what the story is. How will you tell the
story?
Pre-Test:
Directions. Identify which of the following supports
the principle of summarizing.

1.We use summarizing to:

A.Retell a story
B.Reduce information to essential ideas
C.Get through an article more quickly
D.Understand easily
Pre-Test:
Directions. Identify which of the following supports
the principle of summarizing.

2.When summarizing, we want to

_________ unimportant information.
A.Condense
B.Underscore
C.Disregard
D.Incorporate
Pre-Test:
Directions. Identify which of the following supports
the principle of summarizing.

3.The main idea is _____________.

A.All the information provided

B.The most important information
C.Nothing to worry about
D.Unimportant information
Pre-Test:
Directions. Identify which of the following supports
the principle of summarizing.

4.Basic Signal words are Who, What,

When, Where, Why, How

A.True
B. False
Pre-Test:
Directions. Identify which of the following supports
the principle of summarizing.

5.It is the process of adding notes or

comments to the text.
A.Concluding sentence
B.Reading
C.Annotating
D. Body
DEVELOPMENT

What is
Summarizing?
SUMMARIZING
Buckley (2004), in her popular writing
text Fit to Print, defines summarizing as
“reducing text to one-third or one-
quarter its original size, clearly
articulating the author’s meaning, and
retaining main ideas.”

SUMMARIZING
Diane Hacker (2008), in A Canadian
Writer’s Reference, explains that
summarizing involves stating a work’s
thesis and main ideas “simply, briefly,
and accurately” (p. 62).

SUMMARIZING
The purpose of summarizing is to
briefly present the key points of a
theory or work in order to provide
context for your argument/thesis.

SUMMARIZING
Summarizing is useful in many types of
writing and at different points in the
writing process. Summarizing is used to
support an argument, provide context for
a paper’s thesis, write literature reviews,
and annotate a bibliography.

SUMMARIZING
The benefit of summarizing lies in
showing the "big picture," which allows
the reader to contextualize what you are
saying.
SUMMARIZING
In addition to the advantages of
summarizing for the reader, as a writer
you gain a better sense of where you are
going with your writing, which parts need
elaboration, and whether you have
comprehended the information you have
collected.
Why is summarizing
important to you as
a student?

Guidelines in Summarizing
(Barrot & Sipacio, 2015)

1.Clarify your purpose before you read

2.Read the text and understand the meaning.
3.Do not stop reading until you understand the message
conveyed by the author. Locate the gist (point) or main
idea of the text, which can usually be found either at the
beginning, in the middle, or in the end.

Guidelines in Summarizing
(Barrot & Sipacio, 2015)

4.Select and underline or circle the key ideas and phrases

while reading. Another strategy is to annotate (the act of
adding notes or comments to something) the text.
5.Write all the key ideas and phrases you identified on the
margins or on your notebook in a bullet or outline form.
6.Without looking at the text, identify the connections of
these key ideas and phrases using a concept map.
Guidelines in Summarizing
(Barrot & Sipacio, 2015)

7.List your ideas in sentence form or in a concept map. A

concept map is a visual organizer that can enrich students'
understanding of a new concept.
8.Combine the sentences into a paragraph. Use
appropriate transitional devices.
Guidelines in Summarizing
(Barrot & Sipacio, 2015)

Signal Words/Transitional devices

Signal words are textual cues that readers can use to
follow a text. They can “signal” the transition from one
point to another, the ordering of events and concepts, or
the writer’s chosen text type (e.g., linear narration,
question, and answer).
Guidelines in Summarizing
(Barrot & Sipacio, 2015)
Guidelines in Summarizing
(Barrot & Sipacio, 2015)

9.Ensure that you do not copy a single sentence from the

original text.
10.Refrain from adding comments about the text. Stick to
the ideas it presents.
11.Edit the draft of your summary by eliminating
redundant (repetitive) ideas.
Guidelines in Summarizing
(Barrot & Sipacio, 2015)

10.Compare your output with the original text to ensure

accuracy.
11.Record the details of the original source (author's name/s,
date of publication, title, publisher, place of publishing,
and URL [if online])
12.Format your summary properly. When you combine your
summaries in a paragraph, use different formats to show
variety in writing.
Example 1:
The Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous architectural wonders of the modern world.
Instantly recognisable both for its roof shells and its impressive location in Sydney harbour, it has become one
of the best known images of Australia. Situated close to Sydney Harbour Bridge, this large performing arts
centre was started in 1959 and completed in 1973. After a competition to choose the design, the Danish
architect Jorn Utzon was chosen. The Opera House includes five theatres, five rehearsal studios, two main
halls, four restaurants, six bars, and several shops. The construction of the Opera House was fairly
controversial as the final cost of the building was much higher than predicted. It was expected to cost $7
million, but in fact, the final cost was $102 million. This was due to difficult weather conditions, problems with
structural design, and changes to contract. The remarkable roof shells were also difficult to construct.
Furthermore, the construction too longer than planned. Completion of the building was initially expected in
four years, in 1963. Unfortunately, because of the many problems and changes which were necessary in the
design, the building was not completed until ten years later, in 1973.It was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth 2
on 20th October 1973, and millions of people attended the ceremony. The event was televised, and included a
fireworks display and classical music performance.
Example 1:
The Sydney Opera House

Important points for making the summary of the passage:

• Most famous architectural wonders of the modern world
• Recognisable both for its roof shells
• Location in Sydney harbour
• Performing arts centre
• Started in 1959 and completed in 1973
• Competition: the Danish architect Jorn Utzon
• Five theatres, five rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants, six bars, and
several shops.
• Controversial: expected $7 milllion / the final cost $102
• Difficult weather conditions, problems with structural design, and changes to contract.
• Inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth 2 on 20th October 1973
Example 1:
The Sydney Opera House

Summary
The Sydney Opera house has been described as ‘one of the wonders
of the modern world’, is located in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Designed
by Danish Architect, Jorn Utzon, this large performing art centre with
numerous theatres, restaurants and other facilities, took fourteen
years to build at a cost of over $100 million. The construction was seen
as controversial as it was estimated to only cost $7 million but adverse
weather, design difficulties and contractual problems made expenses
spiral out of control. It was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973 at
a ceremony televised to the world.

Adapted from Philpot, S & Curnick, L. 2011. Headway Academic Skills, Level 3. OUP
Example 2:
Japanese Rail Tunnel

Due to an increase in traffic between the various island which make up

Japan, and predictions of a continuing growth in train travel, a rail tunnel was built
to connect the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The Seikan Tunnel in Japan is today
the longest tunnel in the world, with a length of almost 54km. When the tunnel was
opened in 1988, all existing trains went through it. However, newer Japanese bullet
trains have never used the tunnel because of the cost of extending the high speed
line through it. Consequently, the train journey from Tokyo to Sapporo still takes
about ten hours. In contrast, the journey by air takes only three and a half hours.
This has combined with the fall in the cost of flying, has meant that more people
travel by plane than train and the tunnel is not used as much as forecasters had
predicted.
Example 1:
The Sydney Opera House

Important points for making the summary of the passage:

·Increase in traffic
·connect Islands (Honshu & Hokkaido )
·Predictions and continuing growth
·The longest rail tunnel
·opened 1988
·54km
·Opened in 1988
·Bullet trains
·Never used tunnel
·Fall in the cost of flying
·Not used as much as forecasters predicted
Example 1:
The Sydney Opera House

Summary
The longest railway tunnel in the world links the islands of
Honshu & Hokkaido. This 54km tunnel was inaugurated in 1988
to deal with the predicted increase in rail traffic. However, the
fall in the cost of flying and the fact that high speed trains
cannot use the tunnel have resulted in the tunnel being less
widely used than expected.
READING STRATEGIES
Gary Goshgarian states that “Critical
reading is an active process of
discovery.” We read for a variety of
purposes. To make reading meaningful
and interactive, reading strategies will be
helpful. Here are the strategies:
1. Previewing
•get an idea what it is about
•read the first sentence of each paragraph
•pay attention to text structures such as
sidebars, photograph captions, text in
bold or italics, headings and subheadings,
charts and graphs, summaries, and other
supporting texts and graphics
2. Set a purpose for reading
•Setting a purpose for reading helps keep
you focused and engaged while reading
•reading with purpose motivates and
helps students who tend to rush, take
their time reading so they won't skip over
key elements in the text
3. Activating Prior Knowledge
•using your knowledge and previous
personal experiences to create meaning
in what you read
•you may activate prior knowledge by
asking yourself questions that help you
remember facts and related ideas
* If you have very little prior knowledge about a topic,
you may consider doing some background reading on
the topic.
4. Making Predictions
•you try to guess what happens next
•making predictions helps you become a
more active reader
* making predictions is usually based on
your schema--what you know about the
world
6. Identifying Main Idea and Details
•The main idea is the “big point” or the
most important idea that the writer is
communicating to the reader
•Supporting details prove the value of the
main idea.
* Information that does not support the
main idea does not belong in the same
paragraph.
7. Asking Questions
•good readers ask questions when they
read
•ask questions about how important the
task you are reading is, how the events
relate to one another, why characters act
in a certain way and how you understand
what you are reading
8.Adjust reading speed
•reading rate should vary according to
your reading purpose
•the nature and difficulty of the material
also calls for adjustments in rate
level of difficulty depends greatly on the
reader’s knowledge
9. Drawing Conclusions
•using information that is implied or
inferred to make meaning out of what is
not clearly stated.
•writers give readers hints or clues that
help them read between the lines, since
not everything is explicitly stated or
spelled out all the time.
10. Review and Clarify Vocabulary
••list down unfamiliar words you
encounter in the text
•reading comprehension depends upon
the meaning readers give words. The
more vocabulary words students know,
the better they can comprehend
•a rich vocabulary also improves students'
ability to communicate through speaking,
listening, and writing
Any question?
Schoology