SUMMARY

• A summary is a brief statement or restatement of main points.

Summarizing a text, or distilling its essential concepts into a
paragraph or two, is a useful study tool as well as good writing
practice. A summary has two aims:

(1) to reproduce the main idea and the key points of a text and

(2) to restate these in as few words as possible.

• The main idea is what the text is about while key points are
arguments or information that is used to support the main idea.
Also, it may be developed or elaborated with supporting details.
However, your summary should only include main ideas and key
points, not supporting details. Another important thing you must
remember is that summaries are not a place for your opinions,
background knowledge and personal information.

• Summaries can range in length from two sentences to several pages.

In any case, use complete sentences to describe an author's general
points to your reader. Do not quote extensively. If you quote, use
quotation marks and document the quotation. If you fail to
document the quotation, even one word that the author used, you
are plagiarizing material.

• Summarizing helps students learn to identify key ideas of a text and

ignore irrelevant information. Summarizing improves students’
4. concentrate on the gist or main idea and key words presented in the text;
memory for what they read and by extension comprehension. By
and
learning and practicing how to summarize, one can develop reading
comprehension
5. capture the main ideaand long-term
in the text andretention
put themoftogether
information.
clearlyIt and
is also an
effective
concisely. tool to self-evaluate what they understood and what they
do not.
Guidelines in Summarizing
• Summarizing is an important skill because it helps you
1. Read the original passage or text very carefully.
1. deepen your understanding of the text.
2. Highlight or underline what you take to be the main point of the original
2. learn
text, or make to identify
notes relevantorinformation
in the margins on anotherorsheet
key ideas/key
of paper. points.

3. When3.summarizing
combine details or examples
an entire that support
essay, outline the main
the writer’s idea.
argument.

4. Now tell your audience what the original source argued.

5. Ask the following framework questions:

a. What is the main idea?

b. What are the crucial details necessary for supporting the ideas?

6. Use key words or phrases to identify the main points from the text.

7. You can also summarize a reading text by getting the main events and
arranging the events in chronological order

What is Not Summarizing

You are NOT summarizing when you

• write down everything;

• write down the ideas from the text word – for – word;

• write down incoherent or irrelevant ideas;

• write down ideas that are not stated in the text; or

• write down summary that has the same length or is longer than the
original text.

Using Reporting Verbs when Summarizing

A reporting verb is a word used to discuss another person’s writings or

assertions.
Example:

Having a syntactically correct sentence is not enough to create meaning. As

Noam Chomsky pointed out a sentence can be perfect in terms of syntax and
still not make sense. He showed this by coming up with the famous
sentence, “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously” (Chomsky 1957).

Hyland (1999) lists a frequency of reporting verbs used according to

discipline.

WHAT IS THESIS STATEMENT

• Is the sentence that states the main idea of a writing assignment and
Regulating children’s
helps television
control the use. the paper.
ideas within
2. State
• Ityour opinion/main
is not idea about this topic.
merely a topic.
(This• willItform
oftenthe heartan
reflects of opinion
your thesis. An effective
or judgment thatstatement willmade
a writer has express
about
one major idea. or personal experience.
a reading
Parents should regulate
Thesis statements theor
presents amount of television
describes the point their
of an children
essay. Inwatch.
an
academic text, the thesis statement is usually presented in the abstract or
3. Give the strongest reason or assertion that supports your opinion/main
executive summary or found at the last part of the introduction. It is written
idea.
in a declarative sentence.
It is not always intellectually stimulating.
THESIS STATEMENT GUIDE DEVELOPMENT TOOL
4. Give another strong reason or assertion that supports your opinion/main
1. State your topic
idea.

It inhibits social interaction.

5. Give one more strong reason or assertion that supports your opinion/main
idea.

It shortens children’s attention span.

6. Include an opposing view point.

Television can be educational

THESIS STATEMENT GUIDE RESULTS

1. Sample Thesis statement

Parents should regulate the amount of television their children watch

2. Thesis with concession (addressing an argument from the opposing

viewpoint first, and then uses the phrase “even though” and states the
writer’s opinion/main idea as a rebuttal.)

Even though television can be educational, parents should regulate the

amount of television their children watch.

3. Thesis with reasons (Here the use of “because” reveals the reasons
behind the writer’s opinion/main idea.

Parents should regulate the amount of television their children watch

because it shortens children’s attention spans, it inhibits
social interaction, and it isn’t always intellectually stimulating.

4. Thesis with concession and reasons. (This model both makes a concession
to opposing viewpoint and states the reasons/arguments for the writer’s
main idea.)

While television can be educational, parents should regulate the amount of

television their children watch because it inhibits social interaction,
shorten children’s attention span, and isn’t always intellectually
stimulating.

Outlining Reading Texts

Topic Sentence

• The topic sentence presents or describes the point of the paragraph;

in other words, it is the main idea of the paragraph. It can be located
in the beginning, middle or last part of the paragraph.

Strategies in Locating the Topic Sentence

• Read the first sentence of the paragraph very carefully because most
authors state their topic sentence in the beginning of the paragraph.

• Browse the sentences in the paragraph to identify what they

describe. The sentence that best describes the topic of the
paragraph is the topic sentence.

• Find the concept or idea being discussed, which in colloquial term is

makes
the “bigsense
word” in the paragraph. The sentence that defines the big
word is usually the topic sentence.
• Order refers to your choice of what to present first, second, third,
• and so on,
Identify theinpurpose
your writing.
of the paragraph. The sentence that presents or
describes the purpose is the topic sentence.
3 Methods of Organizing an Information
• Observe the writing style of the author. Focus specifically on where
he/she usually places his/her topic sentence.

OUTLINING

• Gathering information from a source whether from a book or the like

will help you in writing your paper (essay, research paper, etc.).

• When you write, you need to organize your ideas, in an order that

What is an Outline?

An outline is a written plan that serves as a skeleton for the paragraphs you
write. It is a summary that gives the essential features of the information
that will be included in a paper, book, speech or any other similar document.
It shows how the parts of a text are related to one another or parts that are
of equal importance, or sections that are subordinate to the main idea. This
will also create a visual picture of what you have read.

What is the importance of making an outline?

1. It gives an overview of the topic and it enables us to see how various

subtopics relate to one another.

2. Recording the information in our own words tests our understanding

of what we read.

3. It is an effective way to record needed information from reference

books you do not own.

2 Kinds of an Outline
READING OUTLINE - is used to get the main ideas of a text that is already
written. Steps in Creating a Reading Outline

1. Read the entire text first. Skim the text afterward.

2. Locate the main idea or thesis statement of the whole essay or text.

3. Look for key phrases in each paragraph.

4. Locate the topic sentence of each paragraph.

5. Look at the topic sentences and group those with related ideas
together.

6. The contents of the reading are arranged according to levels.

7. Evaluate the supporting details provided.

8. Go back to the text to check whether you have followed its sequence
closely and that you have not missed any important information.

WRITING OUTLINE - is a skeletal overview of your draft, which contains your

fundamental points and the different ideas that support them.

Steps in Creating Own Outline

1. Determine what your purpose is for writing the thesis, who your
reading audience is, and point of view and tone you would like to
assume in delivering your message.

2. Begin your outline with a thesis statement.

3. Review your notes.

4. Group together similar ideas and thoughts.

5. Examine all your main topics, sub-topics, supporting points and

particular details to see if it all developed your thesis, and are
logically sequenced. Also, check if all levels in the outline have
parallel wordings and grammatical structure.

The main difference between the two is the source of ideas. When you
outline someone else’s work, you are trying to present their ideas and
structure. When outlining your own paper, you will need to focus on your
own ideas and the best way to organize them.
A topic outline is the same as sentence outline except you use words or
phrases instead of complete sentences. It summarizes the main topics and
subtopics in words and phrases to keep the outline short and easier to
comprehend. All the headings, however, must be written in parallel
structure, in other words, be consistent. If you use phrase, stick with the
phrase until the end, do not use sentence in the middle of the writing.

Note:

 Main topic – main idea/broadcast idea

 Subtopic – Supporting point for a topic
 Number of levels – six
 No periods at the end of entries
A Sentence outline is the same as topic outline except you use a complete
sentence instead of words or phrases. Complete sentences create clarity
and can advance you one step closer to a draft in the writing process. This
is commonly used when the topic being discussed is complicated and
requires details.
Critical Approaches in Writing a Critique

What is a Critique?

A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly and critically summarizes

and evaluates a work or concept. Critiques can be used to carefully analyze a
variety
work of worksinsuch
especially the as:
literary field. Critiquing is not merely finding faults" but
"improving
 Creativea certain
workswork" and helps
-novels, us understand
exhibits, film, images,the connection of each
poetry:
structure.
 Research - monographs, journal articles, systematic reviews,
theories; in Writing a Critique
Critical Approaches
 Media - news reports, feature articles.
There are various ways on how you can analyze and critique a certain work.
Like can
You an essay,
critiquea critique uses aon
a work based formal, academic
its technical writingitsstyle
aspects, and has
approach to clear
structureyour
gender, - introduction,
reaction as body and conclusion.
an audience, or throughHowever, the body
its portrayal of a
of class
critique includes
struggle, and sociala summary
structure.of the work and a detailed evaluation. The
purpose of an evaluation is to gauge the usefulness or impact of a work in a
1. Formalist
particular Criticism
field.
Also known
In short, as formalism,
a critique it claimsevaluation
is a discussion, that literary works
and contain intrinsic
interpretation of a certain
properties and treats each work as a distinct work of art. In short, it posits
Critique?
that the key to understanding a text is through text itself. The historical
context, the author, or any other external contexts are not necessary in
interpreting the meaning.

In this approach, you can criticize the work based on the elements of the
text, how the characters, the setting, the plot and the point of view are
presented in the literary work, in the same manner with the elements of an
artwork such as the line, shape, form and the space.

Formalist Criticism

– this approach regards literature as a “unique form of human knowledge

that needs to be examined on its own terms.” All the elements necessary for
understanding the work are contained within the work itself.

2. Reader-Response Criticism

This approach of criticism is concerned with the reviewer's reaction as an

audience of a literary work. This approach claims that the reader's role
cannot be separated from the understanding of the work. A text does not
have meaning until the reader reads and interprets it. Readers, therefore,
are not passive and distant, but active consumers of the materials presented
to them.

What is the message of the story?

In this approach, you can criticize the literary work based on the message it is
trying to point out. How does you feel after reading or watching the story?
Reader – Response Criticism

is a school of literary theory that focuses on the reader and their experience
of a literary work.

3. Feminist Criticism

This approach is also known as feminism. It focuses on how literature

presents women as subjects of socio-political, psychological and economic
oppression. It also reveals the patriarchal aspects of our culture.

In this approach, you can criticize the work based on how men and women
were presented. Are the male characters powerful or superior in their
position while the female characters are subordinate or inferior? Are the
male characters decisive and the females are not?

Feminist Criticism

Is a literary criticism informed by feminist theory, or more broadly, by the

politics of feminism. It uses the principles and ideology of feminism to
critique the language of literature.

4. Marxist Criticism

Marxist criticism, also called Marxism, is concerned with the differences

between economic classes and the implications of a capitalist system, such
as the continuing conflicts between the working class and the elite members
of society. Hence, it attempts to reveal that the ultimate source of people's
experience is the socioeconomic system.
The three examples of criticism used the same story, "A Rose for Emily",
which
In this means thatyou
approach, a certain literarythe
can criticize artart
canorbe criticized
literary workusing
basedall on
thehow the
approaches
socio-economic system are presented and the effects of class, powerusing
applicable to it. Like in the sample story, it was criticized
three approaches:
relations and socialformalism,
roles. feminism, and Marxism.

However,
Marxism there is still one best approach applicable to a certain literary
work. For instance, if you were to critique an art work, you can use the
Economic
formalist andStructure is the mainapproach,
reader-response diving forcebutbehind all social
the more conditions
suitable approach and
historical changes.
would be formalist criticism if you were to criticize its structure. Likewise, in
criticizing a film,human
Marx considers a story history
or a song,
as aeither
seriesformalist or reader-response
of struggles between classes,may
be used. However,
between reader-response
the oppressed criticism fits well because after watching
and the oppressing.
a film, reading a story or hearing a song, you would reflect on the meaning or
Marxist
the lessonCriticism
learnedviews
from literary workswork.
that literary as reflections of theyou
Just like what social
did institutions
in the
from which
"What's New" they originate.
section of this module with the song "Paraiso".

Hence, if you were going to critique a certain literary work, your purpose of
doing so must be clear to you so that are able to determine the more
appropriate approach to use. In the school setting, before you make a
critique paper, the instructions of your teacher must also be clear to you.

Note:

Aside from those that were discussed, there are other approaches to
consider.

These include post-modern, post-colonial, structuralism, psychological,

gender, eco criticism, biographical, historical, mythological, and
deconstructionist criticism.

The approaches previously discussed are the most commonly used critical
approaches.

Writing a Review and a Critique: Works of Arts, Events, or Programs

I. REACTION PAPER

A reaction paper is not just a paper where you express your opinion. It
requires a close reading of the text. It also evaluates and analyzes the
author's purpose and main points.

It is mainly written to communicate a fair assessment of situations, people,

events, literary and artistic works and performances. Whether a social
commentary, or a critical judgment, it conveys incisive insights into its
analysis of events, its interpretation of the meaning or importance of a work
or artifact, or its appreciation of the moral or aesthetic values reflected in
the work or performance.

It may include the main purpose of the event, the devices and strategies
employed, an evaluation of its success or failure, and an assessment of its
significance and relevance, timeliness or timelessness.

A reaction paper comprises the following structure.

1. Introduction contains all the basic information in one or two paragraphs.

The writer states the main statement.

 Sentence 1 – title, author and publication

 Sentence 2-4 – brief summary of the text.
 Sentence 5 – Thesis statement – You agree or disagree, identify, and
evaluate.

2. Body expresses your ideas. It contains paragraphs that provide support for
your thesis. Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence.

 details-examples-quotations
 author-you or you-author

3. Conclusion focuses on your overall reaction. A prediction of the effects of

what you are reacting to but does not include new information.
3. Media - news reports, feature articles
II CRITIQUE
Just like anisessay,
A critique a critique
a careful uses
analysis a formal,
of an argumentacademic writingwhat
to determine style is
and hashow
said, a
clear structure
well the points -are
introduction,
presented,body
whatand conclusion.
assumptions However,
underlie the the body of a
argument,
critique
what issues are overlooked, and what implications are drawn fromof
includes a summary of the work and a detailed evaluation the
such
work. The purpose
observations. It is aof an evaluation
systematic, is to gauge
yet personal the usefulness
response or impact
and evaluation of a
of what
work in a particular
you read. A critique field.
is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes
and critically
How to Writeevaluates
a Critiquea work or a concept.
Critiques
Before youcan be used
start to carefully
writing, analyze
it is important to ahave
variety of worksunderstanding
a thorough such as: of
the work that
1. Creative will -be
works critiqued.
novels, exhibits, film, images, poetry
1.
2. Study the -work
Research under discussion.
monographs, journal articles, systematic reviews, theories
2. Make notes on key parts of the work.

3. Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being

expressed in the work.

4. Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.

There are a variety of ways to structure a critique. The following template,

which showcases the main features of a critique, is provided as one example

Introduction

Typically, the introduction is short (less than 10% of the word length) and
you should:

1. Name the work being reviewed as well as the date it was created and the
name of the author/creator.

2. Describe the main argument or purpose of the work.

3. Explain the context in which the work was created. This could include the
social or political context, the place of the work in a creative or academic
tradition, or the relationship between the work and the creator's personal
experience.

4. Have a concluding sentence that signposts your evaluation of the work.

For instance, it may indicate whether it is a positive, negative, or mixed
evaluation.
Body (Summary and Critical Evaluation)

It briefly summarizes the main points and objectively describes how the
creator portrays these by using techniques, styles, media, characters or
symbols. This summary is not the focus of the critique and is usually shorter
than the critical evaluation.

Critical Evaluation
This section gives a systematic and detailed assessment of the different
elements of the work and evaluates how well the creator was able to achieve
the purpose through these. For example: you would assess the plot
structure, characterization and setting of a novel; would look at composition,
brush strokes, color and light of a painting; would analyze the subject
selection, design of the experiment, the data and conclusions of a research.
Conclusion
This is usually a very brief paragraph, which includes:
1. a statement indicating the overall evaluation of the work;
2. a summary of the key reasons identified during the critical evaluation, or
why this evaluation was formed;
3. In some circumstances, recommendations for improvement on the work
may be appropriate,
III REVIEW PAPER
A review paper is not a "term paper" or book report. It is not merely a report
on some references you found. Instead, a review paper synthesizes the
results from several primary literature papers to produce a coherent
argument about a topic or a focused description of a field.
you
The should
purposeinform the reader
of a review paperofisthe experimental
to briefly techniques
but clearly that were
review recent used
progress
to generate the data.
in a particular topic. Overall, the paper summarizes the current state of
The emphasis
knowledge of of a review
the paper
topic. It is interpreting
creates the primary
an understanding literature
of the on the
topic for the
subject.
reader by discussing the findings presented in recent research papers topic
You need to read several original research articles on the same
and make your own conclusions about the meanings of those papers.
A key aspect of a review paper is that it provides the evidence for a particular
pointGeneral
Four of viewSections
in a field. Thus, a large focus of your paper should be a
1. Introduction the data that supports or refutes that point of view. In
description of
addition,
2. The body of the paper
3.
TheConclusions anda future
emphasis of reviewdirections
paper is interpreting the primary literature on the
4. Literature
subject. You cited
need to read several original research articles on the same topic
and make your own conclusions about the meanings of those papers.
Guidelines for Writing the Reaction Paper/Review/Critique
1. Value Communicated
a. Gives a sound critical judgment.
b. Presents a fair and balanced assessment of situations, events, people and
things.

2. Basic Content
a. It ranges from an off-hand gut reaction, favorable or unfavorable, merely
expressive of emotion to a more rational impersonal critical analysis that
seriously communicates some value, ethical or moral, some hidden or
forgotten truth, and some aesthetic delight.
b. It may take the form of a reflection, an appeal, a protest, a tribute or
denunciation, and a speculation.
c. In general, the content would include the following topics:

2.1 For human situations:

a.) A brief description of the event
b.) People involved, their roles and contributions
c.) Other driving forces, in the open or hidden and unsuspected
d.) Implications and consequences
e.) Assessment and prognostication
f.) Some offered solutions

2.2 For cultural affairs, people, works and performances:

a.) The central purposes of the event or product;
b.) The means, devices, strategies employed to achieve the purposes
c.) An evaluation of the achievement: success or failure
d.) The significance (if any) beyond mere entertainment of the event or
product in ethical and/or aesthetic terms, its timeliness and/or timelessness

2.3 Modes of Ordering (Any of the following):

a. From the event/performance/artifact/work presented and described/
narrated in themselves to the writer's critical evaluation of the entire event,
show or work in a sequence of its elements. Discussion that intersperses
critical comments between mention or description of the details of the
event, show or work
b. From a cover statement giving an over-all judgment of the event, show or
art piece to a discussion of each angle, aspect or element of the event, show
or work illustrating or providing evidence for the evaluative cover statement
3. Basic qualities of a Good Reaction Paper
a. Gives a fair and balanced social commentary.
b. Provides relevant and accurate factual information on the situation.
c. Exhibits by means of thorough and in-depth analysis an appreciation of
context (including time, place, people, involvement, their motivation, and
actuations).
d. Makes a clear distinction, through language, between what is actual and
what is probable or possible.
e. Exhibits a deep sense of humanity and an understanding of the human
situation even while expressing disapproval or disagreement most intensely.

4. Basic Qualities of an Adequate Critical Judgment

a. Provides accurate and relevant information on the event, show, or work.
b. Exhibits full appreciation of the purpose behind the event, show, or work.
c. Shows a clear understanding of the means (strategies, techniques, devices,
etc.) and their appropriateness and power in achieving the
purpose.
d. Exhibits fairness and balance in the judgment made.
e. Projects incisive and profound insights.