summarizing+&+paraphrasing

Summarizing and paraphrasing are two of the most important skills you need to write effectively. Not only should you be able to condense your explanation of a given work into a paragraph or so, but you should be able to rewrite it in your own words. This is especially important when you are working on research papers.

Step 1: Look over the yellow handout explaining the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing. Answer the questions on your white sheet.

Step 2: Copy and paste the following two paragraphs into a Word document. Be sure to SAVE your Word document. **Passage #1:** The Native American groups which, despite all obstacles, have developed traditions of literacy in their own languages seem to share certain characteristics. All of them, of course, have preserved some sort of social organization, at least at the local community level. It would seem that such groups have also found one or more functions for their own literacy. Thus the spread of Fox, Winnebago, Cherokee, and Mahican literacy occurred at the same time that these several tribes were divided by migrations. In all four cases it seems responsible to suppose that the first individuals to become literate were motivated by a desire to communicate with relatives who had departed for the west or, as the case may be, had lingered behind in the east.
 * Passage #2**: Money has created a whole educated generation of village people and drawn them into the civilization that once appeared to be only on the outer edges of darkness but is now universal. These young people do not always like what they find. Some have studied abroad, done technical subjects; but not many of them really know where they have been. In Australia, England, or the United States they still look for the manners and customs of home; their time abroad sours them, throws them back more deeply into themselves. They cannot go back to the village. They are young, but the life of their childhood has changed.

Step 3: Paraphrase and then summarize both of the paragraphs. (You should end up with a total of four paragraphs.)

Step 4: After you have finished, compare your paraphrase and summaries with the original texts. __UNDERLINE__ each word or phrase (not the "little" words--like "the," "and," etc.--only the biggies) that appears in both your work and the original.

Step 5: When you are done with Step #4, copy and paste your paraphrases and summaries into a post under the Discussion tab at the top. Give your post the title "Summary and Paraphrase"

Step 6: Open up **two** of the paraphrasing activities that have been posted to the discussion list by your peers.

Step 7: Copy and paste both of these into your original Word document.

Step 8: Compare your paraphrases and summaries with those of your peers. Write a paragraph in your Word document in which you discuss the ways that they are different/similar. Be sure to discuss which ones you find most effective and why. Also, please note the meanings that you and your peers found in these passages. Did you all interpret the passages in the same ways? If not, explain why you think this is the case.

Step 9: Look back at your original paraphrases and summaries. (The one that includes underlining.) Write another brief paragraph in which you discuss the underlines areas. How many of them do you have? More than one or two? If so, what does that indicate to you? How might you rewrite those underlined words/phrases to avoid plagiarism?

Step 10: Print out your final Word document and attach it to the white sheet. It should include:
 * Paraphrase and summary of first passage--including underlined words/phrases
 * Paraphrase and summary of second passage--including underlined words/phrases
 * Two different sets of paraphrases and summaries from your peers.
 * A paragraph addressing #8.
 * A paragraph addressing #9