Now it is time to practice summarizing writing.  Here you will find links to three articles that you can read.  Try to summarize the articles in the comment box.  Remember to use the guideline presented earlier in the week.

Article #1:  Funding Your U.S. Study by Doug Bernard
A short post on the Voice of America blog about studying in the United States.

Article #2:  When and How to Say “Enough!” by Martha Beck
A longer article from Oprah Magazine on how to improve your life.

Article #3:  4 Steps to Take if Your Boss is a Micromanager by Dr. Peggy Drexler
This is longer article on a problem that sometimes arises in the workplace.

Good luck!

Here you will find three "notes".  Summarize the main idea of each page in the comment box below.

The video describes how to summarize a reading.  Below you will find some lists to help you visualize an organized summary.

The first sentence should include:
    --the type of document (article, book, passage, illustration)
    --the author or creator
    --the main idea of the document (who + what they have done)

The body should include:
    --three to four details from the reading that support the main idea
    --transition words (also, in addition, etc.) to connect the details

The final sentence should include:
    --a statement paraphrasing the main idea of the document
    --a transition phrase (to sum up, in other words, etc), if appropriate

Hopefully, these tips will help you turn summaries from foes to friends.

If you had trouble naming the landmarks earlier in the week, you may want to consider studying about landmarks, places, and directions with East Bay ESL’s Around Town workbook.  Here you will find an excerpt from the workbook that asks you to read about a neighborhood and write about your own.  Around Town also includes listening activities and speaking prompts.  It is designed for the beginners.  Learn more about the workbook on the Online Courses page.

What’s in the neighborhood?             Activities:  Read about it . . .
What do you like to live close to?  I like to live close to fun places for my children.  I live next to a big park.  It has a new playground.  My children love to play on the slide and the swing.  They want to play there every day.  Also, I live across the street from the library.  It has interesting books and free movies.  Also, I live two blocks from their school.  We walk there Monday to Friday.  My children love school because it has their teachers and friends.

What’s in the neighborhood?            Activities:  Write about it . . .
What do you like to live close to?