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Writing Summaries

Seniors, your essay this week is a summary of the article we've been discussing: "Education Is Not The Answer." By now, you should know what the title really means. Start your summary by introducing the article (and author) and stating the thesis or main idea. Then proceed to each paragraph, summarizing as you go. The end result will be no more than 1/2 the length of the original, or about 500 words.

For suggestions on summary, please refer to the following from the University of Washington: How To Write a Summary.

As a basic strategy, make sure you are summarizing rather than paraphrasing - or re-wording. I want to make sure you understand the basic concepts presented in the article, and that is best measured through summary. Include the main ideas only, quoting only when absolutely necessary to maintain the specific language of the author (or person being quoted), and quoting word or phrases only, not entire sentences.

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