Writing a summary

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 1

English with Mr Stephan

Writing a summary

Programme

• Today's goals
• What do you remember?
• Being a homosexual in the Netherlands
• Homosexuality in the Netherlands
• Recap

Today's goals

You can find the most important parts of a text.

You can use the most important parts of a text to write a summary.

What are some dos and don'ts when writing a summary?

Dos

Don'ts

examples

your opinion

outside information

keep it short

your analysis

main points

good structure

Homosexuality in the Netherlands

• Read the text
• Answer the questions
• Use the vocabulary list provided
• You have 8 minutes.

Finding the relevant parts in a text

• Title and subheadings
  
• Topic sentences (first sentence of each paragraph)
• Concluding sentences (last sentence of each paragraph)

• Use introduction for an overview of the text
• Ignore conclusion

First paragraph of the body of the text

Historical Context

The Netherlands has a long history of tolerance and open-mindedness. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1811, making it one of the first countries in the world to do so. The 20th century witnessed a growing LGBTQ+ movement that fought for equality and recognition. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage, cementing its reputation as a trailblazer in LGBTQ+ rights. 

Topic sentence (first sentence of a paragraph)

 Historical Context

The Netherlands has a long history of tolerance and open-mindedness. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1811, making it one of the first countries in the world to do so. The 20th century witnessed a growing LGBTQ+ movement that fought for equality and recognition. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage, cementing its reputation as a trailblazer in LGBTQ+ rights. 

Topic sentence (first sentence of a paragraph)

Concluding sentence (last sentence of a paragraph)

 Historical Context

The Netherlands has a long history of tolerance and open-mindedness. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1811, making it one of the first countries in the world to do so. The 20th century witnessed a growing LGBTQ+ movement that fought for equality and recognition. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage, cementing its reputation as a trailblazer in LGBTQ+ rights. 

Find the important sentences

• Find the overview sentence in the introduction (that's the last sentence).
• Underline the subheadings
• Underline the topic sentences (the first sentence) of each middle paragraph
• Underline the concluding sentence (the last sentence) of each paragraph

Summaries

Grab your phone. 

It's time to test what you remember about summaries.

What should not be in a summary?

What should be in a summary?

Instructions

• Write your summary on your text about homosexuality in the Netherlands. (A2: 65-85 words; B1: 140-160 words)
• Use the answers and underlined sentences.
  
• Write down your name and the date on the paper.
  
• You have 10 minutes.
• You can listen to music if you want.
• Done? Give me your summary and see if anyone needs help.

Remember Peter from the video? What do you think of his journey based on what you've read in the text?

Have you discussed homosexuality in this way before?

Yes, and I like it.

Yes, and I don't like it.

No, and I like it.

No, and I don't like it.

I don't want to answer this question.

What are some dos and don'ts when writing a summary?

Dos

Don'ts

examples

your opinion

outside information

keep it short

your analysis

main points

good structure

How do you find the main points in a text?

1. Use subheadings and luck
2. Guess
3. Use only the title
4. Title, subheadings, topic sentences and concluding sentences