Lesson 18 - Outlining

Outlining

                  > Some students try to prepare a written report by first reading all their references and then writing the report form memory, or by writing out the report on each reference as they read it. Both ways are clumsy, slow and inaccurate. Both lead to the including of unnecessary ideas, to the confusing of important ideas with those that are unimportant, and to generally wasteful reading and writing.

                      Learning to take notes efficiently is a useful skill in the preparation of reports, both oral and written. Mastering two other skills -- outlining and summarizing will help you to plan written reports efficiently and to write them effectively.

 

Learning Outline:

 

                     In references that you read, information is often organized by topics. A diagram that shows topical organization is called an outline. The form or skeleton of an outline shows the relationships among all the topics. here is the skeleton of an outline that has two big topics, three subtopics for one big topic, and two small topics for one subtopic.

 

                      terms like main point/main idea, subpoint/major detail, and minor detail often used also to categorize the ideas.

I.. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
    A. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
    B. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
             1. _________________________________________________________________________________________
             2. _________________________________________________________________________________________
    C. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
II. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
    A. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
    B. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
             1. _________________________________________________________________________________________
             2. _________________________________________________________________________________________
    C. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

             An outline is of little value if it is carelessly made. A good outline, however, serves as a clear guide in the preparation of a report or any other type of paper that you write. You should use outlining in two ways:
                  1. in gathering information
                  2. in planning the organization of your paper.

Guides for Outlining Reading Selection:

     1. Before beginning to outline, read the selection through rapidly. Observe headings, titles and topic sentences.

     2. Reread carefully; then follow these steps:

            a. Outline the main idea in the article.

            b. Select the subordinate thoughts that develop each main idea.

            c. If necessary, list the parts that develop a subordinate thought.

     3. Cross out ideas that are unnecessary or unimportant for your purpose.

     4. Use a sentence outline for material that you may have difficulty in remembering.

     5. Study your outline and see that each part serves a purpose.   

 

Exercise 1 - Read the following selection. Then look at the list of topics below it. Organize the items according to topics and write them in outline form in the blanks. Look back at the paragraph of you wish.

                You are probably familiar with maps you use un school to study history and current events. These are called political maps because they show the boundaries of the different countries. Can you imagine what kind of map would show things like railroad tracks, football fields, fire towers and oil wells? These features appear on aerial maps, or maps pilot use to guide them in flight. Form the sky, a set of railroad tracks is a welcome clue to a lost flier.

                 Astronauts use celestial maps chart their positions in space. Seamen use navigation maps to steer their ships. You gave probably seen a driver of a car pull out a road map showing the lay out of streets and highways, or even used one yourself.

                Map making began with primitive man drawing rough sketches on the ground. In early times, maps had to be based only on what men had observed. Since methods of measuring and recording these observations were not very advanced, many of the maps were inaccurate. because of undiscovered land, they were incomplete as well.

                Today maps are still based to some extent on observation. But photography and telescope astronomy now produce accurate maps for any traveler.

              Road maps                                               Aerial maps
              Making maps                                           By photography
              Kinds of maps                                          Celestial maps
              Navigation maps                                      Political maps
              By observation

                              

  I. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

         A. __________________________________________________________________________________________

         B. __________________________________________________________________________________________

         C. __________________________________________________________________________________________

         D. __________________________________________________________________________________________

         E. __________________________________________________________________________________________

II. _______________________________________________________________________________________________

        A. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

        B. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 17 - Selective Highlighting

Selective Highlighting

Background

            Selective Highlighting/Underlining is used to help students organize what they have read by selecting what is important. This strategy teaches students to highlight/underline ONLY the key words, phrases, vocabulary, and ideas that are central to understanding the reading.

Benefits

              Selective Highlighting/Underlining is a flexible strategy that may be tailored to fit various types of information, and different skill-levels. You can employ the selective highlighting/underlining for many different instructional purposes (i.e., key vocabulary; main ideas). This strategy can also be integrated with the use of technology and electronic information such as eBooks (see example below). As students study, selective highlighting/underlining helps them learn to pay attention to the essential information within a text.

Create and use the strategy

Introduce students to the Selective Highlighting/Underlining strategy and discuss the purpose of the activity (i.e., focus on vocabulary, main ideas, etc.). Then model the procedure to ensure that students understand how to use Selective Highlighting/Underlining. Give students time and means to practice the technique and reinforce successful performance. Monitor and support students as they work.

Teacher should ask students to:

1. Read through the selection first.
2. Reread and begin to highlight main ideas and their supporting details.
3. Highlight only the facts which are important or the key vocabulary not the entire sentence.
4. After highlighting, look at what they have highlighted and summarize what they read.
5. Take what was highlighted and write a summary paragraph.

Teachers may wish to have students use various colors of highlighters to identify main ideas from details (e.g., use orange to represent main ideas and yellow to represent supporting details).

When using an eBook, teachers should ask students to:

1. Read through the selection first.
2. Reread and select a portion of the text that the student wishes to highlight by highlighting or changing the font of the text OR using text boxes for comments.
   • From the menu select the add text box option.
   • Type in the comment into the text box and click anywhere outside the text box to finish.
3. Summarize what they read by using the highlighted text or text boxes to write a summary paragraph.

 

 

 

 

Exercise 1 - Read the story She's Only My Sister by Hendrick and answer the following questions below.

 

 

                                                               She's Only My Sister

                                                         by Kris Hendrick

 

 

              My sister and I never seemed to get along. Though we shared a room, our conversations often turned to arguments or cold silence.

              We never seemed to agree on anything---from the way we dressed to the people we picked as friends. But what could we do? After all, we had to share many things in our small house.

              Neither of us thought that we were wrong---we each blamed our inability to get along on the other and put each other down instead of trying to find the cause of the problem.

             We grew up and I eventually left for college. At college I found that I didn't know how to get along with people. I found myself getting into arguments often and being hurt easily.

              I began to see that the problem was that I hadn't developed a strong relationship with the members of the family, and so I didn't have a lot of experience in getting along with others.I realized that I had never gotten along well with my sister because I never really knew her.

             I thought of the times I'd borrowed something from my sister without asking her, or had broken something without even admitting that I had broken it. I thought of the times that I refused to share my things with her, and of the things I had said behind her back to make myself look better.

            Watching different kinds of people at college, I grew to accept each one with his or her strengths and weaknesses and to appreciate each person's uniqueness. I grew to see that by accepting people as they were, they were able to accept me. And true friendships began to develop.

             That was something that my sister and I had never developed---a true friendship. Because it takes brotherly love to develop a friendship, and that love overlooks mistakes. I began to wonder: "Who is my sister?What is she like?What did she think of me all those years?"

             I didn't have long to wonder. After I graduated from college, she came to live with me. At first we were wary, not sure what each other was like and with the memory of our childhood in our minds.

            But this time we wanted to share and give to one another. And we also found out that our tastes were not that different after all. Our difficulty had been in our unwillingness to work with one another.

             I couldn't help but think that if I had only tried harder to give to and understand my sister, and if I had really cared about what she was thinking, we would have grown up as good friends.

 

 

Comprehension: 

 

1. What was the two sisters' childhood problem?

      ____________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What was the elder sister's problem when she went to college?

      _____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What did she discover to be the cause of her problem?

      _____________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What made the two sisters get along well with each other?

      _____________________________________________________________________________________________

5.  What is basic so that one will be able to get along well with others?

       _____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Exercise 2. - Highlights the main idea and underline the supporting details in the story.

 

Main Idea: _______________________________________________________________________

                  ________________________________________________________________________

Supporting Details: ________________________________________________________________

                   _______________________________________________________________________

                   _______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Lesson 16 - Summarizing

Summarizing
               >  A summarizing is a brief, accurate restatement of a speaker's or a writer's words; it extracts the meat from all details and ideas contained in the material. it requires clear thinking and high reading ability. one must be able to understand the ideas that he reads and then be able to judge their relative importance.

                    Patience in summarizing will improve your thinking, speaking, and writing. Skill summarizing will help you to be more efficient in studying, preparing reports, taking notes, and writing tests.

Guides for making a Summary:

1. As you read or listen, select what you think are important ideas.
2. In your own words, relate accurately each main idea.
3. Omit ideas that are not important.
4. Be brief. Combine two or more related ideas into one sentence. Often you can do so by reducing sentences to words, phrases or clauses.
5. Study your summary to make sure that all necessary ideas have been included and all unnecessary ones omitted.
6. the summary may approximately be one third of the original.


Exercise 1 - Write a summary paragraph of a news story. The questions that follow the selection will help you.


                                                        CB to Issue ₱2 Coin This year

                                  The Central Bank announced yesterday it till start issuing  ₱2 coins this year to gradually replace the ₱2 banknotes in circulation.
                                   The CB said printing of the ₱2 banknotes will be gradually discontinued.
                                   The decision to replace the banknotes with coins was prompted by the growing demands for banknotes, which is increasing at the rate of 10 per cent annually.
                                    The bank said its printing plant machinery may not be able to supply the entire banknote requirements of the country even if it operates on two shifts daily with overtime on Saturday.
                                    For this year alone, the CB cash department, has ordered 675 million pieces of banknotes of various denominations, of which 245 million or 36.3 per cent are ₱2 banknotes.
                                    Another reason for shifting to ₱2 coins is that they last 25 to 30 years while banknotes last only 8-10 months.


Source: Bulletin Today, January 30, 1983



Questions:

1. What will the Central Bank start issuing this year? Why?
     ___________________________________________________________________________________________
     ___________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is another reason for issuing 2-peso coins?
     ____________________________________________________________________________________________
     ____________________________________________________________________________________________
     ____________________________________________________________________________________________
     ____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Lesson 15 - Note Taking

Note Taking
               > is the recording of importance items of information for future use. The best notes are as brief as possible without missing any vital points.
                  Learn to take notes as you read and study. When you read an assignment, gather information in the library, prepare a book report, or study magazine articles for a talk or composition, collect the facts in notes. They will help you understand and remember information better.
                 The organization of the material is often a useful aid when taking down notes.

A. Normal Organization Pattern
                  Most material are organized in the following way: the main idea is started first, followed by supporting details.
B. Other Pattern of Organization
                  The main idea may not come first all the time. The details are presented first. Then follows a concluding statement, a general statement or a summary statement.

The following may serve as general guides for note taking:

1. First, read carefully all headings to understand the purpose of the writing and ts organization.
2. If the material is not difficult, take the notes as you read. These notes should consist mainly of Key words, that is, important words that will remind you of the ideas that you want to remember.
3. If the material is difficult, read a section through; then take notes as you re-read it.
4. Distinguish between important and minor ideas. If you are reading a selection for a specific purpose, distinguish between the idea that fit your purpose and those that do not.
5. Make use of topic sentences to find and understand the main ideas for your notes.

Exercise 1
                 Here are four passages. Take notes on them, separating the main idea from the supporting points and then reducing the number of words in each sentence

1. The peacock is the national bird of India. They have colourful feathers, two legs and a small beak. They are famous for their dance. When a peacock dances it spreads its feathers like a fan. It has a long shiny dark blue neck. Peacocks are mostly found in the fields they are very beautiful birds. The females are known as 'Peahen. Their feathers are used for making jackets, purses etc. We can see them in a zoo.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Ants are found everywhere in the world. They make their home in buildings, gardens etc. They live in anthills. Ants are very hardworking insects. Throughout the summers they collect food for the winter season. Whenever they find a sweet lying on the floor they stick to the sweet and carry it to their home. Thus, in this way, they clean the floor.Ants are generally red and black in colour. They have two eyes and six legs. They are social insects. They live in groups or colonies. Most ants are scavengers they collect whatever food they can find. They are usually wingless but they develop wings when they reproduce. Their bites are quite painful.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. The camels are called the "ships of the desert". They are used to carry people and loads from one place to another. They have a huge hump on their body where they! Store their fat. They can live without water for many days. Their thick fur helps them to stop the sunshine from warming their bodies. Camels have long necks and long legs. They have two toes on each foot.} They move very quickly on sand. They eat plants, grasses and bushes. They do not' harm anyone. Some of the camels have two humps. These camels are called! Bactrian camels.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. An elephant is the biggest living animal on land. It is quite huge in size. It is usually black or grey in colour. Elephants have four legs, a long trunk and two white tusks near their trunk. Apart from this, they have two big ears and a short tail. Elephants are vegetarian. They eat all kinds of plants especially bananas. They are quite social, intelligent and useful animals. They are used to carry logs of wood from one place to another. They are good swimmers.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 2

           Write the central idea or main idea and three or four key words for the following selection.

                                             Unsinkable Ship

           Naval architects never claim that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely should have never have happened. It was well designed and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It had been thoroughly inspected the day of its fatal voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so quickly that most of those on board, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, had no chance to save themselves: Of those who managed to scramble overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of hypothermia before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea. The final death toll amounted to 912 souls. However, there were an unpleasant number of questions about why the Estonia sank and why so many survivors were men in the prime of life, while most of the dead were women, children and the elderly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lesson 14 - Skimming

Skimming
          > is a reading skill used by good readers to find general ideas quickly. Usually skimming is to:

  1. anticipate the general content of a chapter they are going to read.
 2. decide if a chapter has the kind of information they are looking for.
3. get the general idea of a chapter they do not have time to read.
These reminders will help you skim: 1. Move your eyes across the lines rapidly.
2. Do not stop. Always look forward: do not look back.
3. Focus is much as possible on key words.
4. Remember that the first sentence usually prepares the reader for the paragraph.



Exercise 1
            Skim each paragraph quickly. Then answer the questions which follow the paragraphs. After you complete the paragraphs, through 4, reread the paragraphs carefully and check your answers.
  
1. Parents who are actively involved in their children's education engender positive results. One country that sets a good example in this is Japan. These Japanese mother is involved in her children's education. A Psychology Today article quotes George De Vos, a University of California, Berkely anthropologist. He has been studying Japanese culture for 25 years.
a. The topic of the paragraph is ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b. The general idea of the paragraph is ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Children structural guidance in the form of logical boundaries. They need correction when family rules are broken. Deep inside, though correction may seem grievous at the time, children receive a sense of security and love by a concerned parent caring enough to administer "tough love" when necessary.
a. The topic of the paragraph is ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b. The importance of giving tough love is ________________________________________________________________________
3. Parents once again to assert themselves in the teaching of their offsprings. Parents need not be scholars to teach their children. What they need is the will and some imagination, to prepare children to function intelligently within society. Take the children on local outings, expose them to art, zoos and museums. Visiting nearby historical sites or restored famous homes leaves lasting impressions. Educational and wildlife programs are good supplements to formal education in class.
a. The main idea of the paragraph is ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
a. Parents can involve their children in activities like ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 

Lesson 13 - Scanning

Scanning
          > is a reading skills by good readers to find specific information quickly. People scan to find facts and to answer questions.

       These reminders will help you hen you scan.

1. Read the question.
2. Decide what kind of information you are looking for -- for example, a number, a date, a person's name.
3. Look only for that information. Do not read every word in every sentence.
4. Find the sentence you think has the answer. Read this sentence to be certain you have the correct answer.
5. Write the answer.
Example:

Question: What color do red light and green light form?

                    Answer:  yellow
Information:        Name of color
Selection:
           When two colors in the spectrum mix, a third color is formed. Red light and green light form yellow; red and blue form magenta; green and blue form light blue-green color.


Exercise 1             Do scanning to answer the question that follow.

1. What kind of day is a red-letter day?__________________________________________________
          

          Many expressions in English use colors. These expressions show how people feel about colors. For example, people associate red with a strong feeling like anger. When someone is very angry, people say that he or she sees red. Red is an active color. A red-letter day is a luck day. When criminals are caught in the middle of a crime, people say they were caught red-handed. Green is the color of grass and leaves. When someone grows plants well, people say he has a green thumb. Blue is a sad, Thoughtful color. When someone is very sad, she says she is blue. The blues is a kind of jazz that is very sad and slow.

2. What is the reported youngest age of latchkey children? __________________________________

             In America, an estimates 50 percent of mothers with children between the ages of 3 and 6 work outside the home. And of course most single parents must work. So we find latchkey children proliferating.

             Tragically, it is not at all uncommon for children only 5 to be left home alone. There are even reported cases of latchkey children young as 3.

              This is especially true where the single parent or two parent home cannot find, or perhaps cannot afford, proper day-care centers or baby-sitters to take care of their children. Granddad or grandmother or relatives tend to live too far away to be of help.

3. Who was Italy's first King? ________________________________

               Perhaps no city on earth -- with the exception of Jerusalem -- has enjoyed a longer, more continuous importance than Rome, the city of Caesars and Popes.
               This "city of the seven hills" is one huge living museum. Mementos of Rome's ancient grandeur are everywhere.
               Rome's more recent part is also n ample evidence. A visit to the square known as the Pizza Venezia gives one a strong sense of Rome's modern history. Dominating the square is the white marble to Victor Emmanuel II. This enormous edifice was built around the turn of the century to commemorate the unification of Italy and to honor the nation's first king.

4. What words are used to describe an ideal family environment for the child? _________________________________________________________________________________

               Children should be taught and encouraged to "think family." Ideally, the family environment should be the most enjoyable place for a child. It should be the most interesting , the most satisfying.
               A child who cannot find satisfaction an activity within his family unit will seek t elsewhere. Responsible, perceptive parents will recognize this need and seriously strive to provide the right kind of exciting interest-filled environment for their children. Granted, it takes time and planning. But it pays off.

5. What is common basic flaw in the parent's concept of education? _________________________________________________________________________________

                We see a general decline in standards and deteriorating quality of education of young people in industrialized countries because parents commonly no longer help in the educational process. Parents send their children off to school beginning at age 5 or 6, then expect the government to educate their children. There is a basic flaw with this concept. Education is a process that begins at birth. Experts agree the first few years set the foundation to future performance.

 

 
 

   

Lesson 12 - Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms
                 > are words that have the same or nearly the same meaning. 
 
Antonyms
               > are words with opposed meaning.

             Knowing a variety of synonyms and antonyms can add color and variety to your working vocabulary. Thus, you will not get stuck with overused words or expressions. Instead of using laugh all the time, you may say smile, giggle, chuckle, guffaw. However, you must be careful when you use synonyms. generally, synonyms do not have exactly the same meanings and most often they cannot be used interchangeably. Spacious girl. Precise use of synonyms requires knowledge of the shades of differences in meaning of these words.



Exercise 1
                        Read the sentences carefully. Try to give a synonym for the underlined word. The context clue(s) will help you.


_______________1. The exhausted old man was so tired that he could no longer carry his baggage.
_______________2. There was not enough capital to start the business, so we borrowed money from the bank.
_______________3. The patient had a very grave illness. His condition is so serious that he would probably die.
_______________4.  There was an exhibit of bamboo crafts. They showed all possible products which can be made from bamboo.
_______________5. His pedantry can be irritating. people get fed up with his arrogant display of what he knows.
_______________6. He seemingly appears immature that everyone expects him to behave childishly.
_______________7. I am hoping for a permanent remedy but everybody tells me that no lasting cure is yet to be discovered.
_______________8. Your story is incredible. Who would believe that a two-month old baby can talk?
_______________9. The shrewd businessman got the lion share in the profit. I would not want to work with such a clever person.
_______________10. The perilous mission is too risky for one like you.





Exercise 2
                   Walk is a commonly used work. read the sentences below and underline the word used in place of walk.


1. The girl with a cloth tied around his toe, limps painfully along the corridor.
2. He always gets the highest grade. No wonder he struts through the hall like a conqueror.
3. the fat, old woman waddles  down the aisle.
4. Dona Victorina holds her skirt daintily and minces along as if walking on eggs.
5. The tired farmer trudges home from work.
6. He paces back and forth outside while the doctors attend to his wife at the delivery room.
7. The baby toddles happily as the parents watch her.
8. the little girl who put on her mother's shoes shuffles.
9. The tipay guy staggers to his room.
10. The lovers prefer to stroll at the park.