Quoting, Summarizing

and Paraphrasing

Taking NotesThere are three ways to take notes on your note cards:QuotingSummarizingparaphrasing

Quoting:What is it?Copying the

authors words, word for word

Must be surrounded by quotation marks and cited

Use few quotes

Why would I use it?When material is

especially well-stated or memorable

When material is of utmost importance

Quoting Example: Original Passage:

In 1917 the Disneys moved back to Chicago, and Walt entered McKinley High School, where he took photographs, made drawings for the school paper, and studied cartooning on the side, for he was hopeful of eventually achieving a job as a newspaper cartoonist. His progress was interrupted by World War I, in which he participated as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross in France and Germany.

http://www.biography.com/articles/Walt-Disney-9275533&part=0#1840

Quote Example:

Walt Disney took many strides to practice art at an early age, but “his progress was interrupted by World War I, in which he participated as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross in France and Germany” (Walt Disney Biography, par. 3).

Summarizing:What is it?Taking longer

sections of text and shortening them to highlight the main points IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

Summary should be much shorter than original text

Think of the gist: who, what, when, why, where, and how.

Why would I use it?To cut out the

unnecessary details and get to the point

To convey information quickly

You must cite summaries!!!!!!!!!

Summarizing Example: Original Text:

In 1917 the Disneys moved back to Chicago, and Walt entered McKinley High School, where he took photographs, made drawings for the school paper, and studied cartooning on the side, for he was hopeful of eventually achieving a job as a newspaper cartoonist. His progress was interrupted by World War I, in which he participated as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross in France and Germany.

http://www.biography.com/articles/Walt-Disney-9275533&part=0#1840

Summary:

After moving back to Chicago in 1971, Walt took strides to practice art during high school, but he had to put those plans on hold when he joined the military. (Walt Disney Biography, par. 3).

Paraphrasing:What is it? Detailed restatement IN

YOUR OWN WORDS of a written passage.

Should be about the same length and contain the same message as the original passage.

The preferred form of note taking (most of your cards should be paraphrases)

Must cite paraphrases!!!!

Why would I use it? Demonstrates your

grasp of the subject matter

Allows information to be conveyed in detail

How to Paraphrase:1. Read the original passage

to gain understanding

2. Once you understand the passage, place it to the side (so you can’t see it)

3. Write down as many details as you can remember

4. Rework these details into your own words and sentence structures

5. Compare your rewording to the original passage to make sure you have not plagiarized

You have plagiarized if: You have more than 4

words in a row that are the author’s.

Your sentence structures are the same as the authors

You only changed a few select words in the passage

You just rearranged the author’s words into a different order

Example Paraphrase: Original Text:

In 1917 the Disneys moved back to Chicago, and Walt entered McKinley High School, where he took photographs, made drawings for the school paper, and studied cartooning on the side, for he was hopeful of eventually achieving a job as a newspaper cartoonist. His progress was interrupted by World War I, in which he participated as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross in France and Germany.

http://www.biography.com/articles/Walt-Disney-9275533&part=0#1840

Good Paraphrase:

Walt Disney attended McKinley High School when his family returned to Chicago in 1917. During his time there, he advanced his art skills by drawing in the school newspaper, taking photographs, and drawing cartoons. Before long, however, Disney put his art plans aside and decided to drive an ambulance during World War I in France and Germany for the American Red Cross (Walt Disney Biography, par. 3).

Example Paraphrase: Original Text:In 1917 the Disneys moved back to Chicago, and Walt entered McKinley High School, where he took photographs, made drawings for the school paper, and studied cartooning on the side, for he was hopeful of eventually achieving a job as a newspaper cartoonist. His progress was interrupted by World War I, in which he participated as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross in France and Germany.

http://www.biography.com/articles/Walt-Disney-9275533&part=0#1840

Bad Paraphrase:In 1917 the Disneys moved to Chicago where Walt enrolled in McKinley High School, where he took photographs, studied cartooning on the side, and made drawings for the school paper. He wanted a job as a newspaper cartoonist. His progress was stopped by World War I, where he decided to be an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross in France and Germany (Walt Disney Biography, par. 3).

WHY IS THIS A BAD PARAPHRASE?

YOUR TURN TO TRY!!!!!!