Sum It Up And Say It Again!
Objective: The students will learn what internal summaries are, why they are important, and will practice writing their own internal summaries.
Materials: 3 paragraphs and 3 internal summaries on separate note cards (these could be taken from famous speeches, available at
http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/previous.htm, or you can write your own)
Students will need a rough draft copy of a speech they are writing
Worksheet “Sum it up and Say it Again!”
Steps:
- First set the scene by asking students if they have any ideas what an internal summary is. Remind them that internal means within something and that a summary is a restatement of what has already been said. Ask students to think about what this may mean in the body of a speech.
- Define internal summary in relation to a speech. An internal summary is a restatement in the body of the speech of ideas that have been developed so far.
- Ask students where in the speech an internal summary should fit. Allow them to generate ideas and justify their answers.
- Explain that internal summaries should come at the end of each main point and should work as a team with the transition to link the points together. In the conclusion, an internal summary of the entire speech should be included. A good rule of thumb is to remember that in the introduction you say what you are going to say, in the body of the speech you say it (and include internal summaries restating what you’ve said), and in the conclusion of the speech you tell the audience what you said.
- Divide the students into groups of 3-5 students, depending on your class size. You should have a set of three paragraphs and internal summaries for each group. A variation of this activity would provide only the paragraphs and ask the students to write an internal summary for each.
- Explain to the students that they will be given three sets of paragraphs and the internal summaries for those paragraphs. Tell them that they need to read the paragraphs and the internal summaries and pair the correct internal summary with each paragraph.
- As a class, discuss the paragraphs and internal summaries. Ask students if they can think of another way to phrase the internal summaries that were provided.
- Explain that sometimes, especially in shorter speeches, speakers spend a lot of time previewing and reviewing the main points of their speech. In these cases, they have to find creative ways of saying the same thing.
- As a class, generate ideas on the board of how to say the following things in different ways: “I don’t like spaghetti,” “Homework is hard,” “I am annoyed by younger siblings,” “Public speaking is fun!” Suggestions might include “Spaghetti is not my favorite food,” “One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do is homework,” “My younger siblings annoy me,” “I enjoy public speaking!”
- Discuss why it is important to have different means of saying the same thing. Explain that it is very boring to listen to a speech where a speaker says the same thing repeatedly, but that it is important to get the main points across, and in oral presentation this is accomplished through repetition.
Results: If time allows, let the students to choose a partner to work on internal summaries within their own rough drafts. If there is not enough time, assign this as homework. Also, give the students the worksheet to complete for homework.
Name: __________________________
Sum it Up and Say it Again!
On the back of this page, write an internal summary for the following paragraph:
The No Child Left Behind act requires that all teachers be “highly qualified” as defined in the law. A highly qualified teacher is one who has fulfilled the state’s certification and licensing requirements. New teachers must meet many requirements. For instance, they must possess at least a bachelor’s degree. Elementary teachers must pass a state test demonstrating their subject knowledge and teaching skills in reading/language arts, writing, mathematics and other areas of basic elementary school curricula. Middle and high school teachers must pass a state test in each academic subject area they teach, plus have an undergraduate major, a graduate degree, coursework equivalent to an undergraduate major or an advanced certification or credentialing. Teachers not new to the profession must hold a bachelor’s degree and must pass a state test demonstrating subject knowledge and teaching skills. These requirements have caused some difficulty in implementation especially for special education teachers and teachers in small rural schools who are often called upon to teach multiple grades and subjects.
Rephrase each of the following sentences so that you are saying the same thing in a different way. Do this twice for each sentence.
- Education is very important.
- Everyone should vote in elections.
- Politicians should be held accountable for their actions
Bonus: Rephrase your internal summary for the paragraph at the top of the page.
Elissa Martin
06/05/07
Internal Summary
Objective: Students will be able to compose internal summaries at full proficiency.
Materials: Clip from The Patriot where the South Carolina legislature debates war.
Steps:
1. Show students movie clip. Ask them what Mel Gibson’s character does (he summarizes his point).
2. Discuss if this was/was not effective and why.
3. Ask the students to think of a band/musician. Have them write out what makes this musical act their favorite. Allow about five to ten minutes for this exercise.
4. Tell students they will be creating a summary about this band/musical act. Everyone will tell the class, in 2-3 sentences, why the act they selected is their favorite.
5. Having completed this exercise ask the students when such a technique would be useful.
Scott Ritterbush
Sept. 16, 2009
What is your point?
Topic: Internal summary
Objective: Students will identify the importance of internal summary and write a good internal summary in their speeches
Material: Two short speeches from the same category from the TV or Internet (One of them has an internal summary and the other does not)
Steps:
I.
1. A teacher divides the students into small groups
2. A teacher tells the students that one of the speeches has internal summaries and the other does not
3. Students watch the speeches
4. Each group guesses which speech has internal summaries and writes the internal summaries on a paper if they find them
5. Students watch the speeches one more time
6. Every group reviews their answer
7. A teacher asks the groups which speech has internal summaries and what they are
8. A teacher tells the answer
II.
1. Each group creates only a body part of an outline about any interesting topics without written internal summaries. (Body should be in three sections, if students can, they should create a body which is difficult to make internal summaries)
2. Groups write internal summaries on a different paper
3. Groups shuffle the body part of the outline
4. Each group creates internal summaries for the body part of the outline
5. Groups present their topic, body, and internal summaries
6. Students compare internal summaries (because two different groups create internal summaries)
7. According to the comparison, students discuss what is a good internal summary
Result: Students will create effective internal summaries at the end of the activity.
Yuriko Onishi