What is the author's main point? How do
we know? What evidence is offered to support it?
What other evidence would you like to see here in order to show
its points more persuasive in a debate with another author from
the chapter? Are you convinced that the evidence "proves" the
point? In what ways may our own personal
experiences have prevented us from getting the point? What
prejudices would we as Americans have in this regard?Introduction: Tell the audience exactly what you plan to report -- the name of your excerpt, its author (and author's background) and when it was written.
Body: Give the events/main points in the order they happened in the text you are summarizing, using signal words such as "first", "second", "next" and "finally". Check to see if you have used words your audience knows; put yourself in the listener's place and try to make sense of the order: is it logical? confusing? should you write key terms up in a separate list? As you show your author's main points, include other viewpoints from your chapter in order to be persuasive.
Conclusion: Tell how the order of events/main points ended. What is the final step or conclusion -- how does your author answer the main question? Double-check to make sure the events are clear and in order. Try out your summary on a member of your study group before you rewrite your speech notecards or written draft.
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