First Writing Assignment

Listen to the NPR/Radiolab broadcast (that was rebroadcasted on NPRs This American Life) segment on
parasites and allergies. The audio link can be found at: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radioarchives/episode/404/enemy-camp-2010
Click on Act 3: As the Worm Turns. Be prepared, Radiolab likes to interview in a light, amusing way
while maintaining the concepts behind the subject. You will then summarize the audio segment using the
steps to writing a summary as seen below on the following page.
nd

You will hand in your first draft (steps 4-8) and the 2 draft after YOU have edited it (steps 9-10). Submit
as a single file starting with the thesis statement, then the first draft, followed by an obvious break and the
2nd draft. You will be required to re-edit your summary after I grade/edit them, then I average the grades
from the first draft with the edited draft. This summary is worth 25 points.

Steps to Writing a Summary- By Mrs. Hatzi*

1. Read and understand the prompt or writing directions. What are you being asked to write about?
Example: Summary of an Article
Write a summary of the article. In our case, this will be an audio article. Your writing will be scored on
how well you:
state the main ideas of the interview;
identify the most important details that support the main ideas;
write your summary in your own words; and
express the underlying meaning of the article, not just the superficial details.
2. Listen, read, think about, and understand the subject. Review (or re-listen to) the material to make
sure you know it well. Use a dictionary or context clues to figure out the meaning of any important words
that you dont know.
3. Take notes. Write down the main ideas and important details of the story/article.
4. Write a thesis statement. In a single sentence, state the main idea of the article. The thesis statement
should mention the underlying meaning of the article, not just the superficial details.
5. Organize and outline ideas. Write down the important details you need to include in the summary. Put
them in a logical order.
Topic Sentence:
Evidence:
#1:
#2:
#3:
6. Write your essay.
Your summary should be about one third of the length of the original article.
Focus on the main point of the article and the most important details.
Use your own words; avoid copying phrases and sentences from the article unless theyre direct
quotations.
7. Revise. Have you indented all paragraphs? Have you captured the main point of the article? Have you
included themost important details? Is there sentence variety? Have you avoided writing short, choppy
sentences? Are there transitional words and phrases to connect ideas?
8. Proofread and edit. Check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Is the verb tense consistent? Are
all names spelled correctly and capitalized? Have you avoided writing run-on sentences and sentence
fragments?
9. Write your draft. Type your summary using 10 point font, double spaced, printed front to back.
Include a title on the topline. It is best to read it out loud to make sure it makes sense and that the
sentences flow.
10. Read your summary one last time before you turn it in. Look for careless spelling, punctuation,
and grammar errors, especially omitted words or letters and correct them.
th

*Mrs. Hatki is a 7 Grade teacher who has numerous articles/assignments/worksheets online. I slightly
modified this assignment to better fit our needs. The complete assignment can be found at :
http://mrshatzi.com/files/summary.pdf and includes an example.