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Keys To College Success Summary Writing Assignment [8]
I am hoping that someone can help me out with this to at least get me started in the right direction. I have never done this kind of thing before and I am lost i have no idea to where to even begin. I have searched the internet for some examples but have come up empty so I thought i would try this as it has helped in the past.
The assignment is to be no less than 100 words and no more than 176 words and must be done in ones own words not taken word from word from the assignment.
TOPIC SENTENCE
-Identifies author
-Identifies Source
-Identifies Article Name
-Identifies Clearly and Accurately the main point of both the passage and the summary
BODY
-Includes Key Points
-Points are Accurate
-Contains no Unnecessary Information
-Contains no Personal Information
-Follows the Original Order of the Passage being Summarized
-Proper Length
CONCLUSION
-Brief Closing Sentence
-Refers to the Topic Sentence
STYLE
-Effective Use of One's Own Words
-Clear and Coherent
Keys to College SuccessAt the start of Erica's first semester in college, one her professors handed out a test schedule on the first day of class. The schedule showed that a one-hour exam would be given on October 2- the first test in the course. Erica scanned the sheet, stuck it in one of her textbooks, and promptly forgot about it. She assumed that the professor would give the class several reminders about the test and that he would go over the materials the students needed to know. As time went by, and nothing was said about the test, she assumed the professor had changed his mind. On October 2, Erica received a rude awakening in the form of five closely typed sheets of paper containing fifty tough questions on the assigned readings and lectures the professor had given. Erica was outraged. She didn't do well on the test, to put it kindly.
During that year, Erica learned other shocking things in college, many of them having to do with taking on responsibility without being prompted or reminded. Erica's experiences are similar to those of many other college students. Such students never acquire the necessary keys to college success.
The first key to succeeding in college is taking control of your time. This means knowing what you have to do and planning ahead for classes, projects, and tests. One important means of time control is using a large monthly calendar to give you an "at-a-glance" view of due dates and other special events. Keeping the calendar in a place where you will see it often can prevent you from losing track of time and being surprised by the nearness of your term paper due date or biology midterm. Another means of time control is making up a weekly study schedule. In other words, plan specific blocks of time during your week when you will study. In making a weekly schedule, first fill in the hours when you have unbreakable commitments to class time, work time, and so on. Then look for chunks of free time- at least one hour long- that you can use for studying. A study schedule can help you make efficient use of your time by capturing those free hours that would otherwise drift away, leaving you wondering why you accomplished so little. A final method of time control is a "to-do" list. On "to-do" list, you jot down the goals you want to accomplish during the day. Such a list might contain reminders on everything from buying a CD to reading chapter 3 of your psychology text. A "to-do" list brings together all the stray "I have to ..." ideas that cross your mind each day. Crossing items off a "to-do" list can give you a real feeling of satisfaction. You also have the pleasant sensation that you are controlling your tasks and responsibilities, not the other way around.
Making a strong start at the beginning of each new semester is another key to college success. Wasting time at the start of the term and then trying to play "catch-up" is a sure route to failure in college. Making a strong start means being disciplined enough to study, read, and initiate time-control measures even though "It's only the first week" or "I don't have a test for three weeks." You have to go prepared to those first classes by being ready to take notes. You should buy your books right away, despite the long line at the bookstore. In addition, you should find out the names and phone numbers of one or two people in each class so you can borrow their notes if you miss class. Another part of making a strong start is giving some thought to those end-of-semester papers and projects, even if December or May seems incredibly far away. It takes additional energy to do some early research in the library, and it takes some initiative to discuss a term paper idea early on with a professor, but getting off to a quick start has important benefits. You space out your work, for one thing, so that you don't face a marathon week of putting together a project or paper. And you relieve the psychological pressure you feel when you put off tasks until the job seems overwhelming.
A third key to success in college is to brush up on-or learn-study skills. Study skills include knowing how to take class notes; how to read texts skilfully by previewing, marking, and taking notes on them; and how to study for objective or essay exams. Without these vital skills, the time you spend attending class and studying may be of little help in earning a good grade. Just as you have to learn new skills on the job, you have to learn the skills needed to do well in college. Some students know these skills by the time they arrive on a college campus-they may have been taught them in high school or "picked them up" on their own. Other students slide by in high school without knowing these skills and, because they have grade twelve or an OAC, feel they are equipped for college. They aren't. College lectures cover more information, and with more sophistication, than high school lectures. College textbooks are harder to read; they bristle with dozens of new terms and present difficult theories and concepts. College test are tougher, and they are graded according to higher standards. Only a firm grasp of study skills will enable you to survive, and succeed, in this setting. If you feel that your study skills are weak, get help immediately. Most colleges have study-skills workshops or courses, so take advantage of them. Campus learning or tutoring centres often have guides to college study skills free for the asking. And campus bookstores carry many books that can help you learn and practice essential study and reading skills.
A final key to college success is learning the art of concentration. This ability seems to get more difficult every year; television rarely challenges its viewers to watch anything that requires concentration or to give a subject more than ten minutes' worth of attention at a time. And much of the reading we do in daily life requires less concentration than ever; newspapers specialize in brief stories with limited vocabularies and many colour pictures; books on the best-seller list are filled with cartoons, jokes and diagrams of exercise techniques. Switching from this kind of mental fluff to the intense concentration needed to study college material is indeed a challenge.
You can take several steps to improve your concentration. If your ability to concentrate is "flabby," these moves will get you into shape. First, have a positive attitude towards studying. No matter how unattractive your task seems, think of it as a means to a goal that is important to you-getting a college degree. Next, keep yourself in good physical shape. Exhaustion or illness effectively shuts down your ability to concentrate. Also, create a good study environment. Have a place in your dorm room, apartment, or house where you keep all your class-related materials and where you have the basics for a productive study session: a good light, paper, pens, your computer, a calculator, and so on. You will save yourself time if your setting is well-equipped, and your concentration will not be interrupted because you have to find a note pad. Before you begin to study, jot down a brief list of goals for the study session. For example, you might write: "(1) Read Chapter 10 in soc., (2) Memorize definitions for chemistry, (3) Rough draft of English essay." Having specific, doable goals can make the session less intimidating. Finally, keep control of your ability to concentrate by noticing when your mind wanders and the conscious effort needed to pull it back. This can be done as simply as making a checkmark with a pencil whenever you find your mind losing concentration. The deliberate effort to begin concentrating again should strengthen your ability and make concentration for longer periods possible.
Knowing how to take control of your time, making a strong start at the beginning of each semester, practising study skills, and concentrating effectively are the four keys to success in school. If you make the effort to use these keys, you will open the door to the kind of life you want.
Source: Sentence Skills: A Workbook for Writers
By: John Langan and Sharon Winstanley
