YPP Summary Writing Workshop (12 October 2012) Handout

Summary Writing Workshop      12 October 2012   A. Steps to writing a summary  1. Read and understand the text.  2. Analyze the structure of the text.  3. Select the main ideas and most important details.  4. Draft the summary.  5. Revise and edit the summary.    B. Before the G to P  1. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Do steps 1 and 2 above come easily to you? Do  you draft quickly?   2. Know what strategies work best for you. Do you prefer to underline as you read the  first time or read once and then underline, or not underline at all? Do you prefer to skim  the article once to get a global understanding, then read more carefully?   3. Related to the above steps, figure out your own timeline. Does it take you more time to  read and understand and less to draft ad revise? Or vice versa? Time yourself at home  and see what works best for you.  4. Know about how many words you write per line or per page so you can estimate your  word count.  5. Read a lot of magazine and newspaper articles on UN topics (but nothing too political  or too technical), e.g., climate change, MDGs, biodiversity, etc.  6. Review indirect speech guidelines on the UN Editorial Manual online  (iSeek/Topics/Manuals/Editorial Manual).    C. During the exam  1. Try not to panic or freeze up‐ take a deep breath.  2. Scan the text very rapidly and gauge your familiarity with the subject and the level of  difficulty of the text for you.  3. Try to find some sort of structure. Can you “chunk” the text into two or three main  sections? E.g., problem and solution(s); causes and effects; advantages and dis‐ advantages; steps in a process; arguments and counter‐arguments; etc  3. Allocate an appropriate amount of time for the reading/analyzing and the  drafting/revising after considering what you know about yourself (cf. steps 1‐3 above)  and after skimming the text, e.g. 15 minutes to read and analyze/underline and 30  minutes to draft, revise and edit. Or 25 minutes to read and analyze and 20 to draft and  edit, etc.  4. If you know the topic well, great‐ but don’t fall into the trap of including stuff that is  not in the text‐even if the text is incorrect. Don’t add you own interpretation.  5. Don’t stay on any section for too long. Move on and come back later, if you have time.  If you are already writing, skip some lines on the paper so you have room to insert this  part later.  6. Don’t get stuck on technical terms or words that you don’t understand‐ try to grasp  the global meaning and focus on that.  7. Use you own words but don’t try to find synonyms for technical or very specific terms,  such as sustainable development, signatories, international migration, climate change, etc.  8. Don’t waste time while drafting struggling with indirect speech. Save a few minutes at  the end to change verbs to past tenses. Choose the simple past when in doubt.      1 M. Regan/Summary Writing Workshop/Oct. 2012

Read the text and answer the questions below.    1. What is the main idea of the text‐ state it in one sentence. Where in the text do you  find it?      2. Can you chunk this text into sections? What are the main ideas of each of these  sections?          3. Should you include questions in your summary? What about examples, such as the  example about Anta and Assiatou in this text?          4. How should you handle the figures and statistics given in the text?            5. How often should you refer to the writer or the text?     

M. Regan/Summary Writing Workshop/Oct 2012

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“Chunked” text Surrounded by the cracked and flood-stained walls of her primary school in Dakar, Senegal, Anta attends classes and dreams of becoming a pediatrician. Anta knows she is lucky to be in school – because she knows that many of her peers are not so fortunate. Her friend Aissatou had to drop out of school to help her grandmother. Unfortunately, Aissatou’s story is not uncommon. What does failing to finish elementary school mean for the life and future of an 11-year old girl in Senegal? In sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia? What does it mean for every child? The answer is simple: almost everything. Education is essential to every child’s ability to thrive, to become a productive adult, to contribute to society – and it is every child’s right. Education is imperative to empowering girls and women – which is itself a critical lever in lifting the standard of living in even the most disadvantaged communities. And education is central to breaking the cycle of poverty for millions of the world’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Ten years ago, world leaders came together to pledge themselves to an unprecedented effort to build a more peaceful, equitable world. The Millennium Declaration recognised the transformative role education plays in building stronger societies and set a global goal, now known as MDG 2, of ensuring universal primary education for the world’s children. Since then, we have made significant progress in meeting MDG 2. The number of children out of school has decreased by 33m since 1999, with the sharpest declines in the places with the greatest difficulties, subSaharan Africa and South Asia. Many countries also have made significant progress in achieving gender parity in primary school enrolment. Since 1999, the number of girls out of school has declined from 58 percent to 54 percent. This shows that progress is possible, even in the most challenging circumstances – but while there is cause for encouragement, there is also deep cause for concern. In fact, UNICEF estimates that over 72m children of primary school age were out of school in 2007. If we continue at our current rate of progress, this means that by 2015, around 56m will still be out of school — far short of the goal. We know who these 56m children are: the overwhelming majority are growing up in the most disadvantaged countries, living through the most chronic crises. Fully 75 percent of the children out of school today live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. More than half are girls. And these disparities are growing – not only among countries, but within countries. Children from the poorest 20 percent of their societies are two to three times less likely to attend primary school than those in the richest 20 percent. Girls are still less likely than boys to attend primary school. Children from ethnic and indigenous minorities are likely to be excluded at even higher rates. And children with disabilities are the least likely to go to school at all. These same children are missing out on critical health services; on adequate nutrition; on access to clean water. As we work to meet these needs, we must make sure that our progress is sustainable. And that means a focus on education. For in the long run, it is education that lifts communities and nations out of poverty. Consider the impact of education in the life of a girl like Anta – and on her society’s health and progress. Educated girls M. Regan/Summary Writing Workshop/Oct 2012 

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are less likely to marry or have children early; they are better able to protect themselves from HIV and Aids, from sexual exploitation and abuse. Educated women are more likely to seek antenatal care and are both less likely to die in childbirth and more likely to have healthy babies who survive their infancy and thrive. Secondary education for a girl will increase her future income and greatly raise her family’s standard of living. And educated girls and women are far more likely to send their own children to school. So, as world leaders gather this September at the Summit on the Millennium Development Goals to review our collective progress in meeting the MDGs — and to plot a course to accelerate that progress as we approach 2015 – we should also renew our collective commitment to providing education for all. This means eliminating school fees and other school-related costs like uniforms and school books. It also means supporting policies specifically designed to help girls stay in school, by improving sanitary facilities and security policies. And we need to encourage programmes that enable girls to re-enter school, when their education has been interrupted by pregnancy or for economic reasons. And it means focusing on children from countries in conflict or other chronic emergencies, children whose educations are frequently interrupted, often never to resume. The net result of a less educated population is a society more prone to instability – and this affects us all. And let me emphasise: it means focusing our efforts on the most disadvantaged children, in the greatest need. By investing in their individual futures, we invest in our collective future; just as supporting the rights of all children – especially the forgotten children – is the key to sustaining all of our progress and to building a more prosperous and equitable world. in other words, our common humanity and our common interest are as one. We have a chance to lay the foundation to serve both now – and we should take it. (904 words)

M. Regan/Summary Writing Workshop/Oct 2012 

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Underlined text Surrounded by the cracked and flood-stained walls of her primary school in Dakar, Senegal, Anta attends classes and dreams of becoming a pediatrician. Anta knows she is lucky to be in school – because she knows that many of her peers are not so fortunate. Her friend Aissatou had to drop out of school to help her grandmother. Unfortunately, Aissatou’s story is not uncommon. What does failing to finish elementary school mean for the life and future of an 11-year old girl in Senegal? In sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia? What does it mean for every child? The answer is simple: almost everything. Education is essential to every child’s ability to thrive, to become a productive adult, to contribute to society – and it is every child’s right. Education is imperative to empowering girls and women – which is itself a critical lever in lifting the standard of living in even the most disadvantaged communities. And education is central to breaking the cycle of poverty for millions of the world’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Ten years ago, world leaders came together to pledge themselves to an unprecedented effort to build a more peaceful, equitable world. The Millennium Declaration recognised the transformative role education plays in building stronger societies and set a global goal, now known as MDG 2, of ensuring universal primary education for the world’s children. Since then, we have made significant progress in meeting MDG 2. The number of children out of school has decreased by 33m since 1999, with the sharpest declines in the places with the greatest difficulties, subSaharan Africa and South Asia. Many countries also have made significant progress in achieving gender parity in primary school enrolment. Since 1999, the number of girls out of school has declined from 58 percent to 54 percent. This shows that progress is possible, even in the most challenging circumstances – but while there is cause for encouragement, there is also deep cause for concern. In fact, UNICEF estimates that over 72m children of primary school age were out of school in 2007. If we continue at our current rate of progress, this means that by 2015, around 56m will still be out of school — far short of the goal. We know who these 56m children are: the overwhelming majority are growing up in the most disadvantaged countries, living through the most chronic crises. Fully 75 percent of the children out of school today live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. More than half are girls. And these disparities are growing – not only among countries, but within countries. Children from the poorest 20 percent of their societies are two to three times less likely to attend primary school than those in the richest 20 percent. Girls are still less likely than boys to attend primary school. Children from ethnic and indigenous minorities are likely to be excluded at even higher rates. And children with disabilities are the least likely to go to school at all. These same children are missing out on critical health services; on adequate nutrition; on access to clean water. As we work to meet these needs, we must make sure that our progress is sustainable. And that means a focus on education. For in the long run, it is education that lifts communities and nations out of poverty. Consider the impact of education in the life of a girl like Anta – and on her society’s health and progress. Educated girls M. Regan/Summary Writing Workshop/Oct 2012 

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are less likely to marry or have children early; they are better able to protect themselves from HIV and Aids, from sexual exploitation and abuse. Educated women are more likely to seek antenatal care and are both less likely to die in childbirth and more likely to have healthy babies who survive their infancy and thrive. Secondary education for a girl will increase her future income and greatly raise her family’s standard of living. And educated girls and women are far more likely to send their own children to school. So, as world leaders gather this September at the Summit on the Millennium Development Goals to review our collective progress in meeting the MDGs — and to plot a course to accelerate that progress as we approach 2015 – we should also renew our collective commitment to providing education for all. This means eliminating school fees and other school-related costs like uniforms and school books. It also means supporting policies specifically designed to help girls stay in school, by improving sanitary facilities and security policies. And we need to encourage programmes that enable girls to re-enter school, when their education has been interrupted by pregnancy or for economic reasons. And it means focusing on children from countries in conflict or other chronic emergencies, children whose educations are frequently interrupted, often never to resume. The net result of a less educated population is a society more prone to instability – and this affects us all. And let me emphasise: it means focusing our efforts on the most disadvantaged children, in the greatest need. By investing in their individual futures, we invest in our collective future; just as supporting the rights of all children – especially the forgotten children – is the key to sustaining all of our progress and to building a more prosperous and equitable world. in other words, our common humanity and our common interest are as one. We have a chance to lay the foundation to serve both now – and we should take it. (904 words)

M. Regan/Summary Writing Workshop/Oct 2012 

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Underlined text only Education is essential to every child’s ability to thrive, to become a productive adult, to contribute to society – and it is every child’s right. Education is imperative to empowering girls and women – which is itself a critical lever in lifting the standard of living in even the most disadvantaged communities. And education is central to breaking the cycle of poverty for millions of the world’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Ten years ago, The Millennium Declaration recognised the transformative role education plays in building stronger societies and set a global goal, now known as MDG 2, of ensuring universal primary education for the world’s children. Since then, we have made significant progress. The number of children out of school has decreased the sharpest declines in the places with the greatest difficulties, subSaharan Africa and South Asia. significant progress in achieving gender parity in primary school enrolment. But there is also deep cause for concern. In fact, UNICEF estimates If we continue at our current rate of progress, this means that by 2015, around 56m will still be out of school — far short of the goal. overwhelming majority are growing up in the most disadvantaged countries most chronic crises. Fully 75 percent in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. More than half are girls. Children poor less likely to attend primary school than rich. Girls less likely than boys ethnic and indigenous minorities likely excluded at even higher rates. And children with disabilities are the least likely to go to school. same children are missing out on critical health services; on adequate nutrition; on access to clean water. We must make sure progress is sustainable. focus on education. lifts communities and nations out of poverty. the impact of education of a girl on her society’s health and progress. Educated girls are less likely to marry or have children early; better able to protect themselves from HIV and Aids, from sexual exploitation and abuse. more likely to seek antenatal care and less likely to die in childbirth and more likely to have healthy babies who survive their infancy and thrive. Secondary education for a girl will increase her future income and greatly raise her family’s standard of living. And educated girls and women are far more likely to send their own children to school. So world leaders at the Summit on the Millennium Development Goals to review progress should also renew commitment to education for all. eliminating school fees and other school-related costs supporting policies specifically designed to help girls stay in school, encourage programmes that enable girls to re-enter school focusing on children from countries in conflict or other chronic emergencies whose educations are frequently interrupted, focusing on the most disadvantaged children. By investing in their individual futures, we invest in our collective future; key to building a more prosperous and equitable world. (479)

M. Regan/Summary Writing Workshop/Oct 2012 

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Model Summary

The article stated that education was essential to the health and development of  every child and to enabling him/her to contribute to society. It was also critical to the  empowerment of girls and to ending the poverty of many disadvantaged people and  nations. World leaders had recognized the importance of education when they adopted  the Millennium Declaration 10 years previously. Since that time, significant progress had  been made towards realizing Millennium Development Goal 2 (MDG 2) of ensuring  universal primary education, reflected in increased enrolment and greater gender parity  in primary schools. However, UNICEF estimated that millions of children were still out of  school and at the current rate, MDG 2 would not be reached by the target date of 2015.   Fifty‐six million children would still not be enrolled in primary school, seventy‐five per  cent in Sub‐Saharan Africa and more than 50 percent girls. Ethnic minorities and  children with disabilities were also more likely to be excluded from school.  Moreover,  these children would have less access to health care and other essential services.    The writer argued that education was critical to alleviating all of these problems  and creating sustainable progress and emphasized the positive impact that educated  girls and women can have on the welfare of their communities. They tended to marry  and have children later; to seek sexual and maternal health care; to earn higher incomes,  thereby improving the living standards of their families and communities; and to enroll  their children in school. The writer therefore urged world leaders to recommit  themselves at the upcoming Millennium Development Goals Summit to MDG 2 by  abolishing school fees and establishing guidelines to ensure that girls stayed in school.  Children from countries in crisis required special attention. The author concluded that  universal primary education would ensure a better future for everyone.  (299 words)   

M. Regan/Summary Writing Workshop/Oct 2012 

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