Some possible news sources might include your local newspaper or larger newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and others. Check with your teacher for suggestions. He may have specific news sources to use.
Most major newspapers have sections on their websites dedicated to certain topics. For example, the Washington Post has a section dedicated to “Tech. ” Search online for an article on one of these topics. For example, try searching “healthcare news” to find new information.
An article that is one to two paragraphs long is probably not going to be lengthy enough.
Look up any words you don’t know. Take notes on the article or highlight passages that you think are important.
The headline typically indicates the article’s main idea, but the article will likely include more information that is relevant to your summary. Choose five main points from the article that you think are important. Find some keywords to get the main idea across to the people. [1] X Research source
Who: This is the person or group involved in the story. For a story on a recent arson case, you might say, “The people involved are four teenage boys who were charged with arson, a police investigation team, and the community that lost its historic baseball stadium. ” What: This is the event or the action discussed in the story. In an arson case, it might be: “The oldest wooden baseball stadium in the country burned to the ground. ” When: This is the date and time when the event took place: “The stadium burned down at 5:30 p. m. on Monday, June 29. ” Where: This is where the event took place: “The baseball stadium was in the middle of the city, surrounded by residences. ” Why: This is the cause or reason for the event: “The summer has been unusually dry and hot. The stadium had been sitting empty for five years and was not patrolled by security. ” How: This point explains the ways in which the events took place and the connections between them: “The teenagers walked into the stadium and began playing with lighters and loose debris. Once the fire was set, they ran off. ”
Think about the story’s connection to your community, the nation, or the world, for example.
When you recounted the article to someone else, you highlighted the most important parts of the article. These things will go in your outline. Now your job is to put them in an order that makes sense.
Depending on your assignment, this might be three or four sentences, or it might be seven to nine sentences. Check your assignment for your length requirement.
Even though the reflection is short (usually just a paragraph), you should still aim to make an argument, at least to some degree. Determine the main point that you want to make and think about how you will support that main point.
Some teachers don’t allow the use of “I” (first person) in these reflections. Check with your teacher to determine if you can write in first person or not.
Don’t just string together random thoughts about why the news story is important.
Take a look at your verbs. If you use boring or the same verbs, your audience will get bored. See if you can make efficient choices of great action verbs. If you are handwriting your summary, you may need to write it out again as a clean copy after you’ve corrected any errors. For this reason, it may be preferable to type out the summary. Some teachers may require a typed paper.
If you have a grading rubric for the assignment, review this before turning in the assignment. Make sure you have met all the requirements to ensure a good grade.
Lee, Morgan. “California Regulators Approve Higher Electricity Rates for Most Residents. ” The Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2015. Web. 4 July 2015.
