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ELA 5: How to Make an Oral Summary 170 Views
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Description:
Hm. So this is supposed to be a summary of a video about...summaries. Well, to summarize we just talk about summaries and—ugh, this is getting too complicated. Just watch the video if you need to know more.
Transcript
- 00:04
[Coop and Dino singing]
- 00:13
In life, we get called upon to make oral summaries constantly.
- 00:18
Okay, maybe not always the formal kind, but… …people ask, "What happened?" all the time. [Giant bird collides with a robot and falls to the city floor in an explosion]
- 00:23
Maybe they just should have been paying attention the first time, but…that’s beside the point.
- 00:28
Telling a reader what happened in the context of a story… [Page of a book tearing off and flying out the window]
Full Transcript
- 00:31
…is not much different than telling someone what happened in a real-life situation.
- 00:35
You just have to think about how it started… …and how it ended. [Piece of paper attached to a mans windscreen]
- 00:39
What were the turning points? In other words…how did one thing lead to another?
- 00:45
As you start putting together your oral summary, consider a few things… [Girl on stage preparing to speak]
- 00:49
First, who’s your audience?
- 00:51
If your audience is a bunch of five-year-olds, and you want to talk about climate change…
- 00:55
…it’s probably best not to launch into concepts like adaptive capacity and afforestation.
- 01:02
Instead…maybe talk about how polar bears are losing their homes. [Children in the audience looking confused]
- 01:05
That’s probably more their speed.
- 01:08
Second, how long does this thing need to be? [Man checks his watch]
- 01:10
Make sure you’ve practiced in front of a mirror…
- 01:13
…or NOT in front of a mirror, depending on how bad your bedhead is… [Girl with bedhead staring in the mirror]
- 01:18
…and use a stopwatch to see if you’re going to go over the allotted time.
- 01:22
You don’t want it to be too short either…pack as much info as you can into that puppy, while [Man at the front of a class giving a presentation]
- 01:28
still leaving yourself about 30 to 45 seconds of leeway.
- 01:31
Third…do your research. It depends on the subject of your summary, of course…
- 01:35
…but if research is required for you to…sound like you know what you’re talking about…
- 01:41
…then, uh…make sure you know what you’re talking about.
- 01:44
And…organization is a biggie. [Organizational flow chart diagram]
- 01:47
We mentioned earlier how you should have an idea of where your story starts and ends…
- 01:52
…but also know where all the signposts are along the way… [Police shmoop car on a countryside road]
- 01:55
…you know, all the secondary stuff that lends detail and really helps sell that story of yours.
- 02:01
Don’t get caught up in telling too much.
- 02:03
People tend to get bored. Especially if they’re under the age of six. [Young children bored]
- 02:07
But…don’t tell too little, either.
- 02:09
Keep it simple… …but add a solid detail now and again to
- 02:13
help listeners picture what’s going on. Stories are always better with pictures… [Photos attached to a washing line]
- 02:17
…even if they aren’t of the physical, print & ink kind…
- 02:21
For example… …"Two people raced"… [Man and woman sprinting on a track]
- 02:23
…is different from… …"Annemarie and Ellen raced down the
- 02:26
sidewalk on the way home from school." The first could describe practically anything…
- 02:31
…while the second helps listeners get a precise picture of what's happening.
- 02:35
The second is more effective. If you just went the first way…
- 02:39
…maybe we’re talking about two old men in a nursing home who are trying to beat each [Old men in a nursing home racing for pudding]
- 02:43
other to the last bread pudding. Impossible to know.
- 02:46
So yeah…make sure you’ve got yourself a beginning, middle and end…
- 02:50
…be organized with your details…
- 02:52
…know your audience…
- 02:54
…get your timing down pat…
- 02:56
…do your research…
- 02:57
…keep it concise and to the point… [Coop pointing to an oral summary checklist]
- 02:59
…and make it interesting and colorful
- 03:01
…without taking any liberties. [Burglar running with statue of liberty and police car appears]
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