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Hello, Bill. Thank you for bringing up an important lack -- students don't know how to summarize information! I read last year that some 70% of adults have difficulty picking out the main idea from a common newspaper article, so I took in the article to my WR121 composition class. We talked about the article (I'm talking about a short newspaper article), then I asked students to summarize the main idea in aboutten minutes. They couldn't. So we spent the next six weeks summarizing articles on various topics. I moved them from what's the main idea to what's your reaction to this main idea to reinforce the basic skills of SUMMARIZING and INTERPRETING. OK. At the end of the class, I was more confident they could do this, but it took a lot of time. The real problem is it's now two terms later (we're on a 10 week quarter system), and every time I get a new class, regardless of level, I don't believe they can summarize. So I agree it's a problem. Maybe reading journals help. But I'm very open to other suggestions too! Hi from Beth Beth Camp, Linn-Benton Community College, Albany OR [log in to unmask] Here's the old email: >Jim - > >I incorporate writing in the basic and developmental reading classes I teach at >Cerritos College. Students have no trouble responding to a selection they read, >but they are totally lost - even with my step-by-step approach to teaching them >how to do it - when it comes to summarizing. > >Anyone else agree? > >Bill Broderick, Cerritos College >