introduction to academic 102 1a

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Necati Keskin Sofl 102 Unit 1 1

School of Foreign Languages

Introduction to AcademicEnglish

Sofl 102 (Unit 1) Nov.2010

Inst.Necati KESKN


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Main Ideas and Supporting Details

The main idea is the most important ideaor point in a text, part of a text, lecture, or part ofa lecture.

A supporting detail is a piece ofinformation that tells us more about the mainidea. Sometimes you will need all the details, soyou will have to read everything. Other times,you will only need the main ideas of a text orlecture. Reading or listening for main ideas onlyis reading or listening for the gist.


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When you read a text or listen to alecture, it is important to notice which

points are main ideas and which aresupporting details. Fortunately, acommon pattern in English can help youdo this. In this pattern, the main idea

usually comes first. Later ideas providesupport for this main idea.



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So, a good strategy to find the main idea is tolook for this pattern:

The main idea of a lecture or essay is usually in the

introduction. The supporting details follow, in the bodyparagraphs.

The main idea of a paragraph is usually at or near the

beginning of the paragraph. The supporting ideascome later in the paragraph.


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Main ideas and supporting details

There are many types of supporting ideas. The

most common ones are:

examples

reasons

consequences

solutions to problems


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Read the paragraph. Underline the sentence that you think isthe author's most important idea or point.

There are some things we know about the brain, and there areother things that are still a big mystery. For one thing, the

physical structures within the brain are quite well known. Wealso know that each structure has at least one function,sometimes more. For example, the front part of the brain, thefrontal lobe, deals with decision making and problem solving.We also know something about the important kind of braincells, the neurons. These are very small but sometimes verylong, up to a meter (around 3 feet). Incredibly, there are 100billion of them in a human brain, and each connects to others:One neuron can connect to up to 10,000 other neurons. As aconsequence of this complexity, we are only at the very earlystages of finding out in detail how the brain works. One reason

for this is that we have only recently developed technology thatcan see deep inside a living brain. New discoveries are beingmade each day. Who knows what we'll find out next week ornext year?

What is the most important idea of this paragraph?


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Skimming is reading quickly to understand thegeneral meaning of a whole text. One way to skim isto look only for the main ideas.

Here are some strategies to use when skimming:Do:Read the first and last parts of each paragraph.Look at captions, diagrams, and illustrations.

Read the title, headings, and subheadings.Look out forbold, italicized, or underlined words.Keep your eyes moving over the text.

Skimming


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Don't:Don't use a dictionary.

Don't think about the meaning of difficult words (you

can do that later).Don't read every word.

It is a good idea to skim every text before youread it in detail. This will help you determine what

the text is about and where each main idea is.

Skimming


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Scanning is reading quickly to find specificinformation, such as words, ideas, numbers,names, places, and dates. Specific

information is often found in the supportingdetails. These could be definitions,examples, and explanations.

As with skimming, you don't read every word

when you scan.

Scanning


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Here are some strategies to help you scan: Look for capital letters if you are scanning for aplace or a name. Look for numbers if you are looking for answers to

questions about dates, times, etc. Find a key word in the question and search for thekey word, or a synonym of the key word, in the text. Skim the text when you first see it. Then, when you

need to scan, you will know which part of the text tolook at first.

Scanning


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We were given two ears butonly one mouth. This is

because God knew thatlistening was twice as hard astalking. unknown

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Listening


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Necati Keskin Sofl 102 Unit 1 12Necati Keskin

Listening

Listening, whether done by individuals or bycompanies and government, is a signal ofrespect. When people dont feel listened to, they

dont feel respected. And when they dont feelrespected, they feel anger and resentment.

Hugo Powell

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Listening Facts

10% =

55% =

35% =

10% is Content; 90% is Intent10% is Content; 90% is Intent10% is Content; 90% is Intent

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People can hear four timesfaster than others can talk,which gives a skilled listenertime to sort matters

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Why is it important to listen?

Failure to listen brings unfortunate

results!

Human beings want to expressthemselves, to be heard.

Listening can de-escalate situations.

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Listening involves:

communicatingverbally and nonverbally

restatingthe message

observingthe senders nonverbal signals

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Why practice listening? Helps us understand others better

Show others we respect them Allows us to receive accurate messages

Enables us to respond appropriately

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Mental Distractions

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Preparing to listen

Before you go to a lecture, it is a good idea to thinkabout what the lecture will be about. If you prepare well,the lecture will be easier to understand. Here are sometips:

Find out what the topic is. Often, your lecturer will tellyou at the end of one lecture what the next lecture will beabout. Also, at the beginning of a semester, manyprofessors give students a course summary, which tellsthem the topics that the course will cover.

Think about what you already know about the topic.Have you read about it in a newspaper? Chatted with afriend about it? What vocabulary about the topic do youknow?


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Speculate (make guesses) about the topic.What might the teacher say about it?

Find as much information as you can aboutthe topic before you listen. Some teachers willgive you something to read that matches thelecture topic. Alternatively, you can use onlineresources to find some information.

Remember that it's easier to understand

something you know a little about thansomething you know nothing about. And it'seasier to understand a lecture if you've alreadythought a little about the topic

Preparing to listen


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Getting the Gist

Getting the gist means listening for the mainideas and general information. List for the gistis similar to skimming in reading. When listening

for the gist, don't pay attention to details. Here are some strategies that will help you listen

for the gist of a lecture:

Listen carefully to the introduction. Lecturersoften state the main ideas towards the end of theintroduction.


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Getting the Gist

Listen for signals that mark main ideas:Some of the points we'll cover are . . . In

today's lecture, we will look at. . .

In addition to that, another important pointis . . .

Listen carefully to the end of the lecture.You will often hear a summary ofmain ideas at that time


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Listening for Supporting Details

We have known that supporting details inwritten English are sometimes marked bylogical connectives and other words, andthat these words often show which kind ofsupporting idea is used. The same is truein listening. So, listen carefully for words

and expressions like for instance andbecause to indicate examples andreasons.


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Listening for Supporting Details

A second strategy to find the supporting detailsis just to use your sense of logic. Sometimes, itis clear that one idea supports another, and

there is no need to mark it with a logicalconnective. For example, if the teachersmentions a researcher, the researcher'suniversity, the date of the research, and the

research result, it is clear that the researchresult is the main idea, and the rest of the

information will be the supporting details.


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If you really want to listen, you

will act like a good listener.Good listeners are like good

catchers because they givetheir speakers a target andthen move that target to

capture the information that isbeing sent.

Necati Keskin 25Active listening


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Basic Guide to Writing an

Essay


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What is an Essay?

An essay can have many purposes, but the basicstructure is the same no matter what. You may be writingan essay to argue for a particular point of view or toexplain the steps necessary to complete a task. Eitherway, your essay will have the same basic format. If youfollow a few simple steps, you will find that the essayalmost writes itself. You will be responsible only forsupplying ideas, which are the important part of the

essay anyway.Don't let the thought of putting pen to paper

daunt (scare) you. Get started!


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Essay Format

These simple steps will guide you through the essay writingprocess:

Decide on your topic. Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas.

Write your thesis statement. Write the body. Write the main points. Write the subpoints. Elaborate on the subpoints. Write the introduction. Write the conclusion. Add the finishing touches.


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Choosing a Topic

You may have no choice as to your topic. If this is the case, you still may not be

ready to jump to the next step.

Think about the type of paper you are expected to produce. Should it be a general

overview, or a specific analysis of the topic? If it should be an overview, then youare probably ready to move to the next step. If it should be a specific analysis,

make sure your topic is fairly specific. If it is too general, you must choose a

narrower subtopic to discuss.

For example, the topic "KENYA" is a general one. If your objective is to

write an overview, this topic is suitable. If your objective is to write a specific

analysis, this topic is too general. You must narrow it to something like "Politics inKenya" or "Kenya's Culture.

Once you have determined that your topic will be suitable, you can move on.


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Organize Your Ideas

The purpose of an outline or diagram is to put your ideas

about the topic on paper, in a moderately organized format. The

structure you create here may still change before the essay iscomplete. Decide whether you prefer the cut-and-dried structure of

an outline or a more flowing structure. If you start one or the other

and decide it isn't working for you, you can always switch later.


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Organizing Your Ideas

Breeds

Health Nutrition

Behavior

Grooming

Dogs


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Writing Your Outline Begin your outline by writing your topic at the top of the page. Next, write the Roman numerals I, II, and III, spread apart down the

left side of the page. Next to each Roman numeral, write the main ideas that you have

about your topic, or the main points that you want to make. If you are trying to persuade, you want to write your best

arguments. If you are trying to explain a process, you want to write the

steps that should be followed. You will probably need to groupthese into categories. If you have trouble grouping the stepsinto categories, try using Beginning, Middle, and End.

If you are trying to inform, you want to write the majorcategories into which your information can be divided.

Under each Roman numeral, write A, B, and C down the left side ofthe page.

Next to each letter, write the facts or information that support thatmain idea.

When you have finished, you have the basic structure for your essayand are ready to continue.


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Composing a Thesis Statement

The thesis statement tells the reader what theessay will be about, and what point you, theauthor, will be making.

You know what the essay will be about. Thatwas your topic. Now you must look at youroutline or diagram and decide what point you willbe making. What do the main ideas andsupporting ideas that you listed say about yourtopic?


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Thesis Statements

Your thesis statement will have two parts. The first part states the topic.

Kenya's Culture Building a Model Train Set

Public Transportation The second part states the point of the essay.

has a rich and varied history takes time and patience can solve some of our city's most persistent and pressing

problems Once you have formulated a thesis statement

that fits this pattern and with which you arecomfortable, you are ready to continue.


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Writing the Body Paragraphs In the body of the essay, all the preparation up to this pointcomes to fruition. The topic you have chosen must now be

explained, described, or argued. Each main idea that youwrote down in your diagram or outline will become one of thebody paragraphs. If you had three or four main ideas, you willhave three or four body paragraphs. Each body paragraphwill have the same basic structure. Start by writing down one of your main ideas, in sentence

form. Next, write down each of your supporting points forthat main idea, but leave four or five lines in between eachpoint.

In the space under each point, write down someelaboration for that point. Elaboration can be furtherdescription or explanation or discussion.

Once you have made clear each of your body paragraphs,one for each main point, you are ready to continue.


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Example If your main idea is "reduces freewaycongestion," you might say this:

Public transportation reduces freeway congestion.

Supporting Point:

Commuters appreciate the cost savings of takingpublic transportation rather than driving.

Elaboration Less driving time means less maintenance expense,

such as oil changes. Of course, less driving time means savings on

gasoline as well. In many cases, these savings amount to more than

the cost of riding public transportation.


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Write the Introduction andConclusion

Your essay lacks only two paragraphs now:

the introduction and the conclusion. These

paragraphs will give the reader a point ofentry to and a point of exit from your essay.


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Introduction The introduction should be designed to attract the reader's

attention and give her an idea of the essay's focus. Begin with anattention grabber. The attention grabber you use is up to you, buthere are some ideas: Startling information. This information must be true and

verifiable, and it doesn't need to be totally new to yourreaders. It could simply be a pertinent fact that explicitly

illustrates the point you wish to make. If you use a piece ofstartling information, follow it with a sentence or two ofelaboration.

Anecdote. An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point. Besure your anecdote is short, to the point, and relevant to yourtopic. This can be a very effective opener for your essay, butuse it carefully.


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Conclusion The conclusion brings closure to the reader,

summing up your points or providing a finalperspective on your topic. All the conclusionneeds is three or four strong sentences which do

not need to follow any set formula. Simplyreview the main points (being careful not torestate them exactly) or briefly describe yourfeelings about the topic. Even an anecdote can

end your essay in a useful way. The introductionand conclusion complete the paragraphs of youressay.

Don't stop just yet! One more step remains

before our essa is trul finished.


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Necati Keskin Sofl 102 Unit 1 42Necati Keskin Active listening 42

introduction to academic 102 1a

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