Famous Greeks and Americans
Essay Contest
October 2008 - February 2009
Summarizing:
How to use your own words
website: http://www.hau.gr
email: [email protected]
Athens: 22 Massalias Street, 10680, Athens. Tel.: 210 3680900, Fax: 210 3633174
Thessaloniki: 14 Fragon Street, 54626 Thessaloniki. Tel.: 2310 557600, Fax: 2310 553925
Many thanks to the following people for their enthusiasm and support for this project:
U.S. Embassy Athens
Gloria Berbena, Cultural Attaché
Vasilis Tsiboukis, Co-Director, U.S. Information Resource Center, Public Affairs
Hellenic American Union
Eleni Alexiou, Examination Support Center
Stefanos Bacigkal, Director, Division of Planning, Research, and Information Technology
George Exadaktylos, Coordinator, Center for Applied Linguistics and Language Studies
Catherine Georgopoulou, Associate Director, Center for Applied Linguistics and Language
Studies
Mary Kontaratou, Director, Division of Financial Services
Maria Lionoudaki, Examination Support Center
Ira Papadopoulou, Director, Division of Cultural Affairs
Nikos Pylarinos, Associate Director, Examination Services
Elena Xanthi, Coordinator, Educational Publications
Many thanks to the writers, proofreaders and others who contributed to the development and
production of these materials:
Catherine Georgopoulou
Fotini Papantoniou
Vasiliki Kourbani
Paraskevi Kanistra
George Exadaktylos
Copyright © Hellenic American Union, 2008
How to Avoid Plagiarism
Guidelines for Students Participating in the
Famous Greeks and Americans Essay Contest
The terms of the Famous Greeks and Americans Essay Contest state that the essay submitted
must:
•
•
be the original work of the student contestant only;
not contain any references or footnotes;
•
not contain any material taken from other sources.
•
Write every word, sentence and paragraph that you include in your essay yourself.
•
Read other sources to get relevant information (e.g. historical facts, dates, etc.) but be
sure that in your essay you use your own words to convey this information.
•
Copy information and ideas you find from another source, such the Internet,
encyclopedias, books, magazines and newspaper articles.
•
Include quotation marks (words or parts from another source placed in quotation
marks).
•
Include footnotes 1 or any other kind of referencing.
Present another person’s essay written on the same topic as if it were yours.
•
Submit your own essay and avoid disqualification
If you copy information from other sources or you use someone else’s essay, your essay will be
disqualified and you will not be able to participate in the Contest.
1
Like this one. Do not use footnotes!
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use. - 3 -
Text about Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous and popular presidents the United
States has ever had. He was born on February 12, 1809, in the backwoods of
Kentucky. His family lived in a one-room log cabin 2 . His father, Thomas, was a
poor farmer. His mother, Nancy, died when Abraham was just eight years old. His
father married Sarah Bush Johnson the next year.
When Abraham was a young boy, he worked for $0.25 a day chopping trees and
digging wells 3 . Like most children of his time, he did not attend school on a
regular basis. He was self-educated. He taught himself by reading and by
studying borrowed books.
Lincoln briefly left home when he was seventeen. He worked as a ferryman’s helper on the Ohio
River. Later he traveled to New Orleans on a flatboat to sell produce 4 for a friend. The 2,200-mile
journey took three months. Lincoln earned $24. He gave the money to his father, which was the law
and custom of the time.
When Lincoln was twenty-two he moved to New Salem, Illinois. He became a shopkeeper. He enlisted
in the militia 5 during the Black Hawk War. He delivered mail. He became a surveyor. He entered
politics and ran for the state legislature. He served as a state representative from 1834 - 1842. Like
most men of this period he became a “jack-of-all-trades.” Eventually he decided to become a lawyer.
He received his license after studying just three years. Lincoln moved to Springfield in 1837 where he
became a partner in a law firm with John T. Stuart.
In Springfield he met Mary Ann Todd. Her family was well-to-do 6 and disapproved of Lincoln. They
thought he was a country bumpkin. Even so the two married. For several years the Lincolns lived at the
Globe Tavern. Room and board at the hotel cost $4 a month. Later they bought a house close to
Springfield’s business district. Located at Eighth and Jackson Streets, it cost $1,200.
In 1846 Lincoln was elected to the United States House of Representatives 7 . He spent two years in
Washington then returned to Springfield.
Back in Springfield he practiced law with William Herndon. He became very successful. Every spring
and fall he traveled throughout central Illinois as a lawyer on the Eighth Judicial Circuit. He represented
people at trials. He met many people and argued many cases in county courthouses. Abraham and
Mary became the parents of four boys. The eldest, Robert, was born at the Globe Tavern. Eddie, Willie,
and Tad were born in their parents’ home. The only son who lived to adulthood was Robert. Edward
was not yet four years old when he died in 1850. William, who lived for two years in the White House
with his parents, was eleven when he died in 1862. His parents were grief stricken. Tad lived to the
age of 18. He died in 1871.
2
Small house made of logs (the trunks of a tree)
Hole in the ground from which we get water
4
Food or other things which are grown in large quantities so that they can be sold
5
Joined the military force composed of ordinary citizens
6
Wealthy
7
One of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the lower house. The other is the Senate. Each
state can have at least one Representative. It can have more Representatives depending on the size of
its population. The total number of representatives is 435. Each representative serves for a term of two
years.
3
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use. - 4 -
Lincoln reentered politics to run for the United States Senate 8 in 1858. He was disturbed by the
spread of slavery outside the South. He believed the Declaration of Independence applied to blacks as
well as whites. He believed that black people should have the same rights as white people.
Lincoln and the other candidate, Stephen A. Douglas, debated seven times across Illinois. Lincoln lost
the Senate race, but the exposure made him known across the country. Two years later, in 1860,
Lincoln was elected president of the United States.
After Lincoln was elected president the southern states seceded from the Union to form the
Confederacy 9 . They prepared for war. The Civil War started in April, 1861. Slavery divided the nation.
Most people thought the Civil War would be over quickly. It lasted four years. Over 600,000 people
were killed.
During the war Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation 10 . It freed slaves in the Confederate
states. After Lincoln was reelected president in 1864 he pressed congressmen to pass the Thirteenth
Amendment 11 . This amendment to the Constitution prohibited slavery everywhere in the United States.
Lincoln was assassinated in April, 1865. Abraham Lincoln knew he was unpopular with many people.
During the war he was protected by bodyguards. They watched over him after the war also. Five days
after the Civil War ended, he and Mary went to a play. The play, Our American Cousin, was being
performed at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. During the play, John Wilkes Booth entered Lincoln’s
private box and shot the president. The next morning, April 15, 1865, Abraham Lincoln died. The body
of Abraham Lincoln was brought back to Illinois on a special funeral train. The train passed through
many cities before it reached Springfield. Lincoln was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in a special vault.
In 1871 Lincoln’s body was moved to the tomb in which it now rests. Inside the Lincoln Tomb are his
wife and their three younger sons. Many people visit to pay their respects each year.
Written by Noreen O’Brien-Davis, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Copyright: Education Services, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
WebMaster: Karen E. Everingham
http://www.state.il.us/hpa/prairiepages/lincolnvol1n3.pdf
8
The upper house of the United States Congress. Each state is represented by two members. The total
number is 100 and senators serve six-year terms. The Senate has more exclusive powers than the
House of Representatives.
9
The Confederacy was the government formed between 1862 and 1865 by eleven southern states of
the United States of America. These states rebelled and declared their independence from the United
States of America (“The Union”). Seven of these states did so before Abraham Lincoln became
President and four after the Civil War began. The Union refused recognition of the Confederacy. The
Confederacy collapsed, surrendering their army in April 1865.
10
It was issued in 1863 as the Civil War was approaching its third year. The proclamation declared that
all persons held as slaves in the rebellious states were free and would be free from thereon.
11
This Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery.
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use. - 5 -
Lesson Plan
Student’s Copy
Introduction
I. What is summarizing?
Identifying important information in a text and briefly restating this information in your own
words.
II. How do I summarize?
• First, you need to make sure you understand what you read. As you read, it’s always a good
idea to make notes of words and phrases that you don’t understand.
• Then, after you have finished reading a text the first time, go back and look at the notes
you’ve made. You should look up words you don’t know in a dictionary.
• Next, write the important information on a separate piece of paper.
• Finally, use your own words to describe the important information you learned from reading.
Remember to use complete sentences.
Activity 1: Pre-reading
You will read a text about Abraham Lincoln. Before you read the text, work with a partner to share
what you know about this important man. Try to answer the questions below.
1. Who was Abraham Lincoln?
2. When and how did he die?
3. Where and when was he born?
4. What important facts about him do you know?
Activity 2: Reading for gist
Now read the text and check your answers to the questions in Activity 1. Make sure you read the
footnotes under each page of the text, where you will find important information and definitions of
useful vocabulary.
Activity 3: Guessing vocabulary from context
Read the text again and match the words on the left with their definition on the right. (The words
on the left are bolded in the text.) You may refer to the footnotes as well.
1. to chop
2. a jack-of-all-trades
3. a country bumpkin
4. to argue a case
5. to run for
6. to secede
7. to assassinate
8. to issue
9. a tomb
a. someone who is competent with many skills
b. take part in elections in order to be elected
c. to kill a high profile person, such as a president
d. to make something known officially and publicly
e. a place where the remains of dead people are kept
f. a negative term used to describe naïve country people
g. to defend cases in court
h. to withdraw from an organization, union, or political entity
i. to cut
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use. - 6 -
Activity 4: Comprehension questions
Read the text once more and answer the following questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Where was Lincoln born?
Describe his childhood.
How did Lincoln get educated?
What jobs did Lincoln have before he
became a lawyer?
5. What happened when he moved to
Springfield, Illinois?
6. What things did Lincoln do as a lawyer?
7. Describe the Lincoln family.
8. What happened before Lincoln was elected
president?
9. What beliefs did Lincoln have?
10. What important thing did Lincoln do during
the Civil War?
Activity 5: Creating a timeline of important events
Read the text again and underline the dates and most important facts mentioned. Then put these
dates and facts in chronological order so that you can create a timeline of Lincoln’s life. Be sure to
write the facts in note form.
Example:
February 12, 1809 - born
1821 – age 17, left home for a while, worked in other places
1822 – moved to New Salem, Illinois, became shopkeeper
1834-1842 - State Representative
Activity 6: Understanding what plagiarism is
Read the first two paragraphs of the text about Lincoln’s childhood and adolescence. Work with a
partner to decide which of the three summaries below has been plagiarized. Use the checklist
below as your guide and compare each summary with the first two paragraphs of the original text.
Checklist
Summary Summary Summary
1
2
3
Contains a lot of sentences, phrases or words that have been
copied from the original source.
Author does not use his/her own unique sentences, phrases
or words as much as possible.
Contains sentences that have the same word order as in the
original.
Does not include the most important facts only.
Author does not appear to have thoroughly understood the
information presented in the original source. So, the summary
does not appear to have been written by memory.
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use. - 7 -
Summary 1
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky on February 12, 1809 and is one of the most famous and
popular presidents the United State has ever had. His family lived in a small log cabin and his
father, Thomas, was a poor farmer. His mother died when Abraham was just eight years old and
his father remarried the next year. When Abraham was a young boy he chopped trees and dug
wells. Like most children of his time, he did not attend school on a regular basis. He was selfeducated. He taught himself by reading and by studying borrowed books. Lincoln left home for a
while when he was seventeen to work first as a ferryman’s helper on the Ohio River and later to
travel to New Orleans selling produce. Lincoln earned $24 which he gave to his father when he
returned home, which was the law and custom of the time.
Summary 2
Abraham Lincoln, one of the most famous presidents of the United States, was born in Kentucky
on February 12, 1809. His family was poor and his mother died only eight years after Lincoln was
born. His father remarried a year later. As a young boy, Lincoln worked to help his father support
their family and as he could not attend school regularly, he studied at home by borrowing books
from other people. At the age of seventeen, he left home to work on an Ohio River ferry and then
later traveled to New Orleans selling fruit, vegetables and other things. Whatever little money he
earned he brought back to his father, as all young men had to do in those days.
Summary 3
Abraham Lincoln was one of the most famous United States presidents. He was born in Kentucky
on February 12, 1809. As his family was very poor, Abraham had to work from a very young age.
This, of course, prevented him from going to school every day, but he was so eager to learn that he
taught himself by studying on his own. In his late teens, he decided to leave home for a while. He
first worked on an Ohio River ferry and later traveled 2,200 miles to New Orleans and back selling
fruit, vegetables and other things to help support his family.
Activity 7: Identifying the best summary
After identifying the plagiarized text, work with your partner to decide which of the two remaining
texts is the best summary. The following questions will help you choose the best summary.
1. Which summary uses more unique language (author’s own words)?
2. Which summary contains more sentences with a completely different word order from that
used in the sentences of the original source?
3. Which summary presents the most important facts only?
4. Which summary appears to have been written by memory?
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use. - 8 -
Activity 8: Focusing on important facts and preparing to write a summary
First read the following focus questions. Then read the last paragraph of the text to find the
answers to the questions below. Write all the answers in note form, as you did for the timeline of
important facts about Lincoln in Activity 5.
1. Why was Lincoln protected by
bodyguards?
2. Where did he and his wife go five days
after the Civil War ended?
3. What happened at the play?
4.
5.
6.
7.
When did Lincoln die?
What happened after he died?
Where was Lincoln buried first?
Where is he buried now?
Activity 9: Creating an oral summary of a short text
Work with a partner. Take turns to present to each other an oral summary of the last paragraph of
the text using the notes that you made to answer the questions in Activity 7. Do not look at the
paragraph, include only the most important facts and try to use your own words as much as
possible.
Activity 10: Writing a summary of a short text
Now use the notes you made to answer the questions in Activity 7 to write a short paragraph
summarizing Lincoln’s death. Include only the most important facts and be sure to use your own
words and write a coherent paragraph. Start with a more general sentence that tells what the
paragraph will be about (main idea). Then, use the answers to the questions in Activity 4 to make
up the body of the summarizing paragraph.
Activity 11: Creating an oral summary of a longer text
Use the timeline of important facts that you created in Activity 5. Take turns to present to each
other an oral summary of the text about Abraham Lincoln. Use your timeline only and do not look at
the text. Try to use your own words as much as possible.
Activity 12: Writing a summary of a longer text
Now use your timeline of important facts to write a summary of the text about Abraham Lincoln. Do
not look at the text while you are writing your summary. Use the timeline only and be sure to use
your own words as much as possible and write coherent paragraphs.
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use. - 9 -
Lesson Plan
Teacher’s Copy
Guidelines for teachers
The aim of this lesson plan and of the activities that accompany the text about Abraham Lincoln is
to assist students who will be participating in the Famous Greeks and Americans Essay Contest, in
writing their own original essay. According to the terms of the Contest, participants must submit an
authentic essay, one that they have written themselves by using their own words. Of course,
participants may use other sources to get important information and facts about a historic figure,
but they should not copy the language of the source(s) they use.
The lesson plan provided in this booklet includes a wide variety of activities which focus on helping
students understand how to use other sources for writing their essay without copying any of the
language of the source. In order to avoid plagiarism, students must first read the source text and
try to thoroughly understand the information presented in it by looking up important vocabulary in
a dictionary or by trying to guess the meaning of unknown words. Then they should highlight or
make notes on the most important facts and information contained in the source text before
attempting to write their own summary.
In this lesson plan, definitions of the vocabulary that the students may be unfamiliar with have
been included along with activities in order to save valuable class time. Students are also guided in
selecting the most important facts by answering focus questions and by creating a timeline of
important facts and events about Abraham Lincoln.
Once students have thoroughly understood the information contained in the text about Abraham
Lincoln, they complete specially developed activities that help them understand what plagiarism is.
Students are asked to read three different paragraphs which summarize important facts of only a
part of the text about Abraham Lincoln and use a checklist to decide which paragraph has been
plagiarized. They also examine and analyze the other two summaries that use original language.
Then they create two separate summaries. By using their answers to the focus questions students
write a summary of only a small part of the source text. Later, they use the timeline of important
facts to create a summary of the entire text about Abraham Lincoln. Before writing their
summaries, students use their notes only to rehearse each summary orally so that they have an
opportunity to paraphrase and memorize the information well.
Suggested Answers
Activity 6: Understanding what plagiarism is
Summary 1 has been plagiarized because the author has copied a lot of language from the source.
It is evident that the author has not thoroughly comprehended the source text, as he/she cannot
manipulate the information well in order to present it in his/her own unique words and sentence
structures. In order to avoid copying other people’s ideas and language, one has to comprehend
the source(s) carefully, read between the lines, make inferences, and draw sound conclusions.
Also, when writing a text or summary by using information from a source(s), the author should rely
only on memory without looking at the source(s) at all. In his/her text/summary, the author may
copy from the source text “common knowledge” (e.g. folklore, common sense observations, or
facts that can be found in several other sources, such as encyclopedias, the Internet, etc.) and
“common words” (e.g. born, borrow, etc.), as this is not considered plagiarism.
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use. - 10 -
Activity 7: Identifying the best summary
Summary 3 is the best summary, as it includes the most important facts about Abraham Lincoln’s
childhood and adolescence. Also, it seems to have been written entirely by memory as the author
uses his/her own words and language structures.
Activity 10: Writing a summary of a short text
The following is a sample summary that can be given to the students to self-assess the summaries
they have written after they have completed Activity 10. Ask students to compare and contrast
their summaries with the sample summary.
Abraham Lincoln was so disliked by many people that he had a number of bodyguards protecting
him not only during but after the war as well. Despite this protection, however, a few days before
the Civil War ended, Lincoln was assassinated by a man who shot him in his private box at a
theater in Washington D.C. during a play he had gone to see with his wife. Lincoln died on the next
morning, April 16, 1865. His body was buried in a special vault in Springfield’s Oak Ridge
Cemetery. Six years later, the remains of his body were moved to a tomb, where his wife and three
of his sons were also buried after their death.
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use. - 11 -
© Copyright Hellenic American Union 2008. These materials are photocopiable for classroom use.