Chapter 46 Summary

In this chapter you are learning about writing texts which are a like a summary or an analysis and actually can be considered to be both. If writing about a written text there is two techniques that can help you with the process. One is annotating the text with your observations and questions and the second one is outlining the text’s key points. Active reading involves writing down questions and thoughts in a notebook so you have them visually. When doing that use a pencil instead of a highlighter because you can make more comments about the text. Another group of guidelines that can be used for active reading is: familiarize yourself with the basic features and structure of the text, note details that surprise puzzle, or intrigue you, and read and reread to discover meaning, and lastly apply critical thinking strategies to visual texts.
Next you want to sketch a brief outline of the text so you can see how the author constructed a text. Pay special attention to the text’s thesis and its topic sentences. A way to outline a visual text is to try and define its purpose and sketch a list of its key elements. To summarize a written text first find the thesis and then divide the whole piece into a few major and perhaps minor ideas. You want to make sure the key points are brief but accurate. Next if you are going to analyze an image you want to examine it as a whole and than reflect on how the individual elements contribute to its overall meaning.
This chapter was a little confusing to me but the main point is to actively read the text and than you analyze the text either written or visually. The guidelines listed in the chapter help me understand the concept better as well as the essay example.