Due Date:
Points:
Overview:
Throughout your coursework and professional career, it is extremely important that you
write in your own words. You will often be tasked with reading psychological materials
and then to incorporate the content into a paper or other type of written or oral
presentation. At times, the material you are reading might be quite technical, and it may
be challenging for you to present these ideas in your own words. This is your
opportunity to practice this important skill.
Review the following websites to learn about summarizing:
• Purdue Owl: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
• Example of a Summary
Instructions:
For this assignment, you will:
• Read the passage (below) from an older edition of your textbook.
• Think about the main ideas contained in the passage.
• Make a list of four (4) main ideas contained in the passage.
• In your own words (no direct quoting), summarize the main ideas in paragraph
form with a minimum of four (4) complete sentences.
Textbook Passage:
“Continuous theories of development assume that development occurs in a
smooth progression as skills develop and experiences are provided by
caregivers and the environment. Continuous theories emphasize the importance
of environment rather than heredity in determining development. A second
perspective assumes that children progress through a set of predictable and
invariant stages of development. All children are believed to acquire skills in the
same sequence, although rates of progress differ from child to child. The abilities
children gain in each subsequent stage are not simple “More of the same”; at
each stage, children develop qualitatively different understandings, abilities, and
beliefs. Skipping stages is rare or impossible, although at any given point the
PSY260 – Educational Psychology
Summarization Assignment
PSY260–EducationalPsychology
SummarizationAssignment
child may exhibit behaviors characteristic of more than one stage. The contrast
to continuous theories, these discontinuous theories of development focus on
inborn factors rather than environmental influences to explain change over time.”
Summarize this paragraph in your own words and include the following reference
citation below your summary:
References
Slavin, R. E. (2021). Educational psychology (13th ed.). Pearson Education.
Be sure to read the criteria by which your work will be evaluated before you write
and again after you write.
Evaluation Rubric for Summarization Assignment
CRITERIA
Deficient
Development
Needed
Proficient Exemplary
0-32 points 33-43 points 44-49 points 50-55 points
Summary
Content
Did not
summarize. Only
one main idea was
included. Quoted
excessively or
used word
substitutions
excessively.
Included an
excessive amount
of extra information
not found in
original source.
Demonstrated
adequate
understanding of
passage material.
Some main ideas
were incorporated.
Some quoting
and/or used word
substitution was
present.
Included some
extra information
not found in
original source.
Demonstrated
mastery of
passage material.
Incorporated most
main ideas. A few
word substitutions
or extra
information were
included.
Demonstrated
excellent mastery
of passage
essence.
Incorporated all
main ideas in own
words. Quotes,
word substitutions,
and extra
information were
not included.
0 points 4-5 points
Scholarly Source Reference citation
was absent.
— —
Reference citation
was included and
correct.
0-11 points 12-15 points 16-17 points 18-20 points
Structure and
Flow
Flow is poor.
Paragraphing is
inappropriate.
Transitions are
minimal or absent.
Significant
redundancy is
evident.
Flow is adequate.
Paragraphs may
be too long or too
short. Transitions
are minimal, and
redundancy is
evident.
Flow is good.
Paragraphing is
mostly appropriate.
Transitions are
present, and
redundancies are
minimal.
Flow is excellent.
Paragraphing is
clear, and
transitions are
smooth and
consistent.
Inappropriate
redundancies are
absent.
0-11 points 12-15 points 16-17 points 18-20 points
Grammar and
Spelling
Errors impede
professional
presentation;
guidelines not
followed.
Numerous errors
somewhat interfere
with professional
presentation.
Few errors that do
not impede
professional
presentation.
Writing and format
are clear,
professional, and
error-free.
