1. Academic Communication Lesson 3
Pick up one handout from the front desk.
(You will also need the handout “Strategy & Checklist…” distributed in Lesson 2)
Please sit in pairs. You need exactly one partner.
Website:

2. Summarizing your Paper
As specified in last week’s homework, for this lesson you need a print-out of the paper you will present for your final exam.
If you do not have one with you, think back to a paper you have read recently.
Prepare a summary of your paper:
answers to 5 questions
plus extra as you want
must be exactly 5 minutes long!

3. 5-minute summary of Exam Paper
In your summary, answer these questions:
What is the research field and research area of this result?
Is it experimental, theoretical, simulation, discovery…?
In one sentence, what is the result?
What is new about the result?
Why is the result significant? (i.e. Why should we care about the result?)
You can and should have other information in addition to the answers to the questions.
E.g. When presenting your summary, you may point at tables and diagrams in the paper.
Your presentation must be exactly 5 minutes long

5. How can you get good timing?
Plan times as you prepare
important or complicated things get more time
simple things get less time
Time yourself as you talk
Know if you are going too slowly or too quickly.
Have extra material ready
if you need to use more time
Decide what you could leave out or how you could say parts in a shorter way
if you are running out of time

7. Checklist Part 2A: Main Points
From 1F (pattern of organization)
you have the main points of the Body
2A: Think more carefully
State the points as best as you can in one sentence or phrase each

8. Checklist Item 2B: Working Outline
Start simple
Add details as you develop your presentation
Eventually this will be a detailed planning outline with timing included

9. Working Outline Top Info
Look at the example on the handout.
For homework assignment you must give:
Title
Source and Date:
the journal name (or other source, e.g. “my lab”)
the date this research was done or published
Author(s) [who] & Affiliation(s) [where]
Who did the research? Where was it done?
Central Idea: One sentence as specified in Lesson 2
Pattern of Organization: State the name of the pattern. (Give further info if the pattern is not one of the “big 4”.)
NOTE: The “pattern” is not “all the bottom information”.
The pattern is the logical order of the Body points.

10. Working Outline: Bottom part
Copy points into this template of 3 sections:
Introduction section
Body section
<point 1>
<point 2>
<possibly other points as chosen in 1F and 2A; the body should have 2, 3, or 4 points>
Conclusion section

11. Example: Introduction Body Conclusion
a. Zircon crystals and uranium-lead dating
b. Oxygen isotope ratios
c. Rounded surfaces
Conclusion

12. Add some detail to Intro & Conclusion
Introduction section
Previous theory says solid surface 4.0 bya
Zircon crystals say 4.4 bya
Body section
a. Zircon crystals and uranium-lead dating
b. Oxygen isotope ratios
c. Rounded surfaces
Conclusion section
Review: Zircons reliably dated to 4.4 bya
Earth suitable for life earlier

13. Checklist 2C: Collect Info, Wording, & Ways to Explain Things
Keep in mind: you may need extra information to use in answering questions
Find simple explanations of complex stuff in encyclopedias (e.g. on Internet) and middle- school textbooks.
Did you find something really good but don’t know where it will fit into your outline?
Save it for later - your outline may change.

14. Checklist Section 3A, 3B
3A: Reminder: Update working outline as you go
(Did you notice how the example working outline has changed on these slides?)
3B: Decide on timing for points in your working outline
Plan!
More time for important/complex
Less time for simple points

15. Decide how to use your time for the 3 sections & main body points
Introduction section [2:15]
Earth’s first solid surface? Previous best answer
Zircon crystals prove earlier surface
Body section [5:30]
a. [2:30] Zircon crystals and uranium-lead dating
b. [2:00] Oxygen isotope ratios in zircons
c. [1:00] Rounded surfaces on zircons
Conclusion section [1:15]
Review: Zircons reliably dated to 4.4 bya
Earth suitable for life earlier

16. Work on Your Working Outline
Decide on pattern
Experiment? Discovery? Problem Solution? …
Fill in bottom part of Working Outline
main points in phrases or sentences
Decide on Timing for
Introduction section
Body section
Each major body point
Conclusion section

17. Homework Write a working outline for your talk
it to your teacher. (See course website to get your teacher’s address.)
Required:
Top info: Title, source & date of publication, author(s), affiliation(s), central idea sentence, pattern of organization
Detail: at least the “a., b., …” level for Intro, Body, and Conclusion sections
For points, you may use phrases or full sentences (your choice)
The timing for all 3 sections + Body points

18. Homework: All top info plus this level of detail in the bottom info
Introduction [2:15]
Question: First solid Earth surface when?
Zircon crystals prove early Earth surface
Body [5:30]
[2:15] Zircon crystals and uranium-lead dating
[2:00] Oxygen isotope ratios in zircons
[1:15] Rounded surfaces of zircons
Conclusion [1:15]
Review: Zircons reliably dated 4.4 bya
Earth suitable for life earlier

19. Your Working Outline must include a good Central Idea sentence!
The central idea sentence is part of the “Top info” for a Working Outline
one good sentence words long
Check carefully for spelling and grammar.
Choose your words well and you will be able to say this statement of your central idea in your actual exam presentation.

20. Your email to me Send to your teacher by email.
Subject line: “Working outline”
Put your working outline in a document format as an attachment
Good: “.doc”, “.docx”, “.rtf”, “.txt”, “.pdf”
Bad: “.rar”, “.zip”, “.wps”, “.pages”

21. My reply to you Hopefully, a short one: Any other reply is bad.
“Excellent”, “Very good”, “Good”
Any other reply is bad.
Longer replies tell you what is wrong and how to improve it.