INPUT ARTICLE: Article: An outline is a useful way to help you summarize information. Your first step to understanding the chapter is to read the material. Skimming means to read quickly and somewhat superficially. Focus on key terms. Many textbooks will put these significant words in bold print to help you quickly locate them. Do not spend too much time trying to read each word. On your first read through, scan the information to get a sense of what the chapter is about. Skim the chapter, reading the introduction and conclusion. Also read the first sentence or two of each paragraph. You are trying to figure out what the main points of the chapter are. Once you understand the basic concept of the chapter, it is time to prepare your outline. Most outlines are formatted using a combination of numbers and letters. Typically, the main points are denoted with roman numerals, and the sub points are marked with letters. For example, if you are writing an outline for a chapter about the American Civil War, you want to start by organizing your outline with the main points. It might be something such as: I. The Origins of the Conflict II. Significant Battles III. Impact on the North IV. Impact on the South V. Reconstruction. Once you have your main points, you can add sub points. For I. The Origins of the Conflict, you could add A. Slavery B. State's Rights Make sure that the points of the outline are based on the main points of the chapter. You could consider using the subheadings of the outline as your main points. Your outline will include additional components. After you have a format, you can work on writing the introduction. The introduction for your outline should be one paragraph long. The most important thing to include in your introduction is the thesis statement. The thesis is the argument, or main point, of the chapter. For example, the thesis in the chapter on the Civil War might be, "The Civil War was a victory for the North because of more material resources, such as metals, and a larger population base." Rewrite the thesis in your own words, and include it in your introduction. Your introduction should also give a brief overview of the significant points in the chapter. The introduction should be at the beginning of the outline. Once that is finished, you can fill in the numerals and numbers with your main points. An effective outline will be succinct. You do not need to rewrite the entire chapter. However, you will want to add enough information to each of your points to give you a clear idea of what you are trying to comprehend. An annotation is a comment or explanation. Include an annotation for each of your sub points. For example, you could annotate I. The Origins of the Conflict, A. Slavery, by saying something like, "The South was resistant to reforming society without 4 million slaves. This was also an ideological cause of the war. The annotations should provide enough information to be useful, but not enough to overwhelm you when you are trying to review your outline. 2-3 sentences is about the right length. It's a good idea to have a pretty clear picture of what you want your outline to look like. However, you should also be open to making changes. Remain flexible while you're working on your outline so that you can shape it to best fit your needs. Leave room to add points. Maybe you originally planned to have only 5 main points, but you realized there are actually 6 topics that you need to cover. Go ahead and add an additional point. Just make sure that what you add truly does need to be a key point. If it would work just as well as a sub point, it's probably best to make it one. You can also remove material. Maybe your initial impression is that submarine warfare was a major factor in the outcome of the Civil War. If you later change your mind, you can remove that point. Sometimes your instructor might assign an outline as a graded assignment. It is a useful way to help you learn new skills. Your outline can also help your teacher tell if you are focusing on the right concepts. Complete all of the requirements. If your teacher asks for an 8 point outline, then your outline should have 8 points. Ask for clarification. If you have questions about how to format your outline, ask your instructor for some specific guidelines.

SUMMARY: Skim the material. Format your outline. Write the outline. Annotate your outline. Be flexible. Follow instructions.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you perform the same action day after day, then your muscles will grow fatigued and overly tired, instead of strengthening. Mix up your physical activities by doing both cardio and weight training. Take a yoga class, do some water exercises, or plan a quick bicycle ride. Creating an exercise schedule will help you meet your health goals while adding variety. For example, on Mondays you might consistently take a yoga class, whereas Fridays are for cycling. Plan your meals around healthy proteins, such as chicken, fish, legumes, soy, milk, and eggs. Eat filling snacks, such as almonds or Greek yogurt, in between meals. Protein helps build muscle tissue. If you don't currently have this amount of protein in your diet, it's not necessary to jump to these levels immediately. Instead, gradually add more proteins into your meals and monitor how your body responds. You can also drink some of your proteins by making healthy shakes using Greek yogurt, milk, and whey powder. Use a milk substitute, like almond or soy milk, if you need to.

SUMMARY: Vary your exercise routine. Eat 20 to 30 grams (0.71 to 1.06oz) of protein every 3 hours.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you know you want to make a pencil holder, start stock piling tubes from paper towels, toilet paper, aluminum foil, etc. You'll need at least a few. The sturdier, the better -- choose thicker tubes, if you have them. This pencil holder project won't require any unusual tools or supplies. If you're used to crafting, you'll probably already have most of the necessities. If not, you can easily get them from any hobby or craft store. In addition to your tubes, you'll need: Decorative supplies (paint, ribbon, paper, or whatever else you want to use) Scissors An X-acto knife A flat sheet of thin cardboard (such as from a cereal box) Mod Podge or glue If you are using longer tubes, you'll need to cut them so that they're not taller than your pencils. Stand a full-size pencil next to your tubes, and use scissors to cut the tube so that it's at least an inch or two shorter than the pencil. Cut as many tubes as you think you'll need to hold the number of pencils you have. If you want some variation in your design, cut the tubes to slightly different lengths. While you're at it, you can also designate some tubes to hold other supplies, like pens, scissors, or a ruler. If you want to keep small items (like paperclips) in any of the tubes, however, make sure to cut the tube fairly short so you'll be able to reach the items. Plain cardboard tubes will be functional, but not very pretty. Adding some decorative touches is easy and will make your pencil holder instantly more classy. For instance, you could: Paint the outside of the tubes Brush them with Mod Podge then wrap them in paper, ribbon, yarn, etc. Wrap the tubes in washi tape or decorative duct tape. Once you have your individual tubes decorated to your liking, stand them all up on their ends. Place them next to each other in various arrangements until you find one that looks good to you. Then apply a thin line of glue or Mod Podge just where each tube touches another. Hold the tubes together for a few seconds to set the glue, then add another line of glue to attach the next tube. For best results, arrange your tubes in some sort of cluster shape. This will keep the pencil holder sturdy. The paper tubes are open on both ends, and adding a base will keep them from accidentally falling out if you move or lift up your pencil holder. Luckily, this is quick and easy. Grab your sheet of thin cardboard. Apply glue or Mod Podge to the bottom of your tubes, then set the tube cluster on top of the cardboard. Let the glue dry. Take an X-acto knife and trace around the edges of your tube cluster. This will remove the excess cardboard and give your pencil holder a clean look.

SUMMARY:
Grab a few paper tubes. Get your crafting gear ready. Trim your tubes to the perfect size. Add some flair to your tubes. Join the tubes together. Finish off your holder by adding a base.