SUMMARY & RESPONSE ASSIGNMENT: One skill you must have on entering English 100 or ESL 99 is the ability to summarize an article or an argument. We will practice a standard form.
A. Write a four- to six-sentence summary of the assigned article in paragraph form. Number your sentences.
B. The first sentence of the summary must include the thesis (main idea) of the essay.
C. Begin this way: In" (name of article, with major words capitalized)," (name of author) ...
Example: In "'Some Lessons From the Assembly Line," Andrew Braaksma...
D. Continue with one of the introductory verbs we have practiced, e.g. states, claims, argues, discusses, describes, reports, etc. The rest of the sentence will include the main idea and main supporting points.
E. The first time you mention a name, use first and last names. If you mention the author's name again, or any name for the second time, use only the last name.
F. Use the present tense to report arguments, but past tenses to report events or conversations that happened.
G. The rest of the summary will provide important support from the whole article for the main idea.
H. Be sure to balance your summary. You must give equal importance to the main ideas in the whole article. Many students make the mistake of writing too much detail about the first couple paragraphs and don't give enough attention to the whole article.
I. Do not copy from the article!
• Read the article until you are familiar with it.
• Underline main ideas and write a very brief outline.
• Write your summary with the article put away.
• When you have finished writing the summary, reread the article to check and correct details.
J. Cite your source: Different types of sources have different rules. Check in the library for online form.
K.* Response: Write a paragraph or two (at least eight sentences total) responding to the author's ideas.
You might want to use personal experience to explain your position.
1. Read "Luck." by Mark Twain.
2. Complete the parallel structure handout that was distributed.
Thursday: Planning for a Better World, Part 2: Choose a major problem reported in the L.A. Do not choose a natural disaster like the earthquake in Nepal or something very specific like a traffic accident. Examples of appropriate choices: Excessive force by police, corruption in politics, the migrant problem in Europe, homelessness. You may choose an article about any country as long as it has general significance.
A. Summarize the article following all above guidelines. (Reread it; don't guess.)
B. Write a proper citation of the article following the examples on the library handout.
* No other research is required, but if you use another source, you must print out the article, highlight all sections you referred to, and provide a proper citation. Otherwise, your writing is considered plagiarism.
C. Use your own logic and reasoning-the ideas don't have to be in the article you summarized and must not be copied from some other source-to do the following. Write paragraphs of at least four numbered sentences each, no maximum. Use appropriate connectors and write within your ability.
1. Describe to the best of your knowledge and analytic skills how the problem developed.
2. Describe under what conditions it would not have become as serious a problem as it is now (Unreal conditional)
3. Make a suggestion that could improve the situation and explain why it would (or might) work.
4. Predict how this problem will grow-or will be solved-if your brilliant proposal isn't applied to it. Use future sentences. Include until, unless, and other appropriate connectors.