Assignment #2Summary Writing

Assignment #2Due Thursday, January 28th

“The Culinary Seasons of My Childhood,” “Tasteless,” or “Day 1, Recipe 1” in Food

250-300 words (a little over a page, double-spaced)

worth 10% of grade (see rubric for grading criteria)

Food Article Previews

Jessica B. Harris

David Sedaris

Julie Powell

Where do we encounter summaries?

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Where do we encounter summaries?

abstracts

book reviews

annotations in annotated bibs

mission statements

cover letters

platforms of political candidates

What makes a summary good?identifies the thesis and main points of the document identifies the author and title in the first sentence has a style and organization that are easy to follow includes the author's ideas or examples but not your personal opinions; avoids judgments about the document itself reads smoothly, with transitions connecting ideas paraphrases the author's important ideas without using the author’s phrasing quotes sparingly and accurately avoids errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling MLA-formatted

Writing a SummaryContext: When and where was this piece of communication originally published—and by whom?

Purpose: Are you reading a memoir, a sociological article, a case study, a poem?

The Main Idea: what does the author want us to take away from his/her piece?

Supporting Evidence: What key examples, anecdotes, or facts does the author provide to support her/his thesis as well as minor claims?

Signal Words“…allow you to characterize the author’s or source’s viewpoint as well as your own” (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz 442-447).

acknowledges, admits, concedes, advises, agrees, allows, argues, asserts, believes, charges, claims, proposes, concludes, concurs, confirms, corroborates, criticizes, declares, disagrees, repudiates, refutes, discusses, documents, reports, summarizes, disputes, emphasizes, expresses, hypothesizes, interprets, lists, objects, observes, offers, opposes, remarks, replies, responds, reveals, states, suggests, thinks, writes

Practice Summary of “The Pleasures of Eating” (p. 21 in Food)

Wendell Berry

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Wendell Berry Quotes“Whether we or our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.” “Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.” —Wendell Berry!!!!

Writing Exercise

Would Wendell Berry label you a passive consumer, a responsible eater, or something in between? Provide evidence from your daily life, as well as direct examples from the text, to support your claim(s).

Summary Pre-writingWhat is the name of the article? Who wrote it? Why? When and where did it first appear?

What is Berry’s key argument or thesis? Sum it up in a sentence or quotation.

What other main ideas or supporting points does Berry use to support his key argument/thesis?

How does he close his essay?

What tone does he use? What kinds of language does he use? What kinds of examples?