1. Drafting the Summarizing & Responding Project
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Drafting the Summarizing & Responding Project
English 111
Sept. 9, 2014

2. Parts of almost any composition
Introduction
Body
Conclusion

3. Introducing the Summarizing & Responding project
What must an introduction accomplish?
Present your topic
(Your rhetorical description contributes to this)
Evoke readers’ interest
State or imply what your response will be (thesis)

4. Writing the Body
What two things needs to be included in the body of this project?
Summary of the core reading you chose
Response to the core reading you chose

5. The Body: Summarizing What must your summary accomplish?
Must be comprehensive: someone who hasn’t read the essay itself should have a good overall understanding of its message and main points based on your summary.
Must attempt to be objective and fair regarding the content of the essay – i.e. only reporting what the author intends to say
Must avoid including your own opinions; merely report the overall message and main points of the essay you’ve read.

6. The Body: Summarizing (Cont.)
Should regularly refer to the author of the essay to emphasize that information and ideas in your summary belongs to that author (e.g. “According to Alexie…” Barrientos’ story shows…”, etc.)
Avoid 1st person (I, me, my, mine, etc.) or 2nd person (you, your, yours, etc.) point of view. Use only 3rd person point of view (he, she, it, him, her, his, hers, its, they, them, etc.)
Limit the summary itself to 1 page (maybe even less) doublespaced. More than a page will indicate that you went into too much detail. Summaries should be short and to the point.

7. The Body: Responding What must your response accomplish?
Should deliver and clearly articulate an opinion you have about the essay and should try to justify, back up, or support your opinion by arguing for it.
Will require evidence to back up your opinion. Evidence comes from the essay itself (quotations and paraphrases),from your personal experiences, and/or from other sources.
For the response, you may use 1st person point of view (I, me, my, mine, etc.) since you will likely be writing about your personal impressions and experiences.
Response should be the largest part of your draft.

8. Concluding the Summarizing & Responding Project
What does a conclusion need to accomplish?
Should wrap up, maybe briefly summarize, the points you make in your response.
Should leave a lasting impression on your readers.
For this kind of composition, the conclusion might simply be a final, lasting point regarding your response.