Your assignment was to write a summary in 250 words - which is short. So you needed to figure out ways to identify the underlying ideas + name them. We looked at the introduction & conclusion and saw the word "principles" used in both places => which suggests this essay is about. . . (you fill in this blank and you have the focus of your summary). We then went through the bullet points to see what they had in common - to see if we could find one sentence or one set of words that applies to all the bullets. You did a great job on this and identified a slightly different set of words for each of the sections. We also noticed that the teacher & student sections had some connections in terms of the ideas. This talk (thinking) set you up with ideas and language for "condensing" what Ryan and Zimmerelli wrote - without using their language or the particular examples they offered.
Using the assignment sheet. We used the assignment sheet to make sure the summary you wrote corresponded to the expectations of the audience. Assignment sheets almost never provide everything you need to know to write the "right" essay - but they are the best place to start.
Format for college English essays. We also talked about formatting. You made a "template" that you can use for any MLA document. That way, you don't have to worry about the default settings on the word processing program of what ever computer you are working with. You can just open your template and you are in MLA-land. For other formats - you can go back to HTWA or the Purdue OWL - and set yourself up.
We also talked briefly about the kind of style an academic audience would expect in a summary. Although there is no hard and fast rule about using personal pronouns, in a summary - it is not your perspective that matters => it is the author's. So you present all the information in terms of the authors' perspectives. Ryan and Zimmerelli. . . state that, suggest, present, indicate, point out that, show, discuss, explain, etc. You can also use other "signal" words to show that you are reporting what someone else has written: according to, in the essay by, etc.
Sample Writing Conference: After talking through the kinds of changes that my quick read through your essays indicated you would want to work on - Kristi (thank you) volunteered to participate in a sample writing center conference with me - to work on her essay. She did a great job - and it looked like she got some ideas for what to work on. In a real writing center conference she would have had more time to write - and she probably would have read some of her work back to me, and we would have worked on it some more - but what we did was fairly representative of the kinds of interactions that take place.
You pointed out the most important features of conferences: the coach makes the student feel comfortable, asks questions, points out and validates what the student does well, provides information about the writing task and strategies for working on writing, and listens to the writer's ideas. The writer owns her work, takes responsibility for making changes, tells the coach what s/he wants to work on, and WRITES!
Good class today. Thank you for your good work.
For Tuesday - I will return your baseline essays and we will spend some time talking about them. You will receive a grade - but it is a "feedback" grade (information about where your writing stands in terms of college expectations) => it won't count toward your grade for the course.
Write: revise your summary of Ryan and Zimmerelli's chapter. Turn in the revised summary as an attachment to an email sent to ENG1620HonorsEnglish@gmail.com. (NOTE: you do NOT have to write the summary of your writing process).
Read: In the Guide for Writing Tutors: Chapter 2, "The Writing Process," pp. 7-18. Also, check out the chapter titles/headings in HTWA. See if there is anything in the table of contents that you think will be particularly important for you. We can talk about this on Tuesday, and if you -as a class- have particular writing issues you want to cover - I will make sure we spend some class time on them.
See you on Tuesday!
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