English

Week3COMM1007SummaryAssignment522.docx

Due the Sunday of Week 3 at 11:59pm via Blackboard

Instructions:

· Read “People who whined about the Amber Alert are horrible people” by Scott Gilmore; the link is in Blackboard under “Course Readings” and “Week 3.”

· Prepare a written summary of the most important points of this article in one paragraph of 5-10 sentences (250 – 300 words)

· You may find it helpful to follow the steps discussed in class, and listed below.

· NOTE: while the steps below are there to help you write your summary, it is the summary itself, not the answers to the questions, which will be graded.

· Your summary must follow in-text APA formatting standards; please include an APA formatted cover page and reference list.

Step-wise Process:

1. Remember that the topic sentence of a quality summary includes the author, date of publication, title of publication, a reporting verb, and the author’s thesis. List these below:

Author:

Title:

Date:

Thesis:

2. What is the author’s main purpose in the article?

3. Identify the main ideas of the article, and any (necessary) supporting details; list them.

Note: remember to:

· Paraphrase (no quotations, or copying of original language; must be in your own words).

· Exclude your own opinions/evaluations/critique/bias regarding the article.

4. Draw these listed ideas into a paragraph of 5-8 sentences.

Note: remember to:

· Include the main ideas and (necessary) supporting details only.

· Consider transitional words to make your paragraph flow (e.g. next, however, furthermore, therefore, on the other hand).

· Consistently use the author’s last name and the publications date throughout to clearly give credit to the author’s ideas, and show your audience whose ideas you are paraphrasing and summarizing.

5. Format using APA style:

Note: remember to:

· Include a reference list.

· Include a cover page.

· Use appropriate font style/size, and indentations.

· Use formal language only; no slang or colloquialisms.

· Use in-text citations where necessary.

Summary Assignment: 5%

Grading Rubric

Criteria

Insufficient/

Incomplete

In Development

Great Work!

Content

Range 0 – 1

Content incomplete, or requires significant development to summarize effectively

Range 1 – 1.5

Almost there! Needs work to summarize effectively

Range 1.5 – 2

· Effectively summarizes main ideas; no unnecessary details

· Written in own words (paraphrased)

· No opinion, bias, or evaluation

Organization

Range 0 - 0.5

Organization requires significant development to summarize effectively

Range 0.5 - 0.75

Almost there! Needs work to organize points effectively

Range 0.75 - 1

· Firstly, thesis statement contains author, title, date, reporting verb, & thesis

· Supporting sentences follow (main ideas)

· Finally, a concluding sentence

· Consistently refers to the author by last name, and includes the publication date, throughout

Writing Mechanics

Range 0 - 0.5

Too many mechanical errors; detracts from summary

Range 0.5 - 0.75

Almost there! Writing mechanics need development for professional appearance

Range 0.75 - 1

· Good variety of sentence structures; academic tonality

· Transitional word/phrases to move smoothly between ideas

· Thoughtful editing demonstrates good writing mechanics (e.g., spelling & grammar)

APA

Range 0 - 0.5

Reference list has significant errors; in-text APA formatting has significant errors, or reference list and in-text APA formatting missing

Range 0.5 - 0.75

Almost there! Reference list present, but significant errors, and in-text APA citation errors

Range 0.75 - 1

· Accurate reference list

· Accurate cover page

· Font, indentation, in-text citation, etc., in APA formatting with only minor errors

TOTAL