EN106 The Good News about Educational Inequality Article Summary
To
complete this unit's discussion, create two separate posts: one for each of the
2 prompts below.Prompt 1Effective
academic writers know how to summarize. In this prompt, use Greene and
Lidinsky's categories to practice summarizing one of the assigned articles from Ch. 14 ("Why American Schools are Even More Unequal
Than We Thought" by Susan Dynarksi or "The Good News about
Educational Inequality" by by Sean F. Reardon, Jane Waldfogel, and Daphna
Bassok) Create a post
that does all of
the following:Describe the key claims of
the text. To
understand the shape and direction of the argument, study how paragraphs begin
and end, and pay attention to the author’s point of view and use of
transitions. Then combine what you have learned into a few sentences describing
the key claims.Select a
representative quotation to illustrate the author’s argument. Find one quotation
that illustrates the "flavor" of the article, and that illustrates
the author's most important ideas.Present the gist of the author’s argument. Describe the author’s
central idea in your own language with an eye to where you expect your argument
to go. (Hint: to ensure that you are using your own language, try to present
the argument in a different order than the writer does.
In other words, don't try to summarize paragraph by paragraph. Instead, try to
explain his position as simply and clearly as you can.)Contextualize what you
summarize. Cue your readers into the conversation. Who is the author? Where
and when did the text appear? Why was the author writing? Who else is in the
conversation?Your post for this prompt
should be about 150-200 words, and should include in-text citations for any
quotations or paraphrases.Prompt 2As you learned in this
week's lecture, academic writing can be thought of as a conversation. (Remember
Burke's metaphor of the parlor?) After reading the assigned articles from Ch.
14, how would you describe the conversation of ideas these articles are a part
of? What is the subject of this "parlor"? If you were to make a
contribution to this conversation, what you say?Your post for this prompt
should be about 100-200 words, and should include in-text citations for any
quoted or paraphrased material.Essay #1: Rhetorical AnalysisFor
Essay #1, please write a summary and analysis of one
of the following articles from Ch. 14:·"Why American Schools are Even More Unequal Than We
Thought" by Susan Dynarksi, p. 427-430OR·"The Good News about Educational Inequality" by by
Sean F. Reardon, Jane Waldfogel, and Daphna Bassok, p. 430-434Your audience is educated peers who have read the article, and
are wondering what you think about it.*Your
rhetorical analysis must include a summary of what the
article argues, and also an analysis and evaluation
of how well the article makes its points.Your
essay should include those elements of summary that Greene and Lidinsky
recommend:·the context of the article·a clear statement of what you feel to be “the gist” of the
article·a description of the key claims of the article·1-2 relevant examples (direct quotations or paraphrases)
from the articleAs no
summary is neutral, you must weave an analytical thread
throughout your summary that suggests to the reader your judgment of
the value of the article. You might consider including:·examine how well the article appeals to its intended audience·evaluate the author's use of evidence·identify the author's purpose or motivation for writing·point out the gaps and flaws in the article's argumentDo not attempt to summarize every last detail of the
article. Instead, focus on the gist of the article and
your analysis of the how well the article supports its points.Because
an analysis is your perspective, it is appropriate to use
"I" in this essay. However, do use "I" sparingly -- your
focus should be on analyzing the article, not on simply stating your own
beliefs.Guidelines
for Essay #1 Length/Due Date:
approximately 600 words, Style/Format: This, as all essays in EN106, should be
formatted in a standard scholarly format. (Most students follow MLA or APA
guidelines, which are outlined in Easy Writer.) No matter what
format you follow, be sure to do the following:·Use 12 point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced.·Use 1-inch margins top, bottom, and sides.·Although no cover page is needed, you should include your name,
my name, the course number/title, and date at the upper left-hand corner of the
manuscript.References: Essay #1 must quote or paraphrase the
article you are analyzing. Each time you quote or paraphrase the article,
include in-text citations that follow MLA or APA style.File format:
Please submit your essay as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file. These formats are
available in most word processors, including Google Docs and Open Office, and
will ensure that your instructor is able to comment on your work.Works Cited/References: Create an
appropriate bibliography, with one entry for the article you are analyzing.
Use Easy Writer to learn how to format a end-of-text citation
for a work in an anthology or selection in a book with an editor.Titles: Include a descriptive title at the beginning of your essay
that tips your readers off to your central message. Do not format
your title with quotation marks, boldface, underlining or italics. Quotation
marks or underlining are only appropriate if the title borrows words from
another source.Deadline: Submit your final draft essay no later
than Midnight on Sunday at the end of this unit.Use of essays for future courses:
Please understand that your essay may be used— anonymously—as a sample for
future EN106 students and instructors unless you expressly
request that it not be used. Your work, of course, will only be used for
educational purposes.Assessment: See the Grading and Assessment content
item under Course Home to see the criteria and rubric I will
use to grade your essay.Why Is This Assignment Important?A very
common type of writing you will produce in your academic career is a source
analysis. The ability to engage in close reading of a text, identify salient
arguments and evidence, present the text’s ideas in your own words, and
evaluate that source's effectiveness is foundational to entering academic conversations.
Summaries also serve an important role in helping other readers make sense of a
difficult text. You might think of analysis as the job of a tour guide: you are
offering your readers a brief glimpse into another world.As you
learned from Greene and Lidinsky’s chapter, writing a rhetorical
analysis involves a great deal of critical thinking and evaluation on the
part of the writer. You must identify the author’s thesis (what Greene and
Lidinsky call “the gist”), uncover how the key claims of that thesis are
supported and developed, evaluate the conversational contexts of the author’s
work, and, at all points, consider how your perspective
affects your interpretation of the text.
