Tocomplete this unit’s discussion, create two separate posts: one for each of the2 prompts below.

Prompt 1

Effectiveacademic writers know how to summarize. In this prompt, use Greene andLidinsky’s categories to practice summarizing one of the assigned articles from Ch. 14 (“Why American Schools are Even More UnequalThan We Thought” by Susan Dynarksi or “The Good News aboutEducational Inequality” by by Sean F. Reardon, Jane Waldfogel, and DaphnaBassok)

Create a postthat does all ofthe following:

Describe the key claims ofthe text. Tounderstand the shape and direction of the argument, study how paragraphs beginand end, and pay attention to the author’s point of view and use oftransitions. Then combine what you have learned into a few sentences describingthe key claims.

Select arepresentative quotation to illustrate the author’s argument. Find one quotationthat illustrates the “flavor” of the article, and that illustratesthe author’s most important ideas.

Present the gist of the author’s argument. Describe the author’scentral idea in your own language with an eye to where you expect your argumentto go. (Hint: to ensure that you are using your own language, try to presentthe argument in a different order than the writer does.In other words, don’t try to summarize paragraph by paragraph. Instead, try toexplain his position as simply and clearly as you can.)

Contextualize what yousummarize. Cue your readers into the conversation. Who is the author? Whereand when did the text appear? Why was the author writing? Who else is in theconversation?

Your post for this promptshould be about 150-200 words, and should include in-text citations for anyquotations or paraphrases.

Prompt 2

As you learned in thisweek’s lecture, academic writing can be thought of as a conversation. (RememberBurke’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 partof? What is the subject of this “parlor”? If you were to make acontribution to this conversation, what you say?

Your post for this promptshould be about 100-200 words, and should include in-text citations for anyquoted or paraphrased material.

Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis

ForEssay #1, please write a summary and analysis of oneof the following articles from Ch. 14:

·”Why American Schools are Even More Unequal Than WeThought” by Susan Dynarksi, p. 427-430

OR

·”The Good News about Educational Inequality” by bySean F. Reardon, Jane Waldfogel, and Daphna Bassok, p. 430-434

Your audience is educated peers who have read the article, andare wondering what you think about it.

*Yourrhetorical analysis must include a summary of what thearticle argues, and also an analysis and evaluationof how well the article makes its points.

Youressay should include those elements of summary that Greene and Lidinskyrecommend:

·the context of the article

·a clear statement of what you feel to be “the gist” of thearticle

·a description of the key claims of the article

·1-2 relevant examples (direct quotations or paraphrases)from the article

As nosummary is neutral, you must weave an analytical threadthroughout your summary that suggests to the reader your judgment ofthe 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 argument

Do not attempt to summarize every last detail of thearticle. Instead, focus on the gist of the article andyour analysis of the how well the article supports its points.

Becausean analysis is your perspective, it is appropriate to use”I” in this essay. However, do use “I” sparingly — yourfocus should be on analyzing the article, not on simply stating your ownbeliefs.

Guidelinesfor Essay #1

Length/Due Date:approximately 600 words,

Style/Format: This, as all essays in EN106, should beformatted in a standard scholarly format. (Most students follow MLA or APAguidelines, which are outlined in Easy Writer.) No matter whatformat 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 themanuscript.

References: Essay #1 must quote or paraphrase thearticle 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 areavailable in most word processors, including Google Docs and Open Office, andwill ensure that your instructor is able to comment on your work.

Works Cited/References: Create anappropriate bibliography, with one entry for the article you are analyzing.Use Easy Writer to learn how to format a end-of-text citationfor a work in an anthology or selection in a book with an editor.

Titles: Include a descriptive title at the beginning of your essaythat tips your readers off to your central message. Do not formatyour title with quotation marks, boldface, underlining or italics. Quotationmarks or underlining are only appropriate if the title borrows words fromanother source.

Deadline: Submit your final draft essay no laterthan 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 forfuture EN106 students and instructors unless you expresslyrequest that it not be used. Your work, of course, will only be used foreducational purposes.

Assessment: See the Grading and Assessment contentitem under Course Home to see the criteria and rubric I willuse to grade your essay.

Why Is This Assignment Important?

A verycommon type of writing you will produce in your academic career is a sourceanalysis. The ability to engage in close reading of a text, identify salientarguments and evidence, present the text’s ideas in your own words, andevaluate that source’s effectiveness is foundational to entering academic conversations.Summaries also serve an important role in helping other readers make sense of adifficult text. You might think of analysis as the job of a tour guide: you areoffering your readers a brief glimpse into another world.

As youlearned from Greene and Lidinsky’s chapter, writing a rhetoricalanalysis involves a great deal of critical thinking and evaluation on thepart of the writer. You must identify the author’s thesis (what Greene andLidinsky call “the gist”), uncover how the key claims of that thesis aresupported and developed, evaluate the conversational contexts of the author’swork, and, at all points, consider how your perspectiveaffects your interpretation of the text.