Based on the Assignment Rubric, compose one summary covering the information from the assigned reading Lessons 3: Actions & Lesson 4: Characters from Williams Style: Lessons in Clarity & Grace text. Do not write two summaries, one for each chapter. You need to be able to synthesize and combine information from both chapters. You are not allowed to use a single form of the verb “to be” (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, or been). This is the heart and soul of the assignment.
The summaries must adhere to the following parameters:
- Do not use “to be” verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, or been; This will help you practice using active voice in your writing as the overuse passive voice is highly discouraged in graduate-level writing).
- The summary must be 550-600 words (citations included).
- No long quotes–You may use quotes of up to 3-4 words sparingly, and these quotes should only be KEY terms that you could not neatly paraphrase any other way.
- PARAPHRASE the author and focus on Williams’ philosophy of writing and the advice he provides readers as your discussion emphasis (and cite accordingly).
- Write behind Williams as your source (This means consistently mentioning him as you summarize his material: e.g., “Williams explains…”, “According to Williams, …”, etc. This will get you into the practice of using your sources as your authority in research writing, not you).
- Cover the entirety of both lessons in your summary (Only one lesson or half of both lessons = failing grade).
- You will have to be judicious in determining what matters most to include in the summary.
- Provide a one to two sentence summary of the entire lesson at the beginning of your first paragraph and a one to two sentence conclusion in your last paragraph.
These summaries do not follow MLA, APA, or Turabian styles as that information won’t be covered until Week 6. Instead, format each summary as follows:
- First and last name and page number in the top-right corner of the header (not the text area, the actual header).
- 1″ margins on all sides.
- Lesson name as title.
- Cite each reference of the text with parentheses (page number only e.g., “Williams states… (46).”).
- Be sure each sentence is clear and grammatically correct.
- Double space the text.
- Indent all paragraphs 1/2″ (paragraph = 150-250 words).
NOTE: Since you are paraphrasing and summarizing Williams, you are expected to include citations throughout most sentences (if not every one) of the summary to practice avoiding plagiarism.
