October+16+&+17

[Fifteenth Meeting]

Objectives: Write a précis Summary of the research paper draft.

Classwork:

Read and take notes on the article, [|The Generation of Generation Q] While Listening to the article, [|The Generation of Generation Q]

After reading and listening to the article, write a précis after reading the text below:

PRÉCIS WRITING

A précis is a clear, orderly, concise, boiled-down summary which preserves the organization and principal content of the original. A précis is shorter than the original, usually about a fourth to a third as long. __Some Concepts to Remember__
 * 1) The word "précis" (pronounced pray-see) is cognate to the word "precise" coming from a Latin word meaning "to cut." A précis, then, is a cut version of the original, retaining the main ideas and omitting all or most of the examples and secondary ideas.
 * 2) The précis keeps the original proportion.
 * 3) The précis is readable, not a series of notes. Therefore, appropriate transitions must be incorporated.
 * 4) The précis adds nothing of your own--no comments or interpretations at all. The purpose is to condense the original, not to explain it. Do not insert "Einstein says" or "Frost thinks" as transition.
 * 5) Your thesis statement and topic sentences will convey the main ideas of your essay; do not mention them in your précis.

To write an effective précis, you must identify yourself with the author. This technique requires careful reading and thoughtful selection of words. Follow the steps below to accomplish this task: The précis writing content is from: http://www.bartonccc.edu/mees/home/english/compIIpacket/preciswriting.htm
 * 1) Read the selection for meaning to ascertain the author's intended message.
 * 2) Read the selection another time to discern the author's tone or attitude. Become the author; see through his eyes. Once you know the author's tone, be it aggressive, detached, or sympathetic, you are better equipped to represent this writing.
 * 3) Introduce the title of the selection and the author's name in the first sentence of your précis. (We call this the "tag.") If an author's name is unavailable, the tag should read: in the article entitled //Article Title//, it is indicated that..
 * 4) Use your own language in the précis . Certainly, words or even phrases from the original will crop up in your précis, but do not reproduce entire sentences. Carefully chosen synonyms should replace the author's wording whenever possible. By incorporating effective transitions, sentence combining, and sentence variety facilitate the task of writing a concise yet interesting précis.
 * 5) In English Composition II, you must write your précis in third-person, even if the original is written in first- or second-person. To fit with the rest of your paper, it should be written in present tense. You should also eliminate any BE verbs or grammatical errors and "Do's and Don't's List" errors.
 * 6) Preserve the author's organization, keeping the main points in the same order as the original. Keep the same sense of proportion as the original; for example, do not write one-third of your précis over one-tenth of the original.
 * 7) As with any material from an outside source, the précis must be documented. When using the MLA style of documentation, the parenthetical reference appears following the last sentence of the précis.

Read and take notes on, [|Don't drink the water] then write a précis, print it out and submit it to Mr. Alexander. Then, read [|Students raise awareness of Bottled water's harm] then write a précis, print it out and submit it to Mr. Alexander.

Finally, write a précis for my paper. Once complete, I will post it on my blog. Create another category on my blog: 10 - Précis. Entitle the entry //Paper Précis// //One//.

Homework: First third of paper draft.