writing 320-1

Article Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/01/science/gene-th…

This assignment consists of three parts:

1) Write a summary of the article we discussed in the initial “What is science writing?” discussion. This summary may be no more than 200 words. (The assignment directions for the summary are deliberately vague.)

2) Once you have finished writing your summary, reread and note the following. In a separate paragraph, describe your decision-making as you crafted the summary. What did you decide to include? Why? What did you exclude? Why? What did you assume the reader needed to know? Generally, what assumptions did you make about your audience? Post both your summary and this paragraph.

3) Read through the other posted summaries within your group and post comments. What struck you about that summary? Is the summary radically different from yours? In what way? What parts of the summary did you particularly like? Do you have a criticism to share? For example, are you unsure if the summary is completely accurate? Would you revise a particular phrase or sentence? How so?

It is important to be forthcoming with criticisms but to be kind when posting. An easy way to do this is to first discuss things you really appreciated about the writing. Then, when offering critique, focus on the summary, not the author. For example, write something like “I noticed that the summary stated that x was true. I read the article differently….”