Summary and Synthesis Portfolio Directions

ESL 500, Unit 2: Summary & Synthesis Paragraphs Portfolio Overview

Student Assignment Prompt (20% of final grade)

Purpose: You will practice summarizing and paraphrasing from articles to gain practice in order to learn to avoid plagiarism effectively. You will also refine your skills in identifying the main ideas of articles and synthesizing the common ideas. Comparative language and synthesis structures will also be learned.

Type of Assignment: Both summary and synthesis are skills that you will need throughout your academic career, particularly in writing a literature review for a journal article or dissertation.

Task: For this assignment, you will hand in a portfolio of four independent paragraphs based on 3 articles that we will read together as a class based on one topic.

(2) Summaries: The first two paragraphs will be individual summaries of two of the articles that we will discuss in class.

(2) Synthesis Paragraphs: The other two paragraphs will be individual synthesis paragraphs based on all 3 of the articles that we will discuss in class, identifying common points among the articles. These points should make frequent reference to the source. Each paragraph needs to begin with a topic sentence and use PIE structure. The use of the comparative language learned in class is encouraged.

Formatting Requirements: Two individual summary paragraphs should be approximately 1/3 of the original length of the source. The two synthesis paragraphs should incorporate information from all three articles. The assignment should have a title, be in Times New Roman, Size 12, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on all sides. (Paper size: 8 1/2 x 11-inches)

Source Requirements: Each summary should directly reference its sources and have a references list on a separate page. The Final Source-Synthesis Summary/Paragraphs should include all sources both in-text and on a references list. Failure to supply a reference page will result in point deduction.

Plagiarism Disclaimer: Unintentional plagiarism will result in a deduction of points. Intentional plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment. Do not plagiarize (e.g. copy and pasting or paraphrase) from other students’ papers or the sample essay.

Deadlines/Timeline: Assignment	Due Date B1	Due Date Z1/N1
Summary #1 and Summary #2
Revised Summaries & Synthesis Paragraphs Portfolio
Final draft Summary & Synthesis Paragraphs Portfolio

Submission Instructions: Upload to Compass

(A) ADVANCED          (B) DEVELOPED           (C) ADEQUATE          (D) DEVELOPING          (F) ABSENT

(2) SUMMARY PARAGRAPHS: 30 points

SUMMARY	A B C D F	COMMENTS
INTRODUCTION: Introduces the source and effectively captures the overall main idea of the original text in the first sentence of the summary.
MAIN IDEAS: Identifies the main ideas of the original text. No unnecessary details are included.
OBJECTIVITY: All ideas are from the original text and are acknowledged accordingly; your own ideas and judgment are not included.
CONCLUSION: Paraphrases the purpose of the article and/or explains the broader implications.

(2) SYNTHESIS PARAGRAPHS: 30 points

SYNTHESIS	A B C D F	COMMENTS
UNITY: A clear topic statement expresses the main idea of the paragraph; all Illustrations reflect this central main idea.
NEUTRALITY: The writer is consistently neutral, offering no personal opinions on the issues but merely reporting the authors’ stances.
SYNTHESIS LANGUAGE: Correct synthesis language is used to demonstrate similarities and differences between the sources discussed.

OVERALL EVALUATION: 40 points

	A B C D F	COMMENTS
CITATIONS: Correct APA in-text and reference page citations are used.
SOURCE INTEGRATION: Summary and paraphrase are used effectively to integrate information from sources into your writing.
PLAGIARISM: Please note that unintentional plagiarism will result in a deduction of points. Intentional plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment.
FORMATTING: Font Times New Roman, Size 12, Double-Spaced, Margins 1-inch, Creative Title
CLARITY: Grammar errors and incorrect word choices do not distract the reader from the important points.

FINAL GRADE:

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: