Blog Assignment One: Summary, Paraphrase, and Direct Quotation

Length: 250-300 words

For your first blog, summarize the introduction of Walter Mosley's Workin on the Chain Gang. Be sure to practice the following techniques:

* Give your reader directions. Who is your audience? What do they need to know when they encounter your blog post for the first time?

Sample directions: In this blog I will discuss...

* Practice summary: summary is the art of condensing lots of information into just several sentences. You may have to raise key terms, key dates, keywords, or key ideas. You will have to arrange these ideas in a way that makes sense for your reader. You should define the special terms, keywords, or ideas that you bring up. If the reader needs to know more about the passage where you found the idea, it's your job to explain it.

* Practice paraphrase: Paraphrasing happens when you put a short phrase or sentence or important idea into your own words. Remember to refer to the author.

* Direct quotation: Once in your blog, use "direct quotation" to pull out a special phrase, group of words, single word, or sentence that you find especially meaningful. Be sure to put citation at the end of your sentence, before the period. Then explain the meaning of that quotation to your reader, no matter what else happens in your blog.

This quote is important because...

OR

Here, Mosley's ideas are important because....