FORMS OF WRITING ASSIGNMENT
August 30, 2011 | 
Author During college years, we will often be asked to demonstrate our understanding of sources by writing summaries, evaluations, analyses, and syntheses. These thing make up the four forms of writing that are fundamental to college-level work. Each form emphasizes a particular way of thinking about texts, and each is built on particular skills in critical reading, which in turn will lead us to be a critical writer.
Forms of writing that build on reading that will make us a critical writer, are:
Summary.
When we summarize, we briefly and neutrally restate the main points of a text. Summary draws on our skills of reading to understand.
Evaluation.
When we evaluate, we judge the effectiveness of an author’s presentation and explain our agreement or disagreement. Evaluation draws on our skills of reading to understand, reading to respond, and reading to evaluate.
Analysis.
When we analyze, we use the clearly defined principles set out by one or more authors to investigate the work of other authors or to investigate various situations in the world. Analysis draws on our skills of reading to understand, reading to respond, and reading to evaluate.
Synthesis.
When we synthesize texts, we gather the work of various authors according to our purpose. Synthesis draws on our skills of reading to understand, reading to respond, reading to evaluate, and reading to synthesize.
READING TO SYNTHESIZE TECHNIQUE
Once we have understood, responded to, and evaluated a single source, we are in a position to link that source with others. By establishing links between one author and others (including ourselves), we achieve a synthesis, i.e. an integration of sources. Synthesis is the fourth and in some ways the most complex component of a close, critical reading, i.e. that will make us a critical reader and critical writer, because it requires that we read and understand all our source materials and that we respond to and evaluate each one.
We have four goals in reading to synthesize:
- Read to understand, respond to, and evaluate multiple sources on a subject, problem, or issue.
- Understand our own views on the subject, problem, or issue. Be able to state these views in a sentence or two.
- Forge relationships among source materials, according to our purpose. In a synthesis, our views should predominate. use the work of various authors to support what we think.
- Generally, try to create a conversation among sources. Be sure that yours is the major voice in the conversation.
Students find the following plan helpful when writing synthesis:
- Read, respond to, and evaluate multiple sources on a topic.
- Subdivide the topic into parts and give each a brief title.
- Write cross-references for each part.
- Summarize each author’s information or ideas about each part.
- Forge relationships among reading selections.
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READING TO EVALUATE TECHNIQUE
Evaluating a text is the third component of a close, critical reading for a critical reader. Having understood and responded to a text, we are in a position to investigate its strengths and weaknesses, that is to evaluate it. We will not find every text to be of equal value: equally accurate, equally useful, equally convincing, equally well written. As a critical reader, you should determine the extent to which an author has succeeded or failed in presenting material. We should be able to explain why we and the author agree or disagree.
We have four goals in reading to evaluate:
- Distinguish between an author’s use of facts and opinions. When we are reading to evaluate, we want to be alert to an author’s use of facts, opinions, and definitions, and his or her assumed views of the world. We will also want to know if an author’s purpose is primarily to inform or to argue, so that we can pose specific questions accordingly.
- Distinguish between an author’s assumptions (fundamental beliefs about the world) and our own. An assumptions is a fundamental belief that shapes people’s views. Sometimes assumptions are based on clearly defined reasons, and other times they are based on ill-defined feelings. Either way, the opinions that people have can be better understood by indentifying the underlying assumpions.
- Judge the effectiveness of an explanation.
- Judge the effectiveness of an argument.
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