Superlative Sentences Eyes wide, mouth full, you’ll feel like you are in Italy. On the hot platter from the oven, breadsticks are a wonderful addition to this meal. When your guests smell this food, they will come running as fast as Usain Bolt on the track. To ensure a great meal, the chicken is cooked to perfection. As the scent goes through the air like a lit candle, you might feel like you are in Italy when you eat this meal.
Summaries and Critiques Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between a summary and a critique. What do you think is the difference between a summary and a critique?
We first meet our narrator, fourteen-year-old Ponyboy, as he's walking home from the movies – alone, which is something we know he's not supposed to be doing. Ponyboy lives in a dangerous area. His East Side neighborhood is patrolled by bullying Socials, rich kids from the West Side of town. Pony's a Greaser and defenseless Greasers are the Socials' favorite targets. Sure enough, Ponyboy is attacked by a carload of Socials when he's in a vacant lot, just minutes from his home. Luckily his older brothers – Darry and Sodapop – and the rest of his gang – Steve, Two- Bit, Johnny, and Dallas – come to his rescue and chase away the Socials. We learn that Ponyboy and his brothers lost their parents recently in a car accident. Summary
Parents need to know that this story of peer pressure, rebellion, and identity centers on two rival groups of teens, the lower-class "outsider" Greasers and the more well-heeled, popular Socs (short for Socials). It includes fighting, underage drinking, delinquent behavior, a rumble, a fatal stabbing, and a suicide. But the indelible characters and compelling story have consistently hooked middle school kids, teens, and reluctant readers since The Outsiders was first published in This book appeals to preteens (many read it in sixth grade) because that's the time when kids break into social cliques and life becomes tribal. The feelings of being ostracized are timeless -- which is why this book is still so relevant more than 40 years after its original publication. Kids may also want to check out Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film version. Critique
A summary does not… misrepresent what you read. use irrelevant or unnecessary details. analyze what you read. judge or evaluate what you read. Summaries A summary does… restate what you read in your own words. present on the main, or important details. maintain a neutral and objective stance.
A critique does not… restate what you read. cover on the main points of what you read. repeat unimportant or irrelevant details. have an overly biased tone or style. use slang or overly casual language. Critiques A critique does… move beyond summary. assess or analyze what you read. offer interpretations and judgments about what you read. give evidence to support your evaluation.
Both should… be written using the present tense (he remembers, she points out, the essay has). include the title of the piece you’re writing about and the author’s name. after the initial introduction of the author, you should refer to him or her by last name only. be proofread before the final draft.
Now it’s your turn… You are either going to be writing a summary or a critique. In your writing, be sure to use correct grammar. You must also use at least three of the last six sentence starters we discussed last week to add sentence variety to your piece. You have 15 minutes! If you finish early, go back and proofread your writing and make any necessary corrections.
EXIT TICKET Read your shoulder partner’s writing. Then, decide if the piece is a summary or a critique. After deciding, explain why you believe the piece of writing is a summary or a critique. Cite evidence from their paper to prove your answer!