SUMMARY-RESPONSE ESSAY
Responding to Reading
Reading Critically
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Not about finding fault with author
Rather engaging author in a discussion by asking
questions as you read an article or essay
Requiring author to meet certain demands that
employ good writing techniques:
How to read critically
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Good note taking
Keep a Reader’s log
Author’s Name and title of Article
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Summary: List main
ideas, key features,
examples, and
evidence the author
may provide
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Response:
Log your reaction to
each main point,
record your comments,
and questions
Purpose of this Essay
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To understand an author’s main idea and purpose for
work
To recognize the main points that support that main
idea
To be able to summarize(paraphrase) author’s main
ideas
To be able to respond or react to what the author has
to say (to support or defend your point of view)
Preparing the Summary
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Cite the author and the title of the text
Indicate the main ideas of the text
Paraphrase main ideas; quote sparingly, use key
words, phrases, and sentences
Include attributive tags
Avoid summarizing specific examples or data
Be objective
Response
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Your opinion of the author’s ideas
Do you agree or disagree
How well is the essay or article written?
Structuring Your response
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Requires your reaction to the text and your
interpretation of the text
A
response of this nature will react to the ideas or the
argument
 Simply, do you agree with the author?
 Why or why not?
 Provide evidence based on your experiences to support
your reaction
3 ways to provide evidence to support
your response
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Your response requires that you provide evidence to
support your opinion, whether you agree or
disagree with the author
Consider what sort of evidence will best support
your statements: personal experience, evidence
from text, outside sources
1. Personal Experience
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Use personal experience as examples to
demonstrate why you interpret the text the way you
do, why you react the way you do, why you agree
or disagree
I strongly disagree with so and so’s first point based
on my own high school experience, especially in my
History class.
Look at Abramowitz’s essay for examples of her
personal experiences.
2. Evidence from the text

Cite specific phrases or sentences from the text to
support your:
 explanation
of the text
 analysis of the effectiveness of the text
 response to the text (why you agree or disagree)

Look at Abromowitz’s essay for examples of her
using evidence from the text
3. Evidence from other texts
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Acceptable to bring in ideas and information from
other texts
Your prior knowledge
No research required for this assignment
Cite sources if you do use borrow material from
other sources
Look at Abramowitz’s essay for examples of her
using outside texts or sources.
Introduction
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Brief introduction that will state these items:
 Title
of the article or essay; Name of author; Place of
publication
 Any key information you might know about author to
help establish author’s credibility
 State author’s main idea
 Thesis: a well thought out statement stating your main
point about the article or essay.
Body Organization: Block
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Pattern 1
I. Introduction with thesis
II. Summary of main point
III. Points You agree with
IV. Points you disagree with
Conclusion
Body Organization: Point by Point
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I. Introduction with thesis
Summarize point 1; agree or disagree
Summarize point 2; agree or disagree
Summarized point 3; agree or disagree
Conclusion
Note: you do not need to agree or disagree with all
points
Conclusion
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End essay with a summary of your response
You can add a new perspective about the article,
author, or topic
Important things to remember
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Make sure to give reasons why you disagree
 Give
examples, personal experience, facts, any
previous experience or knowledge you can draw upon
to support your opinion
 Based on my experience with boys in class in high
school. . . .
 Try to avoid over using “I agree” and “I disagree”
The Summary: Discuss the Points that
Feagin makes in groups
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Denying Individual Racism
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White Views on Government Action Against Racism
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Symbolic and Laissez Faire Racism
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Views on Affirmative Action
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Imaging the White Self
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Fostering and Learning Racist Attitudes
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Role of Elites
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Everyday Racism: Subtle, Covert, and Blatant
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Who Does the Discriminating?
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Facing Lifetimes of Racial Discrimination
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Racial Discrimination in Public Places
Denying Individual Racism
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Slavery ended a long time ago
Institutionalized racism ended after the Civil Rights
movement
Racism is something that other people are i.e.)
grandparents, parents, KKK members
Symbolic and Laissez Faire Racism
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Symbolic
Whites have replaced blatant racism with a more subtle
form
 Whites believe blacks are making “illegitimate demands for
societal changes” (Feagin 342).
 Criticized for not acknowledging that blatant racism still
exists
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Laissez Faire
Whites have embraced the principle of desegregation but
are opposed to government intervention or actual changes
that involve living and going to school with black people.
 Allows whites to feel good about themselves
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Affirmative Action
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Whites believe affirmative action is not needed b/c
racism is dead.
Whites believe that if blacks aren’t successful, it’s
b/c they don’t work hard enough.
White elites shape views on this issue:
 For
example, media attention of this issue goes up in
the years preceding presidential elections
Imaging the white self
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Whites see white culture as superior.
Whites don’t see financial benefits from slavery and
segregation
“My family didn’t own slaves.”
Role of Elites in Fostering Racist
Attitudes
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Without realizing it, many white people harbor
negative attitudes towards blacks
These ideas are fostered by an elite few through
the media, schools, and even churches
Everyday Racism
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White people may not be aware of their racism
 May
grab purse or lock door when a black man walks
by
 White employer might hire a white man over an
equally qualified black man b/c he feels more
comfortable with his own kind
Who Does the Discriminating?
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3 types of racist whites
 Blatant-KKK
 Less
subtle forms
 Don’t directly participate but don’t stop it
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White upper/middle class Americans affect housing
and jobs
Lower classes are more violent
Facing Lifetimes of Racial
Discrimination
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No way to tell impact of racism
 Little
research
 Black people don’t want to appear weak
 Black people don’t count small examples of racism
Racial Discrimination in Public
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Whites assume blacks are going to steal
Whites charge more for cars
White medical professionals less likely to use
expensive procedures on black patients
Respond to major points:
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Points you agree with(Students will list)
1
2
3
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Experiences or knowledge that support your
agreement
1
2
3
Respond to major points:
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Points you disagree with
1
2
3
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Experiences or knowledge that support your
agreement
1
2
3