Chapter 6: One Last Time Before You Go: The Conclusion and Final Review
Your Turn!
Now would be a good time to revisit the Diagnostic Self-Assessment Checklist from our first class and use it to assess the introduction and body paragraphs for your close reading of Michael Welsh’s “Kids Around the World Just Want to Hang Out.” Read what you have written and answer the following questions. We recommend strongly that you return to this list when you reach a similar point in the writing of your midterm essay.
Taking Measure
Do you begin your essay with a thesis focused on the purpose of the text?
Y/N
Does your thesis make an interpretive claim about the text (i.e. do you make a claim about the text that is not obvious and is more than a simple summary of the text)?
Y/N
Does your thesis explain why your specific reading is worthwhile?
Y/N
Do you avoid plot summary (rather than simply repeat what the author has already said)?
Y/N
Do you discuss a new aspect of the text in every paragraph (rather than repeat the same observation over and over)?
Y/N
Do your paragraphs transition smoothly from one to the other so your analysis progresses and builds throughout your essay?
Y/N
Do you stay focused on the assigned text and avoid irrelevant “evidence” from outside the text (ex: personal experiences, facts or opinions you have read somewhere else, vague references to history)?
Y/N
Do you avoid the five-paragraph essay?
Y/N
Do you cite from the text and use specific textual evidence while making your points?
Y/N
Do you use the specific terms used in the text rather than generalizing terms like “people” or “society”?
Y/N
Take a moment to read aloud what you have written. Is it strong grammatically? Does it make sense?
Y/N