Inquiry Project Post#1 - Teaching Writing to Teens
In my classroom, my students are mainly either writing news articles or expository essays on a particular research topic. They also write a paragraph or essay interpreting a particular piece of literature. My students will first read, re-read, analyze, and interpret a piece of literature. I am always very strict on correct grammar and punctuation in my students' writing so I normally allow one or two rough drafts before they turn in their final essay for grading.
How to organize and develop an analysis on a piece of literature in English class.
The analytical essay helps the student to better understand the literary work and strengthen her information for a discussion on the topic. It expresses the student's thoughts, response, and understanding of the text.
It is important to cite specific passages from the text when writing an analysis, instead of using quotes, to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text. It is also important to begin the analysis with a thesis or topic sentence. The reader should ask questions and collect information when reading about the most important parts of the text. She examines the strengths and weaknesses of different sides of the text. The main purpose of the analytical essay is for the student to use evidence from the text to support her responses/thesis statement.
A common framework for an analytical essay is as follows:
- Thesis statement
- Introduction including a summary of the original text
- Body - the reader's responses with evidence to support her claims (topic sentences for each paragraph)
- an analysis of others' assumptions
- an anlaysis of evidence
- Conclusion
Inquiry Citations:
How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay. (n.d.). www.gmc.edu. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from www.gmc.edu/students/arc/documents/Literary%20analysis.pdf
Keis, D. (n.d.). Writing an Analysis. English Composition 2: Writing an Analysis. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from papyr.com/hypertextbooks/comp2/analysis.htm
Literary analysis guide | English. (n.d.). Goshen College | Healing the world, peace by peace. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from http://www.goshen.edu/english/litanalysis-html/
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