ENG 4 U Diagnostic Assessment Feedback and Next

ENG 4 U: Diagnostic Assessment Feedback and Next Steps

Developing an Argument Sample Arguments: • When triggered, students withdraw from learning, which is the opposite of what educational institutions want to do • Literature is a way for us to go to ‘dark places’ and find the strength to overcome difficulties in our lives Tips: • A strong thesis looks at the topic in a new or unusual way • Answers the ‘so what? ’ question • Phrase the topic in the form of a question– your thesis will answer this question

Dissecting Your Essay • Highlight your thesis statement • Is it in your intro? Is it in your conclusion? • Count the number of sentences each of your body paragraphs • They should be between 8 -10 sentences. • Put boxes around your two examples • Are they specific? Are they from media, literature, current events and/or personal experience? • Underline what you say to introduce/describe your examples • This should be 1 -2 sentences at the beginning of the body paragraphs • Highlight what you say to analyze your examples and connect them to your thesis • This should be the bulk of your body paragraphs (4 -8 sentences)

Sample Thesis Statements Level 1 Trigger warnings on books will lead to a bland homogenization of literature. Level 2 Trigger warnings on literature will have a negative effect on college students because they won’t learn about the bad things happening in the world. Level 3 Trigger warnings on literature shield students from real-world difficulties that they will surely face when they enter the adult world. Level 4 The danger of trigger warnings is that they shield students from the darkness they will encounter in our world, when in fact literature can be the safest way to confront this darkness and combat against it.

Evidence and Examples • The Kite Runner • The news: 9/11, young girl’s abduction in Alberta • 50 Shades of Grey/Ghomeshi • Sex ed curriculum • Photo of young migrant boy from Syria Tips: • Always use specific, concrete examples • Read instructions carefully • Don’t use the examples used in the essay

Areas for Improvement • Keep a list of frequently misspelled words/grammar points in your English binder • Do not use second person (‘you’) in essays • Do not simply ‘discuss’ or summarize examples; instead, analyze them– dig deep, give specific detail • Spend twice the amount of time analyzing an example as you do describing it • Always tie examples to your thesis statement– THAT is how you support and ‘prove’ your thesis! HAMBURGER ANALOGY = MS. KIM DOESN’T LIKE MEATLESS HAMBURGERS

Final Suggestions • To improve your writing, write every day (keep a journal). • To improve your reading/analytic skills, read opinion pieces (I like Huffington Post and The Atlantic). Discuss them with people you know; engage in debate. • To improve your mechanics, review the corrections your teachers make and look up what you are doing wrong. Or come to Ms. Kim for a mini grammar lesson. • Always write an outline before you write an essay, especially if you are prone to going off topic or have trouble organizing your thoughts. • See Ms. Kim for extra help and to look over rough drafts and give feedback before submitting assignments. • If you get extra help from someone, never let them write on/correct your paper without showing you what they are doing and explaining why they are doing it.