IDENTIFYING STRONG TEXTUAL EVIDENCE MS SHUMAKER LAL WHAT

IDENTIFYING STRONG TEXTUAL EVIDENCE MS. SHUMAKER LAL

WHAT IS EVIDENCE? • Information that we SEE in the text that we can use to support what we THINK about the text • Evidence is VERY IMPORTANT!!!!! Because it helps us to PROVE our ideas • Without evidence, your reader doesn’t have any reason to believe you • Last night I won $67 million dollars in the lottery!!!!! • Do you believe me? ? ? • You shouldn’t! Because I don’t have any EVIDENCE!!

NOT ALL EVIDENCE IS MADE EQUAL • Some evidence is STRONG, while other evidence is WEAK. • WEAK evidence does not connect well to our ideas, and does NOT do a good job of PROVING our thesis • STRONG evidence connects directly to our ideas, and does a good job of PROVING our thesis

LET ME SHOW YOU… • THESIS: A theme of “Jason and the Golden Fleece” is to never give up. • Which sentence BEST supports my thesis? (Which sentence is the STRONGEST support? ) • A) "At a nearby river, Hera the Queen of Gods approaches him disguised as an old woman" • B) "Determined to reclaim his throne, Jason agrees to retrieve the golden fleece" • C) "The king suggests yet another series of challenges to Jason. He must yoke fire-breathing bulls, plough and sow a field with dragon's teeth and then overcome the warriors" • D) "One day, while he sits next to the boat weeping, the decaying beam of his ship the Argo falls off and hits him on the head, killing him outright"

• A) "At a nearby river, Hera the Queen of Gods approaches him disguised as an old woman”: WEAK because it does not connect to my thesis about not giving up • B) "Determined to reclaim his throne, Jason agrees to retrieve the golden fleece”: OK because it shows that Jason doesn’t give up, but it wasn’t that hard for him yet, because this was the beginning of his quest • C) "The king suggests yet another series of challenges to Jason. He must yoke fire-breathing bulls, plough and sow a field with dragon's teeth and then overcome the warriors”: STRONG because Jason is faced with MORE dangerous tasks after he already does a lot of dangerous things, but he doesn’t give up. This connects directly to my thesis about NOT GIVING UP • D) ) "One day, while he sits next to the boat weeping, the decaying beam of his ship the Argo falls off and hits him on the head, killing him outright”: WEAK because this has nothing to do with Jason not giving up (my thesis)

LET’S TRY ANOTHER ONE… • Thesis: The thesis of “Jason and the Golden Fleece” is bravery • All of the following citations (quotes) support this answer EXCEPT • A) "Jason agrees to retrieve the golden fleece" • B) "Uncomfortable with Medea's magic, the locals drive Medea and Jason out of Iolkos" • C) The fleece was "hung in a sacred grove, guarded by a dragon" • D) "Clashing rocks guarded the straits, and the rocks would close together and smash any ship sailing though"

• A) "Jason agrees to retrieve the golden fleece”: STRONG! Jason agrees to go on a quest that he knows will be dangerous. • B) "Uncomfortable with Medea's magic, the locals drive Medea and Jason out of Iolkos”: WEAK. This has nothing to do with bravery. • C) The fleece was "hung in a sacred grove, guarded by a dragon" STRONG! You have to be brave to face a dragon • D) "Clashing rocks guarded the straits, and the rocks would close together and smash any ship sailing though" STRONG! This would scare me! You have to be brave to sail through this strait.

TRY THIS ONE ON YOUR OWN… • Thesis: The theme of King Midas is to appreciate what you have before it’s gone • Which quote supports this thesis BEST? • A) "Well I did eat three loaves of bread” • B) "The first thing I touched today was a rose in my vase and now it's solid gold" • C) "I wish I never had this horrible golden touch" • D) "If I was poor and had my daughter running, skipping, and breathing again I'd have all the treasure I'd really want"

• A) "Well I did eat three loaves of bread”: WEAK! This quote is random and has nothing to do with Midas’s wish • B) "The first thing I touched today was a rose in my vase and now it's solid gold" WEAK! This doesn’t connect to my thesis, that you should appreciate what you have before it’s gone. • C) "I wish I never had this horrible golden touch” OK, because it shows that he regrets his wish, but doesn’t talk about something that he loses • D) "If I was poor and had my daughter running, skipping, and breathing again I'd have all the treasure I'd really want” STRONG! Midas realizes that he should have appreciated his daughter more while he had her. This connects perfectly to my thesis.

YOUR ESSAYS!!!! • Now, use what you know about STRONG EVIDENCE to find some STRONG EVIDENCE from the myth you chose to SUPPORT your thesis.