Analysis+Assessment

Dear Matt, Tara, Brittney, James, and Emily:

You showed the range and variety of analysis, a difficult process to define. Analysis means "looking again," as you said, but it also means making inferences, so that new understanding comes from each observation. Relating contrasting ideas or connecting cause with effect are just two ways such inferences are made. As in the other chapters, pre-writing plays an important role in this kind of thinking. You chose good model texts and followed up with good writing prompts, so this range of thinking was experienced through the class. The five-paragraph essay on two novels showed how literature is analyzed, but the other models-- the aphorisms and the song lyrics-- challenge the writer to think more deeply. You presented your own writing from the prompt, a particularly difficult genre to compose spontaneously. You also instigated more reading from the class, which I appreciate, because it means more participation and more variety of genres presented. Considering all the challenges of this purpose for writing, you kept the class moving well and participating.

20/20