Post-Writing: Analysis and Evidence
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT1750/ LESSON 4.1ACTIVITYPOST-WRITING: ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCEUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Post-Writing: Analysis and Evidence”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/1PurposeThis activity will show you how to use a rubric-aligned tool to evaluate and improve upon a piece of writing. A useful strategy for improving writing skills is to analyze samples as an editor, using peer drafts or your own graded essays.Process1.Use either your essay on Industrialization in Britain and India(Unit 3)or this sample essaytocompletethis activity. Reminder: The prompt for this essay was:How did the industrial revolution impact both Britain and India similarly and differently between 1750 and 1914?2.If you received any feedback on your own essay, make sure to review it,particularly feedback about the essay’s analysis and use of evidence.3.Evaluate your essay (and any feedback you may have) or the sample essay using the checklist below. Only check a box if the essay met the criteria. Step 1—Review and Revise: Thesis/Major Claim and Suppor>ng ClaimsReview the thesis/major claim to be sure it is clear, specific, and debatable. This is important because all analysis and evidence should Oe back to this claim.☐The wriOng prompt/quesOon is directly answered.☐There is a preview of the supporOng claims in the thesis/major claim.☐Counterclaims are addressed.Review the supporOng claims to be sure they are related to the focus of the essay.☐Each paragraph has a clear supporOng claim that is directly related to the thesis/major claim.☐Each paragraph focuses on its supporOng claim and onlyits supporOng claim throughout the paragraph.☒Each paragraph contains ideas, words, or phrases that link back to your claim.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT 1750/ LESSON 4.1ACTIVITYPOST-WRITING: ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE2Review each paragraph, making sure there is enough jusOficaOon provided to prove the idea presented in the supporOng claim.☐At least one detail (evidence) from a source is included to back up the supporOng claim presented.☐Sentences are included that introduce the evidence.☐Sentences are included that explain the evidence.☐Counterclaims are addressed.Review the use of counterarguments or counterclaims. Counterarguments can be addressed anywhere they make sense in the argument, or wherevera reader might say, “But what about...?”☐Each paragraph addresses alternaOve or opposing viewpoints to theargument. (Hint: Simply start the sentence with the phrase that captures an alternaOve or opposing viewpoint, such as,“While some have argued...”.)☐Counterclaims include evidence and analysis specifically refuOng that counterclaim.Step 2—Review and Revise: EvidenceReview each paragraph to be sure you (or the essay’s author) have selected the best evidence to support the point you(or they) are trying to prove.☐The detail selected is the most compelling detail from the source.☐The detail selected is the best detail to prove the point presented.☐There is evidence to refute a counterclaim in the argument.☐There is enough specific evidence text to make the detail clear, but not so much that there is a long summary or a large chunk of quoted text in the middle of the essay.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT 1750/ LESSON 4.1ACTIVITYPOST-WRITING: ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE3Review each paragraph to be sure it includes an introducOon to the evidence being presented.☐The evidence is introduced, perhaps by summarizing details about the source (who wrote it, when, why, and how it relates to the larger quesOon at hand).☐There is enough context for the reader to understand the source this evidence came from or to understand why the evidence supports the argument.Review each paragraph to be sure it includes an explanaOon of the evidence presentedand explains to readers exactly why the detail provided proves the point being made.☐The explanaOon links back to the supporOng claim using specific ideas, words, or phrases from the supporOng statement.☐The reader can point to an exact line in the paragraph that answers the quesOon, “Why does the writer think this detail proves their point?”Step 3—Review and Revise: ReasonEach paragraph explains how the evidence links to the thesis/major claim.☐Each paragraph has a sentence or two that links the details and analysis presented back to the claim.☐There are specific ideas, phrases, or words that mirror a part of the claim.4.Finally,for any items you haven’tcheck in the checklists above, it’s time to revise! Use the unchecked boxesfrom step 1 and step 2as guidance for improvingthe essay. You can use the Analysis and Evidence Warm-Upto helpguide your edits, as well.