Guidelines for Reading Analysis Presentations (Non-fiction)
You must sign-up for at least seven
presentations this semester. Make a note of the article titles and presentation
dates that you sign up for below.
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You will be presenting your analysis in class
along with two to five of your classmates. The class will be counting on you to
be on top of the article you are covering, so please be prepared!
To receive credit for this assignment,
you must participate in the presentation of your analysis. You will be graded
primarily on your written analysis (breakdown of scoring below), but
outstanding presentations will be rewarded.
Read the article you will be analyzing
carefully. If possible, read it twice. On your first reading, just try to
identify the main idea(s) and get a feel for the writer’s approach and the flow
of the piece. On your second reading, go over the text more carefully; notice
how the writer constructs his or her argument. You will probably want to mark
up your text and/or take notes.
To prepare your written analysis:
Identify the author’s name and the title
of the article. Answer the following questions. Put your answers in outline
form (see sample analysis on the reverse side of this sheet).
1. What is the central
claim (or thesis) of the selection? Your answer should be a complete
sentence in your own words (not a quote!). Be as specific as possible, but
remember that your claim should cover the whole article.
2. Is the central claim
expressed explicitly or implicitly? The claim is
explicit if the writer spells out what it is. The claim is implicit if the
writer only implies the claim but does not state it outright.
3. What reasons link
the evidence to the claim? In other words, why does the evidence support the
claim? Reasons may be presented explicitly or implied.
4. What evidence does
the writer present to support his or her claim? Specify and categorize the
evidence (e.g. examples, personal experiences, analogy, authoritative opinion,
facts, statistical data, cause-effect reasoning, results of scientific
experiments, comparison, interviews, etc. – see sample on back). Do not answer
this question with detailed quotes or paraphrases from the article!
5. Comment briefly on the persuasiveness of the article by answering one or more
of the following questions.
· Is the argument convincing? Does it rely on emotional, ethical, and/or
logical appeals?
· Are there flaws in the reasoning of the argument? Does it rely on
questionable sources?
· Does understanding the argument require knowledge of the historical or
cultural context in which it was written?
· How do the style, organization, and/or tone contribute or detract from the
persuasiveness of the argument?
· What is your personal reaction to the article?
6. Write a discussion
question to ask the class about the article. The best questions will
stimulate interesting discussion about the issues raised in the article. You
may also ask questions that “test” your classmates’ recall and understanding of
the article.
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