Analysis and Commentary: The Tour Guide

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Analysis and Commentary The Tour Guide

• Social Studies Writing Series 5

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Analysis and Commentary Tell Them What to See

• Explains how the facts you have given support the
  topic sentence in your paragraph
• Usually answers the questions Why? and How?
• Do the thinking for your readers connect and
  explain your facts
• Persuade as if you were a lawyer or a salesperson

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Pieces of a Body Paragraph

• (Topic sent.) Although eating is important in
  both celebrations, the sit down meal is central
  to Thanks-giving whereas July 4th food is meant
  to be carried and eaten outdoors. (Facts) Grocery
  stores advertise frozen turkeys, stuffing,
  potatoes, and cans of pumpkin during the
  Thanksgiving season. (Commentary) Each of these
  foods requires preparation before they can be
  cooked. (Facts) For July 4th, however, stores
  advertise discounts on sodas, hot dogs,
  hamburgers, and chips. (Comment-ary) Many July
  4th foods are ready to be eaten without cooking
  they are easy to take to a baseball game or a
  fireworks show. But even foods that need cooking
  can usually be thrown on a grill without any
  preparation and then eaten without utensils. Food
  is the event for Thanksgiving food is not the
  focus for July 4th. (Clincher sent.) For
  Thanksgiving, people go to the food for July
  4th, the food goes with the people.

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Strategy 1 Fill in the Blank

• Example
• Dear Mom,
• I need 10.
• 10 will let me see the new movie.
• All of my friends have seen the new movie and
  thats all they talk about, so I need to see it
  so that I can join the conver-sation. Also, my
  teacher has used the movie as an example and I
  didnt know what he was talking about.

• Dear ________________,
• I need ______________.
• Supporting fact as to why you need it
  ____________________
• Explanation of fact
• _____________________

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Strategy 2 Prompt How are werewolves and
vampires similar and different?

• Activities for this strategy
• Brainstorm and categorize the prompt
• Divide into groups or pairs
• Write a topic sentence, supporting evidence and
  analysis and commentary for one body paragraph
• Share body paragraphs and choose the best ones
  for a class essay

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Strategy 2 Prompt How are werewolves and
vampires similar and different?

• Werewolves brainstorming
• Human
• Full moon
• Grow hair and fangs
• Can run in packs
• Hide being werewolves
• Run to forests
• Quiet as people

• Vampires brainstorming
• Undead never die
• Drink human blood
• Bite necks
• Kill people who become new vampires
• Live in cities
• Well dressed
• Good looking

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Strategy 2 Prompt How are werewolves and
vampires similar and different?
How they transform Where they live How they view their supernatural qualities
Were-wolves Full moon alive Outskirts go to woods when wolf Embarrassed want to protect other humans
Vampires Always vampire dead Urban usually older cities Proud, arrogant want to make others vampires
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Strategy 2 Prompt How are werewolves and
vampires similar and different?

• Thesis Although werewolves and vampires are
  both fictional monsters who harm humans, they
  differ in how they transform, where they live,
  and how they view their supernatural qualities.
• Body Paragraph 1 How they transform
• Supporting evidence
• Analysis and Commentary
• Body Paragraph 2 Where they live
• Supporting evidence
• Analysis and Commentary
• Body Paragraph 3 How they view their
  supernatural qualities
• Supporting evidence
• Analysis and Commentary

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Strategy 2

• Divide into groups or pairs Each group/pair
  gets 1 body paragraph from the previous slide
• Write a topic sentence, supporting evidence and
  analysis and commentary for one body paragraph
• 3) Share body paragraphs and choose the best
  ones for a class essay

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Strategy 3 www.donorschoose.org

• Preparation
• Go to www.donorschoose.org, select and print out
  enough 810 requests (enough for each student
  group of 34 to have one)
• You could donate (or ask the PTO to donate) 5 -
  10 to the group who argues for their cause the
  best

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Strategy 3 www.donorschoose.org

• Have groups choose 1 request from donorschoose
• Groups need to write
• Topic sentence arguing one reason why their
  request should be funded
• Supporting evidence (facts) Write a sentence
  that gives evidence as to why the request should
  be funded
• Commentary Explanation as to how the evidence
  shows that the request should be funded

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Strategy 4 Pictures

• Write a reason that the photographer took the
  picture (Topic sentence)
• 2) Give evidence (facts) from the picture to
  support your reason
• 3) Explain how the evidence supports your reason

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Strategy 4 Pictures Example
Why did the photographer take this picture?

• (Topic sent.) The photographer took this
  picture to show that Albert Einstein was human.
  (Fact) Einstein raised his eyebrows and stuck out
  his tongue. (Commentary) This behavior isnt
  typical of a genius who is a scientist and it
  makes the viewers laugh. Obviously, Einstein
  didnt always take himself too seriously.

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Strategy 4 Pictures Practice

• Why did the photographer take this picture?

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Strategy 5 Fill-in-the-Commentary Essay

• Cinderella and Snow White

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Strategy 6 Class Essay

• Assign an essay to the class
• Brainstorm, categorize and write the thesis as a
  whole class
• Divide categories among groups and have each
  group write one body paragraph
• Have them write the topic sentence in black ink,
  supporting evidence in blue ink, and commentary
  in red ink

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Strategy 7 4-Square
Topic sentence (State which category is being compared and why) Evidence (What is your proof? What was in the documents?)
Fully elaborated (Make us see the importance of the connection with new eyes) Explanation (Connect evidence to topic sentence. How do the facts prove the topic sentence?)
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Strategy 8

• The next 5 slides are from previous writing
  PowerPoints
• Students can practice writing analysis and
  commentary using one or more of the slides
• As a whole class, model and think aloud writing
  one body paragraph from one slide
• In pairs or in groups, choose one body paragraph
  to write, focusing on the analysis and commentary
• For homework, write one body paragraph
• Give students the Body Paragraph rubric and let
  them score their own and/or their peers

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Thanksgiving and July 4th

• Body Paragraph 1Who we celebrate with
• Thanksgiving family
• July 4th neighbors
• Body Paragraph 2Why we celebrate
• Thanksgiving giving thanks
• July 4th U.S. birthday
• Body Paragraph 3What we do to celebrate
• Thanksgiving football and food
• July 4th parades, music, and fireworks
• Thesis Thanksgiving and July 4th, two federal
  holidays unique to the U.S., are both similar and
  different in who they are celebrated with, why
  they are celebrated, and what is done to
  celebrate them.

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Football and Basketball

• Body Paragraph 1Equipment and cost
• Football Expensive (lots of equipment and
  people)
• Basketball Inexpensive (not much equipment)
• Body Paragraph 2Brings people together
• Football All day event with hundreds of
  thousands
• Basketball Shorter, more frequent events
• Body Paragraph 3Players and Rules
• Football Large and aggressive tackling and
  plays
• Basketball Tall and agile players jump shots
  and dribbling
• Thesis Football and basketball both reflect the
  U.S.s need to be bigger, more powerful, and
  wealthier than the rest of the world even as they
  differ in what is needed to play the games, how
  they bring people together, and how the games are
  played.

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Schools in 1950s and Today

• Body Paragraph 1Economic
• 1950s chalkboards and paper
• Today projectors, computers, interactive boards
• Body Paragraph 2Social
• 1950s Memorization of facts, paddling, parent
  support
• Today Creativity, schools take on parental
  roles
• Body Paragraph 3Political
• 1950s Segregated, failure is students
  responsibility
• Today Desegregated, IDEA, NCLB, failure is
  schools responsibility
• Thesis Since the 1950s, schools in the U.S.
  have become more inclusive and more responsible
  for preparing all students for success in
  tomorrows world.

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Austin, Texas

• Position Austin rocks! Thesis Families and
  singles should move to Austin because of the
  outstanding University of Texas, beautiful Lady
  Bird Lake, and delicious Mexican food.
• Road map UT, Lady Bird Lake, Chuys

• Position Austin stinks!
• Thesis It is surprising that anyone ever
  chooses to live in Austin because of its terrible
  traffic, dying malls, and high summer
  temperatures.
• Road map IH-35 at rush hour, Highland Mall,
  any large parking lot at noon in August

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Analysis and Commentary Tell Your Audience
What to See

• Connect the facts to your position
• Answer Why? and How?
• Think aloud for your audience
• Sell your position