Writing the Evaluation Essay

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Writing the Evaluation Essay

• Understanding Critical Analysis
• Chapter 8 p. 361

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Purpose for this essay

• You will make a claim that the item you choose to
  evaluate is the best, the most, perfect choice in
  its class or category
• Example jeans, mp3 players, TV comedy, or any
  other consumer item

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EvaluationArgument

• In this essay you will judge an item and make a
  recommendation to your audience, trying to
  convince them to try or use the product that you
  feel is best

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Evaluation VS. Opinion

• Your purpose in this essay will be to make a
  value judgment and support that value judgment
  with with clear standards and specific evidence.
• Goal in this essay is not only to express your
  viewpoint about a product, but persuade your
  audience to accept your judgment.

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Reids 7 Techniques for Writing Evaluation (p.363

• Assess the rhetorical sitiuation audience (what
  they already know, what they need to know)
• State an overall claim about your subject Thesis
  for your evaluation
• Offer adequate description of the object that you
  are evaluating
• Clarify your criteria for your evaluation
  standard, measurement, yard stick
• State a judgment for each criterion include
  positive and negative
• Support judgment with evidence description,
  facts, examples, testimony, statistics
• Balance your evaluation with both positive and
  negative judgments about your subject. Present
  both sides. To present only the positive ends up
  being just a commerical. Likewise all negative
  judgments are too harsh, mean spirited, and
  unrealistic

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Topic Selection

• Consumer products
• Cosmetics
• Types of foods
• Tech toys
• Cell phones
• Mp3 players
• Computers
• Video gaming systems
• Specific games
• Clothing Brands
• Automobiles--in a specific class (pick-ups,
  sports cars, alternative fuels)
• Write a review of a favorite art/entertainment
  genre
• Film, novel, video gaming, cd, artwork or artist

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Developing Strategies

• Write a compare/contrast of two items in the same
  class or category
• Presidential candidates
• Ford pick-up VS. Chevey
• Show the simularities/differences,
  strength/weakensses
• Do an analysis of one item why the Ford F150 is
  your choice after reviewing all other pick-ups in
  the same class

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Develop CriteriaStandards

• Standards that every pick-up you look at must
  meet
• Gas milage
• Towing ability
• Design
• Safety
• price

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Organizing the Outline Preplanning

• Create a Criteria log to help organize your and
  plan the essay
• List your criteria
• Gather your evidence
• Make your judgment about each criteria