reading

1. Discussion Question

Ÿ Length: 1 sentence.

Ÿ This question will point to an aspect of the assigned reading that the student would like the class to examine.

2. Quote

Ÿ Length: 4-5 lines of text.

Ÿ The quote will derive from a section of the assigned reading that the student considers interesting, unusual or challenging.

Ÿ In choosing a quote, it is important to consider whether or not a passage is rich enough to enable sustained analysis.

Ÿ The quote should be presented as it appears within the primary text.

3. Analysis

Ÿ Length: 5-6 sentences.

Ÿ The goal of the analysis is to offer a clear, specific and detailed explanation of what is being said within the quote, why it is being said and, above all, how it is being said.

Ÿ The best way to do this is to identify the key elements within the quote and to explain how they function and how they relate to each other.

Ÿ Elements can be words or short phrases. To identify how an element functions, you may wish to consider diction, imagery, sound or allusion.

Ÿ To describe how elements are related, it is important to consider the structures that the author has used to relate them. Such structures include clauses, lines, sentences, verses, speeches and paragraphs.

Ÿ All discussed elements should be quoted within the analysis. Paraphrase is not the same thing as quotation.

Ÿ For analysis to be effective, it must be thorough, detailed and specific. Broader points about the quote should all emerge from the discussion of the quote’s most important linguistic elements.