Reading Analysis Questions

Guidelines for Reading Analysis Presentation

Sign-up for one of two chapters on the presentation calendar. Make a note of the article title and presentation date that you sign up for below.

Reading analysis 1 article: __________________________  Presentation date: _______________

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, 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 chapters that you will be analyzing carefully. If possible, read them 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 chapter. On your second reading, go over the text more carefully; notice how the writer creates characters and tells the story.

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 theme 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 chapter(s).

2.     What are the concerns of the characters in the chapter(s) you have read? This book is fiction. Do you think the events in the books could happen in real life? Do you think the way the characters act is believable. If the events in the book are exaggerated by the author, does it make the book less effective? If the behavior of the characters are exaggerated, does it make the book less believable or effective?

3.     Is the central theme 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.

4.     What is the tone – the feel – of the chapter(s) you read?

5.     What things in the story give the most insight into human nature?

6.     Does the writer leave the opinions and feelings to the readers? If so, why? Is this approach effective?
7. Make up two questions you would ask the class about these chapters if you were teaching.

Link to "The Sanctuary of School"

Students: This is a link to the essay by Linda Barry titled "The Sanctuary of School."
http://www.humbleisd.net/cms/lib2/tx01001414/centricity/domain/2311/sanctuary_school_se.pdf

Composition #2

Assignment #2: Storytelling, Interviewing, & Writing Activity

1. Tell a story from your personal experience in response to one of the following prompts:

·      Tell a story about a time you learned something by helping someone.

·      Tell a story about a time you learned something when someone helped you.

·      Tell a story about a time you learned something by taking a risk.

·      Tell a story about a time you learned something by being careless.

·      Tell a story about a time you learned something when you did something difficult.

·      Tell a story about a time you learned something when you succeeded at something.

·      Tell a story about a time you learned something when you failed at something.

2. Write an essay that tells your story. Be sure (a) to describe the sequence of events that occurred in the story and (b) to explain what the story means to you.

Your essay may be one paragraph or a few paragraphs, but it must be at least eight sentences long.

Possible structure for a one-paragraph story:

1.   Topic sentence/ Introductory sentence

2.   First event / step of the story

3.   Explanation

4.   Second event / step of the story

5.   Explanation

6.   Third event / step of the story

7.   Explanation

8.   Conclusion – meaning of the story

Here is an example of the kind of essay you are being asked to write. You can find this on page 449 in Stepping Stones

Caring Makes Us Human

When the scruffy orange cat showed up in the prison yard, I was one of the first to go out there and pet it. I hadn't touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years. I spent at least 20 minutes crouched down by the Dumpster behind the kitchen as the cat rolled around and luxuriated beneath my attention. What he was expressing outwardly I was feeling inwardly.

It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and know that I was enriching the life of another creature with something as simple as my care. I believe that caring for something or someone in need is what makes us human. 

Over the next few days, I watched other prisoners responding to the cat. Every yard period, a group of prisoners gathered there. They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat. These were guys you wouldn't usually find talking to each other. Several times I saw an officer in the group — not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy it along with the prisoners. 

Bowls of milk and water appeared, along with bread, wisely placed under the edge of the Dumpster to keep the sea gulls from getting it. The cat was obviously a stray and in pretty bad shape. One prisoner brought out his small, blunt-tipped scissors, and trimmed burrs and matted fur from his coat.

People said, "That cat came to the right place. He's getting treated like a king." This was true. But as I watched, I was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us.

There's a lot of talk about what's wrong with prisons in America. We need more programs; we need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds. Some even talk about making prisons more kind, but I think what we really need is a chance to practice kindness ourselves. Not receive it, but give it. 

After more than two decades here, I know that kindness is not a value that's encouraged. It's often seen as weakness. Instead the culture encourages keeping your head down, minding your own business and never letting yourself be vulnerable. 

For a few days a raggedy cat disrupted this code of prison culture. They've taken him away now, hopefully to a decent home — but it did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here. He didn't have a Ph.D., he wasn't a criminologist or a psychologist, but by simply saying, "I need some help here," he did something important for us. He needed us — and we need to be needed. I believe we all do.

Independently produced for Weekend Edition Sunday by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman with John Gregory and Viki Merrick.