Read the article
carefully several times to get the general meaning and then to fully understand
the author's main idea and supporting points.
As students
read the literature, they should make a log of points they agree with
and points they disagree with.
After they
have logged the main points, students should then decide whether or not
they agree with each point logged.
In the response
portion of the essay, students should avoid over using "I agree with"
or "I disagree with." Instead, they should try to use author
tags to indicate first what the author said and then state their response.
For example, students could write: "While Jones tends to think. .
.I believe. . ." In addition to avoiding agree/disagree statements,
students should also try to avoid, "Jones says. . . ."
Finally, students
must remember to add convincing reasons for their agreement or disagreement
for each point.
The conclusion
does not restate the author's main ideas, but rather students will end
the essay with a statement about the author's main ideas.
