Analyzing Text Structure

Analyzing
Text Structure

Analysis of
"How to Write Meaningful Peer Response Praise" by Ron DePeter

​This lesson is designed to help you understand how to praise your classmates' writing as well as understand the role of different types of paragraphs. I will introduce each paragraph or section, and you will respond to a question about the structure. You will need to open a second tab and have the article available to complete this exercise.

This is a discovery lesson. You may have to take side quests to define terms.

If you are my student, the text is available in our D2L classroom. If you are not, the text is available here:
Writing Spaces: http://writingspaces.org/essays

The Overview

In many textbooks, a chapter will begin with an overview, often written by an editor, to help the reader prepare to read the text.

As a student, you should read the overview, and ask yourself what strategies you need to use to help you understand the text.

Paragraph One

This paragraph uses narration and compare/contrast to set the scene for the reader.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is the first paragraph shows comparison?

• Sentence One

• Sentence Two

• Sentence Three

• Sentence Four

Paragraph 2

The second paragraph continues with the compare/contrast. It also add description.

Multiple Choice

What key word from the first paragraph is mirrored in the second paragraph to emphasize the comparison and provide transition?

• Film

• Chaos

• Descent

• Struggles

​Paragraph 3

This paragraph is another narrative.

Multiple Choice

What is the role of the third paragraph.

• It compares male to female students.

• it answers an objection.

• it defines a role.

• It shows a negative effect which the author wants students to avoid.

Paragraph 4

This paragraph is essentially a single sentence. In some genres, this is actually fine to do.

Multiple Choice

What is the role of the single sentence fourth paragraph?

• It provides a transition by using the key word, descent.

• It interjects humor to keep engaging the reader.

• It provides a transition by using the key word, descent. and interjects humor to keep the reader engaged.

​Paragraph 5

This paragraph is a series of questions.

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of paragraph five?

• This is a transition paragraph which helps engage the reader and sets them up for the next part of the text.

• This is a check in to make sure the reader is paying attention.

• it provides a secondary claim for the author's argument.

Paragraph 6

This is another narrative and the author's response.

Multiple Choice

What is the role of paragraph 6?

• It is a rebuttal paragraph.

• This paragraph shows the result of the situations mentioned in the previous paragraph.

• It is a transition paragraph.

​Paragraph 7

This paragraph describes the author's ethos - his authority. It is based on the studies he has done on the topic of peer response.

Multiple Choice

What is the intended effect of paragraph 7?

• Ethos helps readers understand and identify with the author.

• This paragraph helps the reader develop an understanding of the topic.

• The paragraph develops the author's credibility and shows why the reader can trust their message.

​Paragraph 8

This paragraph analyzes the results of the studies listed in paragraph seven.

Multiple Choice

How does paragraph 8 help engage the reader?

• This paragraph tells a funny story.

• This paragraph begins by addressing the reader and offering an explanation for their behavior.

• It does not engage the reader.

Paragraph 9

This is a transitional paragraph into the next section.

Multiple Choice

What type of feedback does this essay focus on?

• Asking questions

• Giving advice

• Editing/correcting errors

• Writing meaningful praise

How to Write Meaningful Praise

For this section, you will answer questions without my small clues and reminders. Use what you know about text structure to help.

Multiple Choice

Describe the first paragraph of this section.

• This paragraph is a description.

• This paragraph is a compare/contrast.

• This paragraph is a hook with a question in engage the reader.

• This paragraph is a definition.

Multiple Choice

Describe the second paragraph of this section.

• This is a narrative with description as a model for the reader.

• This paragraph answers an objection.

• This paragraph offers more ethos.

• This paragraph offers pathos.

Multiple Choice

In the section "How to Write Meaningful Praise," what words are an action step the author suggests for all students?

• "... you don’t want to be that student who just jots generic comments down the margins in a hurry, like Ray made a habit of doing..."

• "I encourage your class, before workshops even begin, to do an inventory of what makes you like (or dislike) certain features of writing. "

• "It is easy (and somewhat distracting!) to come up with details to describe the foods we like; but, what about writing we like?"

• 'Not just what makes writing “good,” but what makes writing really work for us, as individual readers. '

Multiple Choice

Describe the role of paragraph four in this section?

• It is a hook.

• It provides questions to guide the readers' explorations.

• It answers objections.

• It is a transition paragraph.

Multiple Choice

What is the role of paragraph five in the section "How to Write Meaningful Praise?"

• It is a description.

• It is a transition.

• It is a hook.

• It is a counterargument which offers an objection and then answers it.

Multiple Select

In paragraph six, what are the three parts of meaningful praise?

• feedback that recognizes something that is working for you as a reader

• feedback that gives you an opportunity to have a dialogue with the author

• feedback that expresses some sort of appreciation for the work the writer has done, or for the writer herself

• feedback that gives you bonus points

Multiple Choice

Paragraph seven is a narrative that also provides a compare/contrast? What two things are being compared here?

• Athletic training to a peer response.

• Teacher response and a peer response.

• Athletic training to a teacher response.

Open Ended

Describe what you learned or what was made clear to you in Practice Session 1.

Open Ended

Describe what you learned or what was made clear to you in Practice Session 2.

Open Ended

Describe what you learned or what was made clear to you in "Examples of Peer Response Praise."

Multiple Choice

In the Works Cited, what order are the entries?

• First found to last found.

• Most important to least important.

• Alphabetical by author's last name

Multiple Choice

In the Works Cited, what comes after the author's name?

• Article or book title.

• Date of publication.

• Place of publication.

• URL

Multiple Choice

In the Works Cited, is Donald Daiker's work a book, a chapter in a book, or an article in a journal?

• Book

• Journal article

• Chapter in a book

Multiple Choice

In the Works Cited, is Lili Velez's work a book, a chapter in a book, or an article in a journal?

• Book

• Journal article

• Chapter in a book