Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain what a thesis is and why restating the prompt or summarising does not count. (Guide: “What a defensible thesis is, and is not”; Practice Question 1)
- I can explain what a line of reasoning is. (Guide: “From thesis to line of reasoning to paragraphs”; Practice Question 3)
- I can explain the difference between summary, device-naming and commentary. (Guide: “The paragraph engine”; Practice Question 4)
- I can explain what the sophistication point rewards. (Guide: “A self-assessment rubric”; Practice Question 6)
Skills
- I can write a defensible thesis for an unseen poem. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Question 7)
- I can split a thesis into claims that form a line of reasoning. (Guide: “From thesis to line of reasoning to paragraphs”; Practice Question 7)
- I can write a paragraph in the order claim, evidence, commentary, link. (Guide: “The paragraph engine”; Practice Question 8)
- I can use the commentary chain: device, effect, meaning, thesis. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Question 4)
Reasoning
- I can test my own thesis by asking whether a reasonable reader could disagree. (Guide: “What a defensible thesis is, and is not”)
- I can end a paragraph with a link that ties the evidence back to the thesis. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Question 5)
- I can revise a weak paragraph into a strong one and say what changed. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Question 8)
- I can hold two readings in tension to develop a more complex interpretation. (Practice Question 6)
When every box is ticked, move on to the 8.7 study guide.