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 the literary argument prompt asks, and why the claim must be about the whole work. (Guide: “What the literary argument essay asks of you”)
- I can explain what a defensible thesis is for a whole-work argument and why a restatement or a plot summary does not count. (Guide: “A defensible thesis about a whole work”; Practice Question 1)
- I can explain what a line of reasoning is. (Guide: “From thesis to line of reasoning”; Practice Question 2)
- I can explain what the sophistication point rewards. (Guide: “Sophistication: what it is and is not”; Practice Question 6)
Skills
- I can choose a work that offers rich, varied evidence for a given prompt. (Guide: “What the literary argument essay asks of you”; Practice Question 5)
- I can write a thesis and three claims for a prompt. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Question 7)
- I can use precise description as evidence when I cannot recall exact words, and never invent a quotation. (Guide: “Commentary on evidence from memory”; Practice Question 3)
- I can use the commentary chain: evidence, what it shows, how it supports the claim, how that supports the thesis. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Question 4)
Reasoning
- I can choose a pattern for a line of reasoning (development, layers, cause and consequence) to suit the work. (Guide: “From thesis to line of reasoning”)
- I can develop a tension or alternative reading without losing my thesis. (Guide: “Sophistication: what it is and is not”; Practice Question 6)
- I can revise a weak paragraph into a strong one and say what changed. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Question 8)
- I can write a body paragraph with a claim, specific evidence, commentary and a link to the thesis. (Practice Question 8)
When every box is ticked, move on to the 9.7 study guide.