WA3 Evaluations

Each of us has our specific preferences. We like a show. We love a song. We hate a restaurant. We loathe a tacky painting. Whether we know it or not, these are our evaluations of everything around us, and these judgments are based upon a pre-established set of criteria. Based on your essay, make me want to partake of, or push away, something. Tell me if it is good. Tell me if it is bad. Inform me of what criteria you based your judgment. Give me evidence to support or refute your established criteria. Lastly, give us some advice as you re-assert your claim: Is it good or bad? Is this something we should be a part of or something we should run from? To start, choose one of these topics: An Album A Restaurant A Film A Video Game A Ride (carousel, roller coaster/etc.) A [Insert Sport Here] Player A Book With your topic chosen, narrow it down to a specific item. For example: “After the Disco" by Broken Bells, Gnat's Landing, 300: Rise of an Empire, Last of Us, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Michael Phelps, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, etc. Now that it is narrowed down, you need to establish your three criteria for your chosen topic and WHY those criteria are so important (since there are many criteria to choose from). Ask yourself: What makes a star basketball player? (stats, off-court personality, on-court personality, etc.) What do I look for in a video game? (graphics, story, addictiveness, etc.) Why do I always want to eat at Cheeburger Cheeburger? (atmosphere, service, etc.) Keep your criteria honed down to no more than THREE items—whatever you deem as most important. For example: If you pick a film, you might choose to focus on the plot, acting, and costume design. (True, there is much more to a good film, but to keep your paper focused, stick to three, and no more—or less—than three criteria, ensuring that your reader sees WHY those three particular criteria are so important.) Of course, don’t forget to back up your criteria with concrete evidence. Don’t simply say, “To Kill a Mocking Bird is the best book ever!” SHOW your readers WHY it’s the best book ever—from discussing the characters to the author’s impeccable word choice to illustrating the expert pacing. Let your readers make the final judgment for themselves by showing specific scenes/passages/moments/ideas from the chosen text. In addition to the evidence pulled straight from your topic, we need to start bolstering our arguments with quotes from credible secondary sources. For this essay, you must use TWO credible outside sources to support your argument. These need to be some form of “published” communication—from a review, an article, essay, editorial, etc. Wherever they come from, you must properly introduce and cite your secondary sources, including a final, MLA-format bibliography. As evaluations should be objective, we should keep our bias and ourselves out of the essay as much as possible. For this essay, try for a Medium style leaning towards the High style. (Review the chapter on “High, Medium, and Low” styles.) (Starting to sound like a parrot here…) If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Audience: Consumers looking to be informed Style: Medium – High, MLA Style Format: 12 pt., Times New Roman Length: 500 words minimum (excluding the MLA bibliography) Points: 100 total 20 for Grammar and Punctuation 10 for Introduction/Thesis/Conclusion 20 for Your Criteria—establishing/defining them 20 for Your Supporting Evidence—how your chosen item holds up to your criteria 10 for Your Secondary Sources—properly introduced and cited in-text 10 for MLA-format Bibliography 10 for Organization and Transitions OPTIONAL: For a five-point bonus, POST your evaluation on a commercial website (e.g. Amazon, IGN, Google, Yelp, etc.) and provide me with the link to your post.