Students peruse their magazines that they have used in the past and locate an ad that appeals to them. They do this search with the knowledge that they will be writing an analytical paragraph referring to persuasive techniques, claims, and elements of print.
Before students began their analytical writing, I used the Analytical Writing Power Point to model my thought process as I gathered my ideas.
I began with Why do I analyze? and How do I analyze an ad? (screen 2)
We then discussed details that would be important to address in the analysis (screen 3).
Then I showed the Campbell’s Soup ad that I had chosen to analyze. I demonstrated how I took notes about details in the ad that I thought I would include in my writing (screen 4).
Screen 5 provided a guideline to details to include in their analysis. Screen 6 and 7 is a model paragraph created from information discussed.
Referring to the selected ad, students began taking notes about their ad as previously modeled.
Using the details gathered, students began writing a rough draft of their Analytical Paragraph. I had the model paragraph on the front board so that students could easily refer to the sample.
In small groups, students shared their analysis, providing suggestions about how to be more specific in their writing.