The method
- Choose a pair — the same kind of writing, months apart. A September paragraph and a May paragraph about a text.
- Read both aloud, in order.
- Name three differences concretely. Not “better” — what is better?
- Point at the cause. What did you learn or practise that produced the change?
- Name what has not changed yet, which is the part that makes the rest credible.
Sentences that work
In September I introduced quotations with “This quote shows”. Here the quotation is inside my own sentence and the analysis is two sentences long.
My October paragraphs all had the same shape. This one is organised by the strength of the evidence, and the strongest piece is last.
I still write conclusions that summarise. That is the next thing.
What is not evidence
“I tried harder.” “I got a better mark.” Both may be true; neither is something a reader could see in the two pieces.
Curriculum connection
C4.2
identify a variety of skills they have in listening, speaking, reading, viewing, and representing and explain how the skills help them write more effectively (e.g., explain how selecting graphics and designing a layout for a poster strengthened the visualizing skills they need to set the scene for a poem or story)
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B4.2
identify a variety of their skills in listening, speaking, writing, viewing, and representing and explain how the skills help them read more effectively (e.g., describe in a double-entry journal how viewing pictures of a historical period contributes to their understanding of fiction set in that period)
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A3.2
identify a variety of their skills in viewing, representing, reading, and writing and explain how the skills help them improve their oral communication skills (e.g., identify and explain narrative techniques that they could incorporate into a group oral presentation; explain how reading a humorous short story improves their ability to tell amusing anecdotes of their own)
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D4.1
describe a variety of strategies they used in interpreting and creating media texts, explain which ones they found most helpful, and identify appropriate steps they can take to improve as media interpreters and producers (e.g., explain how a checklist helped them focus their efforts during production of a media text; use a checklist to assess their strengths as media creators and to identify areas for improvement; identify alternative production strategies they might find useful in the future)
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