SOAPSTone

1. SOAPSTone An introduction to Analyzing Writing Miss Scalf ERWC Period 1, Spring 2011

2. What is SOAPSTone? • Speaker: The voice that tells the story • Occasion: The time and the place of the piece; the context that prompted the writing. • Audience: The group of readers to whom this piece is directed • Purpose: The reason behind the text • Subject: The topic of the piece of writing • Tone: The attitude of the author

3. Speaker • While reading the text, ask yourself this major question: WHO IS SPEAKING? • Don’t confuse the author with the speaker. They are two different voices; sometimes two different personas. For example, Jim is a reporter for the NY Times, but thespeaker is a man trying to influence readers to steer clear of a new product. • Ask yourself: What’s the point of a speaker? Why do we care who is speaking? How does it influence the text? How does it influence the reader? • Who is speaking to the reader? Is it an economist? A fashion guru? A teacher? A lawmaker?

4. Occasion • While reading, it’s important to determine WHAT EVENT INFLUENCED THE TEXT. • Why do we write? Why does it matter? Do we just write about anything and everything, or are we influenced to write? • Ask yourself: Why is this person writing this text now? What major event or occurrence inspired this piece of writing? • Are they writing in response to a new law? An ongoing war? A celebrity mishap? A major world crisis?

5. Audience • While reading the text, it is important to determine WHO THE AUDIENCE IS. • Don’t think an article on the health risks of elementary school cafeteria food is an article for just anyone. Who could an article like that be targeting? • Ask yourself: Who is the intended audience for this text? Why write to this specific audience? Why cant a piece of writing be meant for EVERYBODY? • Is the audience the financial experts of the business world? Stay-at-home mothers? College students? Athletes?

6. Purpose • While reading the text, it is necessary to understand the PURPOSE OF THE TEXT. • Ask yourself: What’s the purpose of the writing? What is it intended to do? What is the speaker hoping to achieve? Is there a goal? • Are they trying to influence consumers to buy a certain product? Vote for a specific politician? Save their money by investing? Send their kids to private school?

7. Subject • While reading the text, determine the SUBJECT OF THE TEXT. • Ask yourself: What is this piece of writing about? What topic(s) does it concern? Why does it matter? • Are they writing about the war in Iraq? A new law that just passed? A hot, new celebrity?

8. Tone • While reading the text, one of the most important questions is WHAT’S THE TONE OF THE TEXT? • How is the author saying what he’s saying? What is his attitude towards the subject? Towards the audience? • Is he angry? Biased? Persuasive? Neutral?

9. Let’s Practice • Together, we’re going to read article #1, “At West Potomac High School, taking F off the Grade Books” and discuss the SOAPSTone for the article. (use graphic organizer) • In small groups of 3, read and complete a SOAPSTone for article #2, “In the Eye of the ‘Tiger’”. DUE at the end of the period. (use graphic organizer) • For homework, find an article of your choice and bring it to class on Tuesday. Make sure it is SOAPSTone-worthy! Check out www.izzit.org for articles.

10. The Analysis Paragraph • An analysis paragraph must prove something by using the text as evidence. • Follow the specific paragraph outline if you want to write an outstanding paragraph. • DO’s and DON’TS: • DO state your point • DON’T forget to provide the WHY and HOW SO? • DO cite your evidence • DON’T quote without explaining its significance • DO follow the paragraph outline

11. An Outline of an Analysis Paragraph • Topic Sentence (TS): One sentence that states your point; it states what you’re trying to prove. • Concrete Detail (CD #1): Your first piece of evidence; a quote from the source. • Commentary (CM): Two to four sentences that explains the significance of the quote. How does it help prove your point? • Concrete Detail (CD #2): Your second piece of evidence; another quote from the source. • Commentary (CM): Two to four sentences that explains the significance of the quote. How does it help prove your point? • Conclusive Sentence (CS): One sentence that wraps up your paragraph.

12. Model Paragraph

13. Citing within your Paragraph • You must ALWAYS support your point with textual evidence and give credit where credit is due; acknowledge the author. • Introduce the material being cited with a acknowledgement phrase that includes the author's name and title. • Notice that the period follows the parenthetical citation. When a quotation ends with a question mark or an exclamation point, leave the end punctuation inside the quotation mark and add a period after the parentheses: " . . . !" (8). • Example: James Smith, a writer for the Orange Country Register, reports that shortly after California made it illegal to use a handheld phone while driving, "accidents caused by using the phones dropped by 75 percent" (A8). This proves that outlawing cellphones while driving is decreasing accidents and ultimately saving lives. I think the law is an essential addition to California’s legislation.

14. Let’s Practice • In small groups of 3, write an analysis paragraph for article #2, proving either the audience or purpose. DUE at the end of the period. • Using the article you found, write a complete SOAPSToneand analysis paragraph. DUE at the end of the period. • Take some time to reflect on my comments, and then re-write your paragraph. Next, trade with a partner and edit their paragraph. Be sure to write constructive comments!

15. How to Answer Qs • A strong answer must respond to all parts of the question, use textual evidence as support, and prove the WHY and HOW SO? • Follow the answer outline if you want to write a solid answer. • DO’s and DON’TS: • DO answer in complete sentences • DON’T begin an answer with Yes, because… • DO answer all parts of the question • DON’T forget to answer the WHY and HOW SO?

16. An Outline of a Solid Answer

17. Model Answer • Gonzalez’s sample answer

18. Let’s Practice • Together, we’re going to read article #3, “Why Soccer’s Biggest Stars Failed to Shine” and write a strong answer. • In small groups of 3, re-read article #1, “At West Potomac High School…” and answer the Qs. DUE at the end of the period.

19. “At West Potomac HS…” Qs Define: inflation, coddled, banished, tallied, leverage, livid, entrepreneurial, trump, mentors Answer the following Qs in complete sentences (use the text as support): • Do you find that the possibility of failing is a motivator? How would you and your classmates approach schoolwork differently if F’s were changed to incompletes? • “If we really want students to know and do the work, why would we give them an F and move on?” What is the answer to his question? • Besides incomplete grades, are there any ways of teaching kids who have gotten an F in something? • What is the purpose of an education?

20. “At West Potomac HS…” Qs • What is the purpose of grades? How do they help students? Who else makes use of them? • Could students learn without grades? Could students learn well if they primarily pursued grades? • Is it fair that some students have a better ability to learn than others? Is it fair that grades reflect this?

21. Let’s Practice • In small groups of 3, read article #4, “Laws Against ‘Distracted Walking’ Coming?” and answer the Qs. DUE at the end of the period. • For homework, use article #5, “Parenting Experts Weigh in on ‘Tiger Mother’” to write a complete SOAPSTone, an analysis paragraph with citations, and answer the Qs. DUE Tuesday at the beginning of the period.

22. “Laws Against ‘Distracted Walking’” Qs Define: parallel, adjacent, civil fine, criminalize. Answer the following Qs in complete sentences (use the text as support): • Has the crackdown on texting and doing other activities while driving made it easier to pass laws about using electronic devices while walking? Can you support your answer with info. from the article? • Why is there a Governors Highway Safety Association? • “The proposal would ban the use of electronic device while crossing a crosswalk in a city with a population of 1 million or more.” what city does this proposal target? Is this an action that the state government needs to take? • Besides electronic devices, what are some things that might take a pedestrian’s attention off of where he/she is going? • How does a person benefit from using electronic devices in public places? What are the risks involved? How can a person decide whether the risk is worth it? Why do some elected officials and activists whether people use these devices in public? • “Jeffress said his legislation, which does not spell out any penalty for violation, is aimed ore at increasing awareness than punishing pedestrians.” do people care about the opinions of a majority of legislators if there is no punishment to back up this opinion? Should they care?

23. “Laws Against ‘Distracted Walking’” Qs • Besides electronic devices, what are some things that might take a pedestrian’s attention off of where he/she is going? • How does a person benefit from using electronic devices in public places? What are the risks involved? How can a person decide whether the risk is worth it? Why do some elected officials and activists whether people use these devices in public? • “Jeffress said his legislation, which does not spell out any penalty for violation, is aimed ore at increasing awareness than punishing pedestrians.” do people care about the opinions of a majority of legislators if there is no punishment to back up this opinion? Should they care?