WRITING REASONING STRATEGIES TOOLBOX

Not all of these tools/strategies will apply to every quote or CERS.

Choose the strategies that make the most sense.  Also, obviously, they do not need to be in any set order. 

- IN YOUR OWN WORDS:  Describe in what the quote is saying in your plain language. “In other words…”

- DISMANTLE THE EVIDENCE:  Pick apart what the Evidence is doing.  Ask yourself, why did I choose this evidence in the first place?  And then tell why.

- DEFINE UNKNOWN TERMS:  Explain any terms in your quote that require any explanation. “What the author means by the word ________ is…”

- WHAT, WHY, HOW -- Remember, evidence is the “what” but the function of your reasoning is to tell why and how.  Explain it to death.  Point out every detail.  Own it.

- CONNECT THE DOTS:  You will probably need to tell how different ideas in the quote connect to other ideas in the rest of the story.  Show relationships between the ideas in order to make your point.

- EXAMINE A HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION:  You may want to explore a “what if…” scenarios based around your evidence in order to further demonstrate your point.  For example, “If she knew that Victor was lying, she either didn’t care or found a way to justify his lie to herself….”

- REVERSE ANTITHESIS ARGUMENT:  You may want to explore what would happen if your claim were not true when put against this particular evidence.  If the evidence is strong, the counter claim should seem obviously not true.

- USE LOGIC:  You can examine facts and how they connect in order to prove your point.  If A is true and B is not true, then C must be true also.  That sort of thinking goes a long way. 

- MAKE A METAPHORICAL CORRELATION:  You may want to find a parallel line of thinking in order to draw a sharp contrast to your position.  For example, “If one were to think of the planet earth as like an aquarium, and the increase in carbon dioxide gases as like bleach being poured into the fishes’ water…”

- ASK A RHETORICAL QUESTION:  Direct the line of thinking of the reader toward a direction that you want by asking the reader a rhetorical question.  Then answer the question as a means of controlling the logic and forcing the reader into a conclusion that agrees with your point.  For example:  “Does Scrooge want to be forgotten after he dies?  Of course he doesn’t.  Being forgotten after one passes on is almost as if you were never alive…”

FINALLY –

- ON THE LAST LINE CONNECT BACK TO YOUR CLAIM.  Restate your claim with different words and state “because” to summarize your overall reasoning.