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…”
- 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.
