Writing the Evaluation Essay
Overview
This is a Google doc with multiple steps and resources to walk students through the writing process for an Evaluation Essay
Writing the Evaluation Essay
Evaluation Essay -
In this tutorial, you will walk through instruction and writing steps that will lead you to an Evaluation Essay. Please make a copy of this document (File>Make Copy) and complete all of the steps below:
| Evaluation Essay Requirements: Evaluate a movie or film3 pages, double spaced (750 words)MLA FormatSee your course and fill in your due dates | |
| Prewriting Check (Week 6) | Due Date: |
| Draft Due to Peer Editing Form (Week 7) | Due Dates (there are 2 due dates): |
| Final Draft (Week 8) | Due Date: |
Grading
Sometimes it’s nice to know how your paper will be graded before you start writing. Here are the key features of a well-written paper about a film of your choosing.
From Norton Field Guide chapter 16
| A Concise Description of the subject. You should include just enough information to let readers who may not be familiar with your subject understand what it is; the goal is to evaluate, not summarize. Depending on your topic and medium, some of this information may be in visual or audio form. Describe the main plot points of a movie, only providing what readers need to understand the context of your evaluation |
| Clearly Defined Criteria. You need to determine clear criteria as the basis for your judgment. In reviews or other evaluations written for a broad audience, you can integrate the criteria into the discussion as reasons for your assessment. In more formal evaluations, you may need to announce your criteria explicitly. For instance, you could evaluate a film based on stars’ performances, the complexity of their characters, and the film’s coherence. There are lots of other criteria to choose from, depending on your film choice. |
| A knowledgeable discussion of the subject. To evaluate something credibly, you need to show that you know it yourself and that you understand its context. Cite many examples showing your knowledge of the film. Some evaluations require that you research what other authoritative sources have said about your subject. You are welcome to refer to other film reviews to show you have researched other views, but your review should be your own |
| A balanced and fair assessment. An evaluation is centered on a judgment. You can point out both its weaknesses and strengths. It is important that any judgment be balanced and fair. Seldom is something all good or all bad. A fair evaluation need not be all positive or all negative; it may acknowledge both strengths and weaknesses. For example, a movie’s soundtrack may be wonderful while the plot is not. |
| Well-supported reasons. You need to argue for your judgment, providing reasons and evidence that might include visual and audio as well as verbal material. Support your reasons with several specific examples from the film. |
Step 1: Choosing a Topic
For this assignment, you will choose a film you have watched that was meaningful enough to evaluate. It can be one that was meaningful because it changed your perspective, for instance. You are also welcome to choose a film that was critically acclaimed, but you have objections to. Choose something that strikes you as a film worth analyzing and discussing.
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| What film are you going to evaluate in this essay? Make sure it is one that is accessible to you (you own it, you have checked it out from the library, it’s available through a subscription like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, etc.) You will need to watch it and take detailed notes so that you have specifics, dialogue, etc. to include. |
| What film will you evaluate? |
| Paste the film’s citation in MLA format in the box below. Here is a resource that describes how to cite Films or Movies |
| Paste your MLA citation here. You will need it later when you write your paper |
Step 2: Generating Ideas and Text
| In the columns below you will generate text. Much of it may be used later as you draft your paper, but don’t worry about that now. Use these exercises to help you get your ideas down. | |
| Explore what you already know. Freewrite to answer the following questions: What do you know about this subject? What are your initial or gut feelings, and why do you feel as you do? How does this film reflect or affect your basic values or beliefs? How have others evaluated subjects like this? | |
| Identify criteria. Make a list of criteria you think should be used to evaluate your film. Think about which criteria will likely be important to your audience. | |
| Evaluate your subject. Study your film closely to determine to what extent it meets each of your criteria. You may want to list your criteria and take notes related to each one as you watch the film. You may develop a rating scale for each criterion to help stay focused on it. Come up with a tentative judgment. Choose 3-4 criteria to discuss in your essay. | |
| Compare your subject with others. Often, evaluating something involves comparing and contrasting it with similar things. We judge movies in comparison with other movies we’ve seen in a similar genre. | |
| State your judgment as a tentative thesis statement. Your thesis statement should be one that addresses both pros and cons. “Hawaii Five-O is fun to watch despite its stilted dialogue” “Of the five sport utility vehicles tested, the Toyota 4 Runner emerged as the best in comfort, power, and durability, though not in styling or cargo capacity.” Both of these examples offer a judgment but qualify it according to the writer’s criteria. Experiment with thesis statements and highlight one you want to use. | |
| Anticipate other opinions. I think Will Ferrell is a comic genius whose movies are first-rate. You think Will Ferrell is a terrible actor who makes awful movies. How can I write a review of his latest film that you will at least consider? One way is by acknowledging other opinions--and refuting those opinions as best I can. I may not persuade you to see Ferrell’s next film, but I can at least demonstrate that by certain criteria he should be appreciated. You may need to research how others have evaluated your subject. | |
| Identify and support your reasons. Write out all the reasons you can think of that will convince your audience to accept your judgment. Review your list to identify the most convincing or important reasons. Then review how well your subject meets your criteria and decide how best to support your reasons; through examples, authoritative opinions, statistics, visual or audio evidence, or something else. |
Step 3: Organization of the Evaluation Essay
| Below are two different options for organizing your essay. Choose one of them (don’t be afraid to choose something other than chronological!). Click on the image and use the down arrow to open the drawing and fill in the boxes with elements from your story to help you outline your organization |
| Once you have completed Steps 1-3, submit a link to your copy of this document to your teacher as your Prewriting Check |
Step 4- Draft
Use this MLA formatted writing template linked HERE to draft out your 3 page (750 word) essay by making a copy and adding your own information. Add a link to your paper in the box below. Make sure it is set so that “Anyone with a link CAN COMMENT” Do this by clicking SHARE in the top right corner. Then click “change” under the “get link” box, and use the down arrow to change so that anyone at MHA can edit.
| link to paper: |
Step 5: Get Feedback
| Submit your draft to paperrater.com. Use feedback to polish your essay. Here is a TUTORIAL for paperrater.com |
| What feedback did you get from paperrater.com? Paste it in this box: |
Step 6- Peer Editing
Go back to the course and submit your draft for peer editing. You will post your own draft, then edit two of your peers’ drafts. Read the directions carefully in the Peer Editing Forum.
Step 7: Final Paper
Once you have revised your draft, you will submit your final draft to your teacher in the course. You may also paste the draft below. Make sure it is shared so that anyone from MHA with a link can edit:
| Paste in Link: |
Link to the Evaluation Essay Google Doc
Make a copy using File>Make a Copy