Read through the following draft:
Next, discuss your answers to the following questions aloud in your groups. Write your answers collaboratively in a Google Doc.
1. Summarize, as briefly as possible, the author's main claim. Is it substantive? Could another person reasonably challenge or oppose it?
2. Which of the categories we talked about on Tuesday does the author's introduction fit into? Is it one of the more effective or less effective introductions? If it is one of the less effective introductions, suggest ways that the author might use one of the more effective introduction strategies.
3. A strong introduction should be concise; it should use one of the effective introduction strategies, then transition as quickly as possible to the thesis statement. Are there any sentences in the draft that are extraneous? Could the line between the introduction and the thesis statement be any straighter? If necessary, copy and paste the introduction paragraph below, deleting any sentences you find extraneous.
4. Scan the draft for any sentences that seem wordy or difficult to understand. Paste these sentences below and attempt to revise them, trying your best to use simple sentence forms in which a subject, strong action verb, and direct object come in that order.
5. Compose a list of TWO things that the author should do to improve his or her draft.
