Boston

GSW 1110

Unit 5: Justifying an Evaluation~~Chapter 8

Essay 5 is our final essay we will be writing in this class. You as writers are now
going to be asked to become the evaluator of another persons writing. You will
look at what someone has written, in a focused writing genre, and evaluate it
based on criteria we establish within the class. Your evaluation can be positive
or negative; it will all depend on how you feel the writer was able to fulfill the
criteria we have set forth for our evaluation.

Essay 5: Justifying an Evaluation of a Film Review

Rough Draft Essay 5 Due: Fri. 11/21

Final Draft Essay 5 Due: Fri. 12/5
We make evaluations every day. We make assertions about what movie to go see, what fast food
to eat, what gas station to get gas, what grocery store to shop at, and what outfit to wear.
Generally, our evaluations are sometimes as simple as The movie last night was great, or That
gas station has the cheapest gas. Rarely do we give any detailed reasons for these assertions.
We merely offer visceral reactions; however, other occasions may ask for more than just our gut
reaction.
Occasions mentioned above may require deeper evaluation beyond the surface level. This deeper
evaluation may then be transmitted in a written form for a formal evaluation. Often times, in
many professions or college, you may be asked to evaluate things in a more formal way.
Evaluating a written text is a way to begin analyzing others writing in order to make your
writing stronger. You will be required at those times to provide a well-supported, convincing
argument that justifies your claim. Your readers will expect judgments that are authoritative,
persuasive, well-planned, coherent and organized. In order to provide what readers expect, you
will need to establish clear standards, or criteria, for your evaluation and support your judgments
with reasons, evidence, and examples.
The assignment:
For this essay, you will need to evaluate a review of a movie. In order to do this, you also need to
watch the movie as well. You will need to think about what makes a successful movie review.
Does the reviewer give a brief plot summary? Do they give away too much of the movie? Is the
cast and plot evaluated? What other evaluations are necessary for a successful review? We will
be going over criteria for what constitutes a good movie review in class. Therefore, you will be
confident in forming a strong based criterion for your evaluation.

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GSW 1110

The audience:
Your audience will be the editor of a website or magazine that has published the review. You will
be assessing whether the author deserves to be published in the future in the editors website or
magazine.
The Movie Review:
You can choose a review of any current movie. The movie can be recently released in theaters or
on dvd. But remember, in order to write a successful assessment, you will need to read both the
review and watch the film. Make sure the review you choose is long enough to form a paper
around. The longer the review you choose, the easier it will be to assess it.
The components of the essay:
The following components will need to be in your essay:
1. Your chosen criteria by which you will evaluate the review. You need to decide what has
made this review successful or unsuccessful. Your review can have both positive and
negatives, but you will need to decide whether this reviewer should be allowed to write
further reviews. You are deciding what makes a good film review, but make sure to
follow some of the guidelines we will talk about in class.
2. A thesis statement that expresses your overall judgment of the review and the criteria
(three or four should be sufficient) you used to make your determination.
3. Be sure to provide a clear description of the review. Include its intended audience, plot
summary, and other features the reviewer used to evaluate the film.
4. Use the body of your essay to provide support for your evaluation by using specific
examples and reasons from the text.
5. A counterargument must be present. The counterargument may be something that needs
improvement even if the review as a whole is successful. If your evaluation is negative,
the counterargument may be something that is good in the review.

Questions to ask:
Particularly in your prewriting phase, but throughout your writing and rewriting, remember the
answers to the following questions:

Who is my audience and what are its values?

What is the target age group of the review?
What are the criteria I am using to evaluate this text?
What is the purpose of this essay?
How will I get and keep my reader(s) engaged?
How should I arrange my argument?

Due dates:
Rough Draft Wed. 11/21
Final Draft Fri. 12/5
You will need to turn in all prewriting, drafts, peer reviews, Audience and Values Exploration
sheet, and Student Process Analysis form with your final essay. The final essay should be at a

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minimum 4 full pages and no more than 7 pages. Your Work Cited page does not count as one of
your required four pages. Remember to use the format outlined in your achievement
requirements.
If you need help:
Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any problems or questions. Remember, I am here to
help you. Email is always the easiest way to contact me. The Writing Center here on campus is
another place to go for help.
A final word:
An evaluation focuses on the criteria used for evaluation. You do this type of evaluation every
day without being conscious of it. Now, you need to develop that consciousness in order to
explain your judgment to your intended audience. Be sure to keep your audiences values in
mind as you write your evaluation.
Paper Guidelines: All essays turned in must follow these guidelines to be acceptable for
submission:
Your essay is expected to be 4 pages in length (the Work Cited page does not count as
one of your 4 pages).
Papers should follow MLA format. Examples and information on MLA can be found in A
Writers Resource. As well, we will discuss MLA format in class.
You WILL need a Work Cited page. This includes for the Rough Draft.
If you do not have a Work Cited page for the Rough Draft it will not be
accepted.
Essays must be word processed, double-spaced, and have standard 1 margins on the
right and left sides, top, and bottom of the page.
The font used for your final drafts should be 12-point Times New Roman.
Pages must be numbered with your last name and page number in the upper right-hand
corner.
Your essays must have a title, but please dont include a separate title page with your
papers.
When you submit a final draft of an essay to me for evaluation, you will need to include a
number of other materials along with it, arranged in the following order:
A GSW Rubric should be on top (goldenrod color).
The assignment sheet should be included next.
The final (or most recent) draft of your essay should be included next.
The various drafts of your paper should be included next, in reverse
chronological order. Only drafts which contain substantial revisions or
which peers or I have commented upon should be included, however.
On the bottom of the stack should be a completed Audience and Values
Exploration/Student Process Analysis Sheet (purple color) and all other
prewriting you have done for the assignment.
*** You will be required to have your movie and review approved by me, a Rough Draft
completed on time, and a Final Draft completed on time for this essay; as they are a part of your
Portfolio and must be turned in to have your Portfolio submitted for a passing grade. These all
MUST be turned in on their DESIGNATED due dates, or your paper will not receive comments
from me, or be able to be submitted into the portfolio.
I look forward to going through the writing process with you, and watching
your essays develop throughout this Unit. Again, do not feel overwhelmed. I will

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be there to help you throughout this essay. Be sure to have fun while writing this
justifying an evaluation essay. Make it meaningful, detailed, and well supported.
Good luck!