2.3  The Reading Before the Writing: Analyzing the Task

Analyze This?

Analyze: that's a word you see often in directions for tests and tasks for all subjects. What does it mean? Does it mean read the directions slowly? Does it mean read them ten times? Does it mean stare at them until you burn a hole through the paper with your eyes? How do you analyze?

      If you've ever taken anything apart or broken it down into simpler parts then you've analyzed. Maybe you took apart the ball point pen or squirt gun to see how it was supposed to work. Maybe you took apart the cookie or dessert that came in layers so you could eat it one layer at a time (saving the best for last).

      When you analyze a task or prompt, you take it apart to see how it's made, to see how many parts there are. You also need to know how it is supposed to what are the right contexts. The earlier part of this section has given you plenty of practice with this type of analysis.

      Analyzing the task is the reading before the writing, and that reading is very important. We'll show you how to use key features of the task to prepare your response for a good score for Focus and Meaning.

Communication Contexts

It's 7:00 PM and you're in your room. You take a break from your poetry assignment to write a birthday card to a cousin. Someone calls your name from the other room. Then the phone rings.

      At least four acts of communication are going on at the same time: the poem, the card, the calling of your name, and the phone call. Each act has a context, a set of surroundings that include who, what, where, when, why, and how. Let's look at the contexts of the birthday card communication. The Focus Checklist below will help us to look at the contexts of sending the birthday card.

Focus Checklist

Writer's Role:	Who am I as the writer? Myself? An adult speaker?
Subject or Topic:	What exactly do I need to write about? How many parts are there to this topic? What do I already know? What do I have to get from the text(s) I read? What are the key parts of this topic?
Audience:	For whom am I writing? How old are they? Are they in authority (principal, senator, etc.)? What do they already know about this topic? How can I get their interest and attention?
Purpose:	What am I supposed to accomplish with this writing? Tell how to do something? Explain what happened? Describe what something looks like? Persuade someone to act?
Pattern (Form):	How should I organize my writing? Informational? Narrative? Persuasive?
Controlling Idea:	How can I best express my (informational, narrative, or persuasive) controlling idea?
Here are the contexts of writing and sending the birthday card:
Writer's Role:	you
Audience:	your cousin
Subject:	cousin's birthday
Purpose:	to wish a happy that's the controlling idea
Pattern (Form):	a birthday card bought in a store
Controlling Idea:	Have a happy birthday!

      When you bought the birthday card, you probably didn't have to think too hard about these contexts. How about when you have to complete a writing assignment for school? Do you need to think about the contexts and establishing controlling or central idea when you have to:

• compare the resources of the North and South before the Civil War?
• write the conclusion of a science lab report?
• explain how you solved problem 6 on the state math test?
• interpret a poem?
• make a personal health and fitness plan?
• recommend which novel the class should read?

      You won't be writing a lot of birthday cards for tests or essays. However, when you have an academic writing problem or task or test item or prompt you need to analyze the task and understand the contexts of your writing and the kind of controlling idea you need to establish.

      If you don't do this, the chances are that you won't do exactly what you were supposed to do. The chances are that you won't complete the assignment properly, and you won't get the best mark or grade, either.

Here is an independent writing task for you to try. Read the task and complete the list of contexts that follow it. Jot your answers down on a piece of paper.

Background: Your community has a Community Action Club, and you are a member. Club members volunteer their time and talents to work on projects for the good of the community. However, the Club also needs money for materials for some needed projects. The Club wants to sponsor a dance at your school to raise money for these projects. School policy states only school clubs can sponsor dances in the building.

Your Task: As a Club member, write a letter to your school principal to persuade him or her that your Club should be allowed to sponsor a dance in school. Write only the body of the letter.

Writing Context

Writer's Role:	_________________
Audience:	_________________
Subject:	_________________
Purpose:	_________________
Pattern (Form):	_________________
Controlling idea:	_________________

Do your answers look like this one? Click here for suggested response.

Let's look at the task or prompt again to see how these contexts are identified.

Background: Your community has a Community Action Club, and you are a member. Club members volunteer their time and talents to work on projects for the good of the community. However, the Club also needs money for materials for some needed projects.

The Club wants to sponsor a dance at your school to raise money for these projects (subject). School policy states only school clubs can sponsor dances in the building.

Your Task: As a Club member (writer), write a letter to your school principal (audience) recommending (purpose) that the Club be allowed to sponsor a dance at your school. Write only the body of the letter (body of letter must be persuasive, so use opinion-reason).


(Note: Later in this section, you'll see some of these patterns explained)

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