Assignment
Guidelines for Critical Response Paper
Read the guidelines for formatting paper and highlight anything that you do not understand.
A critical response paper assignment asks you to evaluate.
Take notes as you read your text. Taking notes as you read will help you to remember important aspects of the text, and it will also help you to think critically about the text. Keep some key questions in mind as you read and attempt to answer those questions through your notes.
• What is the text or hypothetical about?
• What are the main ideas?
• What is puzzling about the text or hypothetical?
• What is the purpose of this text hypothetical?
After you have finished reading and taking notes on your text or hypothetical, look over your notes to determine what patterns are present in the text or hypothetical and what problems, if any, stand out to you. Problems could be that you did not get enough information or that the information given is inaccurate. Try to identify what you think could be a solution to one of the problems you have identified.
Your solution to the problem should help you to develop a focus for your essay, but keep in mind that you do not need to have a solid argument about your text or hypothetical at this point. As you continue to think about the text, you will move closer to a focus and a thesis for your critical analysis essay.
Place your thesis statement at the end of your first paragraph.
Begin your essay with an engaging sentence that gets right into your topic.Your introduction should immediately begin discussing your topic.Think about what you will discuss in your essay to help you determine what you should include in your introduction. Keep in mind that your introduction should identify the main idea of your critical essay and act as a preview to your essay.