In-class Writing Directions 3.17

1. Select one graph from our text Climate Casino. If you don't have the book, find a graph from the PDFs I've linked to our course blog. Remember, when you write your blog, address it to a Laguardia student who isn't in our class. State who you are, what you're doing, and why. Then, when you read over your blog for revision, be sure to ask yourself if they'd be be able to understand your points.

2. To fully explain a graph you will need to consider following skills; each might correspond to a different paragraph, or you may choose to organize it differently. Then, examine your graph, making notes where useful. Finally, write a response that summarizes, interprets, and connects the information in the data.

-          Summary: explains the information for a reader who has not seen it yet.

·         hint: be sure to address what the information says as well as how it measures and presents its data.

·         does the data communicate any pattern, trend, or story?
hint: imagine someone else can't see the graph, but needs to know what it looks like. 

-           Interpretation: explains the information for a reader wondering what the graph means.

·         hint: interpretation requires that you explain the significance of something: why is this data important? Who should care about it?

·         Can you imagine reasons that would explain any pattern, trend, or story in the data?

-          Integration: explains the data’s links to an idea, issue, or claim from class or course text.

·         hint: return to your class notes or class text, and explain the significance of the data for the idea, issue, or claim you choose. 

-          Critique: explains the data for what’s missing, unclear, or inaccurate.

·         hint: is there a problem in the way this data presents its information, methods, or sources?