States major finding of article

Shows how title quotation guides argument of entire essay

Reading the first page gives the audience a good overview of what they are about to dive into. Andrea and Karen Lunsford clearly imply what side of the argument they will defend and expand on—that student errors have not increased over time. As I read, I noticed that the title quotation slowly and eloquently ties in with the argument. The authors’ word choice (positivity, optimism, etc.) reminded me of this, and the phrase “mistakes are a fact of life” is also repeated several times to underline the main point.

Notes surprising aspect of essay and speculates on causes

Explains why he agrees with major point of essay

While a lot of people today think that students just can’t write as well as we used to, this study proves the fear to be false. I am convinced by the results, which are based on careful analysis of a large number of student essays. One factor that did surprise me was an increase in student essay length. What happened between 1986 and 2006 that caused such a huge change in length? The authors suggest that the change is related to use of technology, and this explanation makes sense to me.

Notes effect of good examples and of tables representing findings

Notes how authors establish credibility

The authors use clear and direct examples from other studies over a century, and the tables they use really help readers understand the differences between the studies. In fact, this was a major goal: the authors want readers to see for themselves the similarities and differences in student errors that studies have shown over the past hundred years. They have done a lot of research in order to find similar studies of error. In addition, one of the authors, Andrea Lunsford, was a researcher on a previous study. In my estimation, the authors achieved their purpose and have the evidence to support their conclusion. This article was well written, well explained, and well researched.