Best Evidence

Importance of finding best evidence Support for your claim Using good evidence = you as a reliable/trustworthy source Allows for a logical argument Your writing will improve Writing will be EASIER – you won’t have to try to fluff your way through!

How to find best evidence First, be sure to have a claim. If you are answering a question, your answer is your claim. Then, look for direct evidence to back up your claim. When you are looking for evidence, you should be looking for evidence that you can analyze to prove your claim. Always ask: Does my evidence have anything to do with my claim? Can I use this evidence to prove my claim? Am I just picking this evidence because it sounds like it might work? Do I need to adjust my claim?

Let’s talk about how to formulate a claim. Claim: Huck is more mature than Tom Now think about this: So what? Why is this important? Why does Twain want us to know this? Revised claim: Mark Twain wants us to know that Huck is more mature than Tom because even though they are both kids, Huck’s experiences has made him grow up faster. Again, so what? Claim: Mark Twain wants his readers to see Huck as a reliable narrator. Even though Huck does engage in some classic childlike behaviors, in the end, Huck seems to be able to tell the difference between what is real and what is pretend. This allows the readers to take Huck’s account of what is happening more seriously. NOW: Evidence. What evidence could we use to support my claim? Let’s talk about how to formulate a claim.

After you find your evidence YOU MUST ANALYZE YOUR EVIDENCE! If your claim is clear and you have picked the right evidence, your analysis should be a little easier to write! Make sure that in your analysis you are picking out things like: Diction, Imagery, Details, Language, Syntax Your analysis should never be shorter than the evidence you selected. Even after providing the evidence, you should be pulling elements directly from the quote. After you find your evidence