Song Analysis Essay Peer Review

Formatting Times New Roman 12 point font Left alignment (NOT centered) 1 inch margins

Header 1. Name 2. Teacher Name 3. Class 4. Date 1. Day, Month, Year Clark Sample Mrs. Vaerewyck English 12, Period ___ 18 February 2015

Labeling Make a key at the top of your paper using your highlighters Sample: Blue=Statement Pink=Proof Yellow=Commentary Green= Green Words in the thesis Label the topic sentences at the beginning of each section Label the transitions at the end of each section Highlight the body paragraphs for statement, proof, and commentary using your key

Eyeballing Percentages Look at what you highlighted. Is more than 15-20% of what your partner wrote pink? He or she needs to shorten quotes, develop commentary, or both. Write which one(s) you think he or she needs to do If quotes are too long, cross out the part(s) of the quotes you think he or she doesn’t need Remember: you may only use 6 lines, max, from the song

Claim Check Must make a claim about how that song: If it looks like this, they do not have a claim: Fits/represents your character archetype “On Your Porch” really reflects my archetype. On Your Porch” really reflects the martyr archetype.

Commentary Check Should:Should Not: Explain what the chosen lyrics mean if they have anything figurative or metaphorical Explain HOW those lyrics are representative of the archetype Focus on anything other than your archetype Be vague and lack detail

Thesis Statement Highlight green words in green Check that they are “green” and NOUNS Check thesis against claims made in the essay. Does it match or does it contradict what you say about your song? Make sure it isn’t three-prong Shouldn’t just list green words Write yourself some notes now. You may take out your green words list if you need it. Example: “On Your Porch” speaks to the bravery it takes for martyrs to have compassion for themselves, and the solitude they sometimes face in search of hope for a better future.

Check the Introduction’s Grabber Do you have one? Is it effective? Did you use a random quote that seems out of place? If you start off with a question, does it work or does it seem out of place or unrelated?

Sample Intro: The first time I saw The Format in concert was at Edgefest After a long, sun-baked day of endless bands, the sky had darkened to the dirty blue of all rainclouds. It threatened the electrical equipment of the stage and sound controls, and yet the last band refused to give up taking the stage. Nate, Sam, and the other “Formatters” came up, and the crowd, now dotted with rain sprinkles, grew louder and louder until Nate took the microphone. When he announced the show would go on, the crowd erupted in approval. There is nothing quite like a Format crowd. We sang along to both fast and slow songs, and as we sang a shared camaraderie built between crowd members, the band, and the rain that turned to sheets and blinded us all. We left that night running through the rain, soaked and thrilled with the performance, racing through the parking lot to my car to recount, time and again, that last, wondrous performance. Since then my love of the band only grew, and with each album Nate Ruess (now the lead singer of Fun.) writes, I feel that he has written the soundtrack to my life. The song that defined my senior year of high school was The Format’s “On Your Porch.” To me, “On Your Porch” speaks to the bravery it takes for martyrs to have compassion for themselves, and the solitude they sometimes face in search of hope for a better future.

Mechanics Check The moment you’ve all been waiting for! Check for: Comma usage Plural vs. Possessive (One Republic’s vs. One Republics) Capitalization of proper nouns Run-on sentences and sentence fragments Spelling Word choice that isn’t quite right Anything else you see Even if you aren’t sure, mark it. You know when something doesn’t look or sound quite right. You will double-check later

Language Register Check Are you staying in formal register? Look back at notes to check. Use a pen or a pencil to circle any register drops and write “register” next to these circled areas. You may use personal pronouns like “I,” “me,” and “my.” Absolutely no “you” or “your” unless it is in one of the lyrics you are using.

Citations Name of the band and line number(s) (The Format 30-32) Last name of artist and line number(s) (Paisley 30-32) If the artist has only one name, like Madonna: (Madonna 30-32) Change citations now (if needed) NOTE: Album names are underlined or italicized. Song names go in quotes. Both should follow capitalization rules.

Quote Formatting Use slashes to indicate line breaks “line 1/line2/line 3” In-text citations go at the END of the sentence. Blah blah blah “song line” (The Format 4). Blah blah “song line” blah (The Format 4). “Song line” blah blah blah (The Format 4).

On Wednesday: 1. Final copy 2. This workshopped draft 3. Approved song lyrics 4. Turnitin.com receipt 5. Rubric Even if you are not here, it is due. You will need to make arrangements to have it to me by the beginning of your class period. If you are missing your turnitin.com receipt, it is considered late, even if you have everything else with you.

Reminder About Grading Scale Look at Grading Addendum (should be with your syllabus)