Setting/Nature Evaluative Essay
Areas of Improvement, Essay Requirements and Essay Scoring
Common Areas of Improvement needed in setting/nature essays:
1. Underdeveloped thesis statements that don’t explain how setting affects the story.
2. Underdeveloped topic sentences that don’t describe how setting affects the story.
3. Topic sentences that are used to explain plot summary.
4. Textual evidence that is used for plot summary rather than support of analysis or opinion.
5. Summary in body paragraphs of setting and its relevance to thematic development.
6. Quotes not being cited correctly
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Essay Requirements and Scoring
I-Introduction (points in parentheses)
1. Hook
2. Transition from hook to text being discussed
3. Brief summary of text (2-3sentences) including author and title
4. Transition from summary to thesis
5. Thesis statement that addresses how setting/nature affects mood, characterization, and symbols
and how setting affects theme. If necessary, the thesis statement can be two sentences
II-Body Paragraphs Setting/Nature’s Affects (use same format for three body paragraphs)
1. Topic sentence focusing on how setting/nature affects mood, characterization or symbols in the
story
2. Contextual transition from topic sentence to textual evidence that expand on topic sentence
3. Textual evidence that supports topic sentence
4. Analysis and/or explanation of importance and relevance of textual evidence. Repeat steps 3 and
4 for each example of textual evidence
5. Summary of settings/nature affects
III-Body Paragraph Describing How Setting/Nature Affects Theme (This could also come in each
body paragraph)
1. Topic sentence focusing on how setting/nature affects the story’s theme
2. Transition from topic sentence to concrete details that expand on topic sentence
3. Explanation as to how theme is developed.
4. Summary of setting/nature’s effect on theme.
IV-Conclusion
1. Re-phrase essay’s thesis statement
2. Analysis of concrete details and/or textual evidence used to demonstrate character development
3. Connection from text to real world
Using and Citing Textual Evidence
1. All opinions, assertions, analyses, etc. need to be supported with textual evidence that is presented
verbatim from the text.
2. Usually, textual evidence citations appear in parentheses after a quote, direct passage or paraphrased
passage and include chapter #, page #, act #, scene #, line #, etc. depending on the source being used.