Charting A Text For What it Says and Does

Charting A Text For What it Says and Does

Charting A Text For What it Says and Does

Adapted from the work of Katie Hughes.

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Charting involves annotating a text in order to show the “work” each paragraph or section (made up of multiple paragraphs) is doing.

Charting has many benefits: it helps students to identify what authors are doing in various parts of the text rather than simply what s/he is saying (and this helps students to move away from summarizing and into analyzing); it can serve as a way to thoroughly understand in a detailed way how a text is put together; it brings rhetorical awareness of the specific choices and deliberate “moves” made by authors throughout a text.

How do we do charting?

Break down texts by section or paragraph to analyze what each section/paragraph is doing for the overall argument. Ask, what is the purpose of the section/paragraph? What is the author doing, how, and why? It’s important to select strong verbs to describe what authors do.

  • For instance, maybe the author makes a claim, supports a claim, illustrates with examples/anecdotes, describes issues, contextualizes the topic, clarifies misconceptions, rebuts counter arguments, criticizes previous work, appeals to the audience (to their emotions or sense of logic), builds credibility for him/herself, outlines what happens next in the text, etc.
Here are some additional verbs to draw on (avoid thinks, believes, says/states, discusses):

Try this format: The author [VERB] [IDEA] by [EXPLAIN HOW].

Acknowledges

Advocates

Amplifies

Analyzes

Argues

(Constructs an)

Analogy

Asserts

Assumes

Attacks

Challenges

Claims

Clarifies

Compares

Complicates

Concedes

Concludes

Contrasts

Contradicts

(Presents)

Counterarguments

(Presents)

Counterexamples

Debates

Deconstructs

Defines

Defends

Discusses

Distinguishes

(between)

Exaggerates

Examines

Exemplifies

Explains

Extends

Forecasts

Faults

Frames

Identifies

Illustrates

Introduces

Implies

Infers

Investigates

Justifies

Outlines

Parodies

Predicts

Problematizes

Proposes

(Sets up a) parallel

Qualifies

Questions

Rebuts

Refines

Repeats

Reframes

Ridicules

Satirizes

Stresses

Summarizes

Supports

Synthesizes

Theorizes

Exercise:

Get a sheet of paper and brainstorm some of your own verb ideas.