Response to Assignment Critical Thinking Organization Language Presentation Excellent Completely and effectively responds to all requirements of the assignment, including thesis. Engaging and thoughtful exploration of ideas/ issues. Writer takes intellectual risks with relevant, specific, developed arguments. Focused & logically- ordered paragraphs that flow together. Sophisticated, vivid word choice (diction), and varied sentences that show an accurate awareness of audience. Generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Follows MLA documentation. Strong Addresses assignment reqs, but responds to some tasks more effectively than others. Thesis may need slight revisions Some depth and complexity of thoughts. Makes logical connections in analysis and has relevant arguments. Effectively organized paragraphs with clear topic sentences & transitions. Strong command of language with mostly clear and concise sentences. Few errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Follows MLA documentation. Satisfactory Responds to assignment, but neglects some tasks. Might be slightly under page req. or thesis needs clarity. Treats topic repetitively or only addresses the surface-level. Ideas may be underdeveloped or not linked to thesis. Adequately organized paragraphs. May lack some topic sentences & transitions. Imprecise use of language and might include some confusing sentences. Occasional major or frequent minor errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Lack of attention to some aspects of MLA documentation. Inadequate Inadequate/ inappropriate response to assignment, including failure to meet page requirement. Ideas are too general, lack focus, and/or development. Difficult for reader to follow thoughts. Poorly organized and missing topic sentences & transitions. Word choice may be questionable and include slang or “conversational” phrasing. Inadequate control of sentence structure. Accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that interfere with meaning. Does not follow MLA documentation. Fail Does not respond to the assignment. Thoughts are unfocused, illogical, disjointed, or missing relevant support. Lacks paragraphs or an organizational strategy Lacks basic control of sentence structure and use of language. Frequent/serious errors in grammar & usage that interferes with meaning. Does not follow MLA documentation. English 100 Essay Rubric About the Creators and Distributors • Who created this visual text? Who distributed it? • What can you find out about these people and other work that they have done? • What does the creatorʼs attitude seem to be toward the image? • What do the creator and the distributor intend its effects to be? Do they have the same intentions? About the Medium • Which media are used for this visual text? Images only? Words and imagines? Sound, video, graphs, or charts? • How a ...

1. Response to
Assignment Critical Thinking Organization Language
Presentation
Excellent
Completely and
effectively responds to
all requirements of the
assignment, including
thesis.
Engaging and thoughtful
exploration of ideas/
issues. Writer takes
intellectual risks with
relevant, specific,
developed arguments.
Focused & logically-
ordered paragraphs
that flow together.
Sophisticated, vivid
word choice
(diction), and varied
sentences that show
an accurate
awareness of
audience.
Generally free from

2. errors in grammar,
usage, and mechanics.
Follows MLA
documentation.
Strong
Addresses assignment
reqs, but responds to
some tasks more
effectively than others.
Thesis may need slight
revisions
Some depth and
complexity of thoughts.
Makes logical
connections in analysis
and has relevant
arguments.
Effectively organized
paragraphs with clear
topic sentences &
transitions.
Strong command of
language with mostly
clear and concise
sentences.
Few errors in
grammar, usage, and
mechanics. Follows
MLA documentation.

3. Satisfactory
Responds to
assignment, but
neglects some tasks.
Might be slightly
under page req. or
thesis needs clarity.
Treats topic repetitively
or only addresses the
surface-level. Ideas may
be underdeveloped or
not linked to thesis.
Adequately organized
paragraphs. May lack
some topic sentences
& transitions.
Imprecise use of
language and might
include some
confusing sentences.
Occasional major or
frequent minor errors
in grammar, usage,
and mechanics. Lack
of attention to some
aspects of MLA
documentation.
Inadequate
Inadequate/

4. inappropriate
response to
assignment, including
failure to meet page
requirement.
Ideas are too general,
lack focus, and/or
development. Difficult
for reader to follow
thoughts.
Poorly organized and
missing topic
sentences &
transitions.
Word choice may be
questionable and
include slang or
“conversational”
phrasing. Inadequate
control of sentence
structure.
Accumulation of
errors in grammar,
usage, and mechanics
that interfere with
meaning. Does not
follow MLA
documentation.
Fail Does not respond to the assignment.
Thoughts are unfocused,
illogical, disjointed, or

5. missing relevant support.
Lacks paragraphs or
an organizational
strategy
Lacks basic control
of sentence structure
and use of language.
Frequent/serious
errors in grammar &
usage that interferes
with meaning. Does
not follow MLA
documentation.
English 100 Essay Rubric
About the Creators and Distributors
• Who created this visual text? Who distributed it?
• What can you find out about these people and other work that
they have done?
• What does the creatorʼs attitude seem to be toward the image?
• What do the creator and the distributor intend its effects to be?
Do they have the same
intentions?
About the Medium
• Which media are used for this visual text? Images only?
Words and imagines? Sound,

6. video, graphs, or charts?
• How are the media used to communicate words and images?
How do various media
work together?
• What effect does the medium have on the message of the
visual text? How would the
message be altered if different media were used?
• What role is played by the words that accompany the visual
text? How do they clarify,
reinforce, blur, or contradict the imageʼs message?
About Viewers and Readers
• What does the visual text assume about its viewers and about
what they know and
agree with?
• What overall impression does the visual text create in you?
• What positive or negative feelings about individuals, scenes,
or ideas does the visual
intend to evoke in viewers?
About Content and Purpose
• What argumentative purpose does the visual text convey?
What is it designed to
convey?
• What cultural values does the visual evoke? The good life?
Love and harmony? Sex
appeal? Youth? Adventure? Economic power or dominance?
Freedom? Does the
visual reinforce these values or question them? What does the

7. visual do to strengthen
the argument?
• What emotions does the visual evoke? Are these the emotions
that it intends to
evoke?
About Design
• How is the visual text composed? Whatʼs your eye drawn to
first? Why?
• Whatʼs in the foreground? The background? Whatʼs in or out
of focus? Whatʼs
moving? Whatʼs placed high, and whatʼs placed low? Whatʼs to
the left, in the center,
and to the right? What effect do these placements have on the
message?
• Is any information (such as name, face, or scene) highlighted
or stressed to attract
your attention?
• How are light and color used? What effects are they intended
to have on you?
• What details are included or emphasized? What details are
omitted or deemphasized?
To what effect? Is anything downplayed, ambiguous, confusing,
distracting, or
obviously omitted?
Analyzing Visual Elements of Arguments - From everythingʼs
an argument, Andrea Lunsford

8. • What, if anything, is surprising about the design of the visual
text? What do you think
is the purpose of that surprise?
• Is anything in the visual repeated, intensified, or exaggerated?
Is anything presented
as “supernormal” or idealistic? What effects are intended by
these strategies and what
effects do they have on you as a viewer? How do they clarify or
reinforce (or blur or
contradict) the message?
• How are you directed to move within the argument? Are you
encouraged to read
further? Click on a link? Scroll down? Fill out a form? Provide
your email address?
Place an order?
Analyzing Visual Elements of Arguments - From everythingʼs
an argument, Andrea Lunsford
What is the purpose of this ad? What do the advertisers
hope to achieve?
•Who is the audience for this ad? How do you know this?
•What appeals (ie logos, pathos, ethos) or techniques
does this argument use?
•Who is making the argument in the ad? What ethos does
it create, and exactly how does it do so?
•What authorities does the ad rely on or appeal to?
•What facts are used in the ad? What logic? What
evidence? How is the evidence arranged or presented?
•What issues are raised, and which ones are ignored, or
perhaps, evaded?

9. •What are the contexts - social, political, historical, cultural
- for this ad? Whose interests are served? Who gains or
loses by it?
•How does the language or style or visuals work to
persuade an audience?
AD ANALYSIS - CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS!
ENGL100
Essay #1 - Advertisement Analysis (100 points total)
Choose an advertisement from the Approved Ads folder and
write a thesis-driven essay about the
advertisement’s strategy, argument or underlying promise. The
ads you may select are named Approved Ad #1,
#2, #3, or #4
! Offer a critical analysis that delves deeper than face value (in
other words, the details that are not
obvious the first time you look at the ad). What are the
advertisers communicating or arguing?
! In your introduction you may open with a discussion of ads in
general or discuss the specific type/
industry represented (ie If you’re analyzing a Subaru ad, you
can discuss Subaru as a company or
automobile ads)
! Your thesis statement should be the last sentence in your
introduction and clearly state the strategy
the advertisers are using to sell their product/service
! In your first body paragraph describe your advertisement at

10. face value (i.e. color, copy, image)
! In the body paragraphs, support your thesis statement with
concrete details from the ad
! Consider the Jib Fowles reading and his categories of 14
needs. Refer to the handouts in Blackboard
to guide you through prewriting.
Essay #1 must meet the following requirements: at least 3 full
pages, MLA formatted, 1” margins all around,
12 point font (Arial or Times New Roman only), double-
spaced..
Due Dates:
! Outline (see template titled “adanalysis_outline_template”) or
extended prewriting - Week 3
! Rough Draft for Feedback - Week 4
! Essay #1 Due: Week 5
English 100 - STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME #1: Compose
an expository essay characterized by a
controlling idea, logically sequenced paragraphs, and focused
body paragraphs.