Chat with Textual Analysis and Argumentation Peer Tutors

This article was part of a series by the Board of Student Academic Support Services (SASS) that interviewed OHS course peer tutors about the courses they tutor. You can book an appointment with these peer tutors through the OHS Writing Center, which can be found on the OHS Gateway site. 

SASS: What did you enjoy about TAA?

Hannah Yang (‘20): It’s so hard to choose, but I’d have to say our class discussions. I think TAA really emphasizes the idea that texts can and should be interpreted in many different ways (in contrast to high schools that teach a specific reading of a text). TAA classes were huge melting pots of ideas. Every class, someone would make a point about the text that I hadn’t thought about, so I enjoyed hearing what everyone had to say. During discussions, the teachers really push you to go beyond just saying what you think the text means in plain English. Sometimes after I made a point, my fantastic teacher, Dr. Zarlengo, would ask me to expand on the idea. For example, if I had noticed some type of symbolism in the text, she would ask me to suggest the implications of that symbolism. These questions made me think about the text more carefully and trained me to ask interesting questions that I otherwise would not have considered. 

Parker Daley (‘20): I really enjoyed looking at history through literature, and seeing how reading texts from many authors and time periods helped me develop my own writing style.

SASS: What challenged you the most in TAA? How did you overcome those challenges?

Hannah: As can be expected from every OHS English course, TAA’s essay assignments are difficult because the teachers really push you to argue. Although I was able to pinpoint details that allowed me to interpret texts, I wasn’t used to making an argument about them. The difference I see between the two is that in an interpretation, you’re describing what the text already says and what it means, whereas in an argument, you’re making a claim about the purpose of the text or how the text accomplishes that purpose. Honestly, I think this is something that gets better with practice. When I read my TAA essays and my current essays, I see improvement even though I haven’t been practicing argumentative writing outside of class. The key thing for me is to be able to understand the distinction between description and argument as well as to notice when my thesis is not argumentative enough.

Parker: The biggest challenge for me was adjusting to reading and interpreting primary source documents, rather than reading a textbook that had already done this work for me. It took some practice, but by the end of the year I felt confident that I could comprehend and offer an opinion on nearly any text. I hadn't had to work like this prior to taking this course, but the skills I learned from TAA have helped me immensely both at OHS and at my brick-and-mortar school.

SASS: What tips do you have that could be useful to students taking TAA?

Hannah: Ask others to peer review your essays! When you’ve been working on an essay for a while, it’s easy to overlook arguments that may be confusing or unclear to other readers, even if they make sense to you. It is always helpful to hear another perspective — ask peer tutors for help. Attending your teacher’s office hours, or scheduling a floating office hour, is also a great idea. Another tip would be to keep up with the readings, because there is a lot in TAA. It may seem time-consuming to annotate every text, but it really pays off when you’re looking for potential essay arguments and textual evidence.

Parker: Push yourself to be really engaged with the material! Try to draw connections, between texts and push yourself to be interested in the material. The texts are challenging but you will be much better off when reading and analyzing if you identify how exciting the content is.

SASS: About how much time a week did you spend working on assignments and preparing for discussion sessions in TAA?

Parker: I spent 2-3 hours.

SASS: What was your favorite topic covered in TAA?

Parker: My favorite topics were Puritan poetry and Salem witch trials!

SASS: What assignments did you enjoy doing in TAA?

Hannah: I loved writing IWAs! These informal assignments are a fantastic way for you to prepare for class and to show your teacher what you understood about the reading. I really enjoyed writing these responses because there weren’t any contraints in the form of prompts, or even a specific word or page requirement. I gleaned some of my best insights and ideas about the readings by rambling about them in my IWAs. I also really enjoyed the creative assignments. One of your IWAs will be to write your own manifesto about whatever you want! While you’re still learning about the structure and function of a type of writing (manifestos), you can do it in a very hands-on and fun way.

Parker: My favorite assignment was my first semester class presentation, which compared and contrasted the true story of Pocahontas with the Disney movie. I also really enjoyed writing an essay comparing Puritan poetry.

SASS: Did you have any experiences with TAA that could encourage those who are uncertain of the course to want to take it?

Hannah: TAA is not like a regular high school English course. I think that the way TAA combines history, art, close reading, and many genres of writing makes every text much more complex. I definitely learned to appreciate many texts that I otherwise would never have had the chance to read.

Part of that appreciation comes from the fact that TAA really trains you to read between the lines and "get more" out of every read. One of my favorite assignments was our artistic interpretation of some text (I created a dance about the Puritans). I loved it that I was able to demonstrate my understanding of the text beyond a surface-level reading. I can better appreciate not just my course texts but also my leisure reading because of this course. Even if you don’t think you’re an "English person," I promise that TAA is not a daunting course, and you will love it!

Parker: I was very nervous abut this course, because it was my first class at OHS. I wasn't sure if this was the right class for me due to the intense nature of the texts we would be reading and my lack of experience with this type of material. However, this was probably the most rewarding class I have ever taken -- at OHS or my brick-and-mortar school. You will learn so much about history, and the way that the class is taught lets you enjoy writing essays and developing your own style.