Evaluation Essay

With a specific audience in mind, evaluate a LOCAL product or service, a LOCAL work of art, or a LOCAL performance.  Choose a subject that is re-observable -- that you can revisit or re-view as you write your essay. 

Do not choose something like a movie or an automobile to evaluate.  We would like the student to find a new and original topic here locally -- one that has not been reviewed or written about elsewhere.

 If you prefer, you may compare and contrast TWO local subjects, as we have done with the Paired Paintings in class. In this case, you would evaluate both and decide which is best according to your criteria.  For more information about these two formats, please review "shaping" in your text on page 400.

Select criteria appropriate for your subject and audience.  You should have at least three criteria.  For instance, if reviewing a restaurant (or comparing and contrasting two restaurants), you might consider price, quality of service, and cleanliness as your criteria. 

Collect evidence to support or determine a judgment for each criterion.  At your restaurant you would gather information about price, and find some examples from the menu.  You would pay close attention to the wait staff and make notes about the quality of their service.  You might check the silverware, the carpeting, and the restrooms to make a determination about cleanliness.  Finally, for each of these criteria you would provide your judgment about the matter.

Your concluding paragraphs should give your overall evaluation.  Good?  Bad?  What do you recommend?

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