STAR Exercise

Review Lessons 6 and 7 in the CourseWare before you begin this assignment.
Otherwise, you will be unable to do the assignment correctly. Review pages 19–25 in The
Canadian Writer’s Handbook.
The assignment will contain a Title Page, a Cover Letter, and a Two-part
Exercise. The assignment is graded out of 20. Submit the assignment to Blackboard
on or before the date of Thursday, July 8, 2021.
Brush up on mechanics: punctuation and grammar.
Here are some common problems – look in the index of the Handbook if you don’t
understand these terms. Google will also explain them.
(1) colons, semicolons, and commas that are not used properly
(2) lack of sentence variety
(3) subject and verb that do not agree in number
(4) sentence fragments
(5) lack of parallel structure within sentences
For this assignment you are NOT writing an essay, but you must write in complete
sentences. Do not be excessively wordy: provide ONLY the information needed.
Title Page. Follow the template.
Cover Letter. Using the given format, outline one to two strengths and/or
weaknesses of your assignment. How could you improve your work?
Two-part exercise. You will recall that the STAR test (CourseWare Package
page 109 ff.) can be used to evaluate a claim and its supporting evidence by using
the following four criteria:
S – Sufficiency: Is there enough evidence to justify the claim? Count the
pieces of evidence. Are there at least three pieces of
evidence?
T – Typicality: Is the evidence typical of the issue being argued about
or is it NOT typical of the issue? Be direct and concise.
A – Accuracy: Is the information used as evidence true? If it is
personal evidence, it is most likely true. Is it true
according to most people in our society? Is there a
quotation or citation to help validate the proofs?
R – Relevance: Is the evidence relevant to the claim? Does the evidence
directly support the claim? Yes or no? Be direct and
concise.
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PART 1 (twelve points)
The central claim in each of the following three paragraphs is the topic sentence.
Tell me what type of claim it is – substantiation, evaluation, or recommendation?
(Read about claims in the CourseWare, pgs. 97-98)
Apply the STAR test to evaluate the claim and determine whether it is a
strong claim.
Your answer should be in short titled paragraph format – just like the examples in
the CourseWare Package, pages 109 and following!
Include a conclusion and recommendations for each evaluation.
Paragraph 1
We can learn a lot by travelling to other countries. People will have different
customs, eat different foods, and enjoy different pastimes from ours in Canada. We
will be the ones who speak a different language and find it difficult to be understood.
Travelling can be fun, but it can also be frustrating, so if we expect everything to be
just the way it is at home, we may be disappointed – or we may be pleasantly
surprised! If we go on our travels willing to be open to new ideas and customs, we
will enjoy ourselves – and we may make some new friends.
Paragraph 2
Elementary school children should not be given homework. They spend the
whole day sitting inside, and that should be enough of school. Homework makes
them hate school. Their parents have to make them do it. Children need exercise
and fresh air. They need to run around and have fun and see their friends.
Homework is not necessary at that age. There are things they need to learn at home
that they don’t learn at school, and they need time for this.
Paragraph 3
It is important to learn about the history of our planet and of human
civilization. No one really knows how old the earth is. Some people believe it is only
six thousand years old. Most scientists disagree. Archeologists have dug up
civilizations that are older than that. Human beings have not been present on the
earth for very long, so it should be possible to learn about them. There have been
many great civilizations and empires, but most of them have disappeared. The
Roman Empire lasted for several hundred years, but was conquered – or maybe it
destroyed itself. We should learn about these things.
PART 2 (eight points)
Write a paragraph to support each one of the following claims. Make sure
that each paragraph passes the STAR test.
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Analyze the words in the sentence. What is the key point the claim is making? Your
proofs must support this point. You may do some research, if necessary. You must
cite sources or give quotes if you use borrowed material.
First claim: Many illnesses or medical conditions are caused by harmful substances
in our environment.
Second claim: Experiences during the first few months and years of life have a
great influence on a person’s development.