Mr. Schneider's Online Classroom
Statement, Evidence, Reasoning (SER)
Writing paragraphs with SER
Jump right into your statement by expressing, in one sentence, an original idea. Make sure your statement addresses the question directly; you can even start by restating part of the question.
After making your statement, introduce and describe the evidence that you considered as you formulated this idea. Be careful to be objective (unbiased) when presenting the evidence. Make only observations here; save your analysis for the next section. Be complete and concise; include all of the observations that your reader will need to understand your paragraph without actually seeing the evidence himself, but no more.
Finally, provide the logical reasoning that led you, step by step, from your observations to your statement. Back up any assumptions you make with an explanation. Use examples and make connections to demonstrate your reasoning to the reader.
An outstanding paragraph will also do one or both of the following:
1) Identify and respond to a reasonable counter-argument.
2) Weigh alternative answers to the question based on different interpretations of the evidence.
Jump right into your statement by expressing, in one sentence, an original idea. Make sure your statement addresses the question directly; you can even start by restating part of the question.
After making your statement, introduce and describe the evidence that you considered as you formulated this idea. Be careful to be objective (unbiased) when presenting the evidence. Make only observations here; save your analysis for the next section. Be complete and concise; include all of the observations that your reader will need to understand your paragraph without actually seeing the evidence himself, but no more.
Finally, provide the logical reasoning that led you, step by step, from your observations to your statement. Back up any assumptions you make with an explanation. Use examples and make connections to demonstrate your reasoning to the reader.
An outstanding paragraph will also do one or both of the following:
1) Identify and respond to a reasonable counter-argument.
2) Weigh alternative answers to the question based on different interpretations of the evidence.
Example
Prompt: When did American history begin?
American history began in 1620, the year of the voyage of the Mayflower...
In his book Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, Nathaniel Philbrick explains that the Pilgrims left their homes in the English countryside for Holland in search of religious freedom. They would not find such freedom until they landed at Plymouth, near the Indian village of Patuxet, and were able to worship as they pleased...
Liberty, I believe, is the defining characteristic of the United States of America. That grand and complicated tradition was embodied in and began when the Pilgrims came to the New World. Plymouth Colony laid the foundation in this land for the ideas out of which this nation would later be born...
Certainly, other evidence points to competing interpretations of the beginning of American history. It is commonly accepted that the Americas were peopled at least 12,000 years ago. But such an early starting point neglects the drastic and rapid influx of people and ideas from Europe and Africa that utterly reshaped the human experience in this hemisphere.
American history began in 1620, the year of the voyage of the Mayflower...
In his book Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, Nathaniel Philbrick explains that the Pilgrims left their homes in the English countryside for Holland in search of religious freedom. They would not find such freedom until they landed at Plymouth, near the Indian village of Patuxet, and were able to worship as they pleased...
Liberty, I believe, is the defining characteristic of the United States of America. That grand and complicated tradition was embodied in and began when the Pilgrims came to the New World. Plymouth Colony laid the foundation in this land for the ideas out of which this nation would later be born...
Certainly, other evidence points to competing interpretations of the beginning of American history. It is commonly accepted that the Americas were peopled at least 12,000 years ago. But such an early starting point neglects the drastic and rapid influx of people and ideas from Europe and Africa that utterly reshaped the human experience in this hemisphere.
