A literary analysis, or LA, is basically the outline for an essay. It has five main parts:
title and author of the work
a paragraph first response to the reading
a thesis or claim in answer to a specific broad thematic question
quotes and analyses saying how those quotes support the thesis
a conclusion paragraph in which the students talk about the literature and some aspect of modern life or their own knowledge
To earn an A:
all parts must be present
the first response paragraph needs at least four sentences
the thesis must be specific, answer the question they were assigned (I had four for each reading.), and be supportable
a minimum of four relevant quotes and analyses which specifically stated how the quotes related to the thesis
a concluding paragraph of at least four sentences which did, in fact, compare/contrast the reading with some other aspect of a student’s life or knowledge
Note:
I had 7 required LAs and 2 optional LAs this semester, for a total of 9 possible LAs.