Close-Reading Checklist Group 5: Imani, Zena, Kate, Lua, Carson
Author Who is the author?
What are his/her credentials?
What makes the author credible?
Topic/Background What is the topic of the piece?
What are some things you know about the
context of the piece?
Purpose What is the authors purpose for writing the
piece?
Thesis What is the thesis or overall idea?
Author: Dr. James Andrews
Credentials: Orthopedic Surgeon, specializes in knee,
shoulder and elbow injuries
Credibility: He studies these movements and their
impacts on the body for a living.
Topic: The impacts of baseball and softball on the
bodies of young children and teenagers, and how we
can make changes to prevent these injuries.
Context: We know that throwing too much is unnatural
and can result in injuries in the arm.
Purpose: He wants to promote safety while playing
baseball and softball, and he wants to show how the
Little League Organization has taken steps to help, and
he wants to continue to make progress.
Overall Idea: He wants to inform people of the impacts
of baseball and softball on the body, and how it can be
prevented through rules and restrictions for the players.
Claims and Evidence What claims does the author make to support Evidence: He shows statistics throughout to describe the
the thesis? severity, and uses research from different institutes.
Also, he puts a source at the bottom for more
What evidence does the author provide? information.

Tone What tone does the author use in the piece? Tone: Informative and Professional, includes more
resources and facts.

Counter Argument and Does the author address the oppositions Opposition: He doesnt really talk about the other side,
Rebuttal argument? but he does acknowledge the fact that most players and
their parents dont follow these rules.
How?

Significance and What significance does the piece have? Significance: He wants to reiterate the research that
Implications institutions have completed, and show how they impact
What are its implications? the body.
Implications: His research could impact a team if
someone cannot throw because of the rules.
 1. How does the author's approach differ from the approach used by the author of "American Football is Too Dangerous"?
He starts by stating facts instead of opinions, and continues to show research and data behind his argument, while the other article
relied solely on opinions and assumptions.
2. Which approach might be more effective for sports fans? Why?
This article would be more accepted by sports fans because it is more fact-based and not biased. He simply shows research from
multiple sources and goes into detail about their results.
3. Why does the author of "The Number-one Risk" choose this approach? How might a different tone alter his message?
If he was more informal and opinionated, it would be more unreliable. If he changed his tone, he would not be taken as seriously
and his credibility would be in question.
4. Compare the background of both authors. Does one seem more credible than the other? Why?
We believe that Dr. James Andrews is more credible because he studies the body for a living, and he leaves his own opinion on the
back burner, while Dave Bry is a food-blogger whose credibility is questionable since his livelihood is based on his own opinions.