Ask a class to write about Girl with a Pearl Earring and a large share of essays will spend most of their length retelling the story. Students who summarize are often trying to prove they read the book, and summary feels safe because it is hard to get wrong. Teachers need a way to recognize this pattern quickly and respond in ways that shift student writing toward interpretation.

One quick test is to ask what each paragraph is claiming. If the honest answer is that it describes what happened, the paragraph is summary. If it explains why an event matters or how it reveals something about a character or theme, it is analysis.

Summary is not useless, since a brief description of a scene is often necessary context for analysis. The problem arises when summary dominates and interpretation is missing or tacked on in a single sentence at the end. A helpful guideline is that no more than one sentence in five should be recounting events.

Use Questions Instead of Commands

Telling a student to "analyze more" rarely helps because they may not know what analysis looks like. Questions such as "why does Chevalier include this scene?" or "what does this detail reveal about Griet's position?" give a concrete direction. Students can then answer the question in their own words and add it to the essay.

• Why does this moment matter to the story as a whole?
• What does the author want the reader to notice here?
• How does this detail change your view of a character?
• What would be different if this scene were removed?
• What larger idea does this event connect to?

Model the Shift with Revisions

Take a summary sentence from a student paper and show how to convert it into analysis. "Griet cleans the studio but is told not to move anything" becomes a claim that the restriction shows how Vermeer's work depends on controlled order and Griet's silent labor. Seeing the transformation demonstrates that analysis grows out of the same details.

Ask students to try the same revision on one of their own sentences and share results with a partner. The exercise is quick and gives immediate practice with the exact skill they lack. It also helps them notice how much of their draft can be repurposed rather than discarded.

Adjust the Prompt if Necessary

Sometimes the prompt itself invites summary. A question like "describe Griet's relationship with Vermeer" naturally produces description, while "argue how the relationship reveals the limits of Griet's independence" demands interpretation. Revising prompts to include verbs like argue, explain, or evaluate can reduce summary before students even begin.

Include a sentence in the assignment that clarifies expectations, such as stating that the essay assumes the reader knows the plot. This reassures students that they do not need to prove they read the book. It frees them to spend their words on interpretation.

Identify Patterns Quickly at Scale

Spotting summary-heavy paragraphs across a large set of essays can be time-consuming. AI-assisted feedback can highlight paragraphs where explanation is thin and suggest prompting questions, which the teacher can adapt. This lets you handle the most common issue efficiently and devote personal attention to more nuanced problems.

Track how the proportion of analysis changes across assignments. Improvement in this area is one of the clearest signs that feedback is working. Sharing that progress with students builds confidence and motivates further growth.