Today:  20 minutes to finish Fall Assessment  Introduction to “They Say/ I Say” Argument Writing  Tomorrow:  Debate using “They Say/ I Say” format  Homework: Think of a debate topic you would like to debate with the class. Bring to class. We will choose one.

Practice and Basic MovesPractice and Basic Moves Think about an activity that you do particularly well  Playing a sport (basketball, football, field hockey, tennis)  Playing an instrument (piano, guitar, flute)  Artwork (drawing, painting, ceramics)  Everyday activities (driving a car, brushing teeth, tying shoes

Practice and Basic MovesPractice and Basic Moves Performing this activity depends on:  Having learned a series of complicated moves  Practice and repetition Same applies to writing: Accomplished writers rely on established moves for communicating sophisticated ideas.

Entering the ConversationEntering the Conversation Best Academic Writing  Deeply engages in some way with other people’s views “write the voices of others into your text”  You enter a conversation, using what others say (or might say) as a launching pad or sounding board for your own ideas.

Entering the ConversationEntering the Conversation  In the real world we make arguments because someone has said or done something (or perhaps not said or done something) and we need to respond  Ex.  “I can’t see why you like the Lakers so much.”  “I agree: it was a great film.”  “That argument is contradictory.”

Entering Basic MovesEntering Basic Moves  Without other people’s opinions there would be no reason to challenge, agree with, or otherwise respond –there would be no reason to argue at all.

Entering the ConversationEntering the Conversation  To make an impact as a writer you make statements that are:  Logical  Well-supported  Consistent  *ALSO, you must find a way to enter a conversation with others’ views–with something “they say”

Entering the ConversationEntering the Conversation  If your argument doesn’t identify the “they say” you are responding to, then it probably won’t make sense:  What you are saying may be clear to the audience, but why you are saying it won’t be

Entering the ConversationEntering the Conversation  Your own argument–the “I say” moment of your text–should always be a response to the arguments of others.  Ex.  “Some say that The Sopranos presents caricatures of Italian Americans. In fact, however, the characters in the series are very complex.

Entering the ConversationEntering the Conversation  Templates for agreement:  She argues______, and I agree because_____.  Her argument that ______ is supported by new research showing that _______.

Entering the ConversationEntering the Conversation  Template for disagreeing:  While she argues ______, I disagree because_______.  The argument he proposes, while persuasive, is inaccurate because______.

Entering the ConversationEntering the Conversation  Template for conceding and rebutting:  He claims that _______, and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I agree that ______. On the other hand, I still insist that_______.  Although I grant that ____, I still maintain that _____.

Example from Letter from Birmingham Jail  “ You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concerns for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. ”  Look back at text… Do you see his rhetorical pattern? They say/ I say?

Example  “ My daughter, who goes to Stuyvesant High School only blocks from the former World Trade Center, thinks we should fly the American flag out our window. Definitely not, I say: The flag stands for jingoism and vengeance and war. Katha Pollitt, “ Put Out No Flags ” Who is the “ they ” in this example?