Before Class If you find it helpful, this is an excellent time to review the material we have covered in unit 3 that we went over in Monday’s class

Quiz 3 (Material removed)

Today’s Goals Assess learning goals from unit 3 Return class focus to argument, persuasion, and rhetorical strategies Learn basic strategies for creating an original thesis or argument

Argument- the Heart of Rhetoric 2 main parts: Truth seeking: diligent, open-minded, and responsible search for the best solution to a problem, taking into account all available information and points of view Persuasion: the art of making a claim and justifying it convincingly so that the audience is moved towards your position Why are these two components together problematic?

Argument- the Heart of Rhetoric 2 powerful words that can be used for forming and supporting arguments: “should”: when used as part of a thesis or argument, this proposes a best possible solution while at the same time acknowledging the information within is not necessarily a universal fact. “because”: adding a ‘because’ subordinate clause to your thesis allows you to support it with the best reasons or evidence you have found. This can also be used as the basis of your forecasting in closed form prose.

Situation Found on A&B 340 A bunch of starlings build nests in the attic of a family’s house, gaining access to the attic through a torn vent screen. Soon the eggs hatch, and every morning at sunrise the family is awakened by the sound of birds squawking and wings beating against the rafters as the starlings fly in and out of the house to feed the hatchlings. After losing considerable early morning sleep, the family repairs the screen. Unable to get in and out, the parent birds are unable to feed their young. The birds die within a day. Is this cruelty to animals?

Group Activity - Forming an Argument In your unit 3 groups Answer the following questions in response to the situation we have just read: Would you consider the family’s act an instance of cruelty to animals? Why or why not? Generate at least two reasons for both sides of the argument, and use these to form arguments supported by a “because” clause. Ex: The family’s act constituted cruelty to animals because the starlings were doing minimal harm and they way they killed the birds caused needless suffering. What could the family have done about the starlings in the attic besides the solution they used? Try to generate at least 3 alternative solutions. Select one of the solutions you came up with in question 2. Form an argument that proposes a solution to the problem, like a hypothetical thesis, using “should” to indicate it is a proposal, and add a “because” clause to support it with at least one reason.

Homework Read A&B 339-344 Informative Article: Final Draft Printed copy due in class Friday 4/10 for a quiz grade Should include all of your secondary sources and all of your research results Pay close attention to the visual rhetoric and document design strategies; these are 30% of the essay’s grade