D5 – Bellringer Let’s take one last look and see if you can find any persuasive writing contests that we might participate in as a class (or perhaps just you!). We’ll be choosing one and then writing for it! The person who finds a good one gets some candy…  After finding at least 3, continue taking a closer look at the following issues, and working on your paper: Gun Control Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted? Marijuana: Medical versus Recreational Should Marijuana Be legalized, or perhaps a Medical Option? Social Media Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?

Writing an Argument, Part II Clipart source: flaticon.com D5 of Speech & Debate Writing an Argument, Part II Clipart source: flaticon.com

D5 – Research Paper Feedback Get together at a table, with 2 other students (Mr. Wright will join in as needed). Now, at each group, take your paper, and hand to the person to the left. Take 5 minutes to read it, and make sure that each person has a different colored pen to write comments on the paper itself and / or the feedback sheet with it. As you read, give feedback on the feedback sheet / or their printed assignment. Be nice about it, but don’t be afraid to be honest as well. We’ll do this 2, and then you’ll have your paper back. Then, spend the next 10 minutes discussing what you liked about each others’ papers, and what you might do to make them better.

Arguments, Part II Ok, let’s turn to our book to learn a bit more about being persuasive. Grab your textbook, and read Ch. 2, pp 24-26. Answer the following questions as you read: How does Aristotle describe rhetoric? (p. 24, par. 3) Once you know the topic of an argument, what do you need to consider first? (p. 24, par. 4) What is a good rule of thumb regarding your audience? (p. 24, par. 4) What three types of questions are worth considering when considering creating a claim? (p. 25, par. 2) Define what a substance claim is, mention a given example: (p. 25, par. 3) Define a quality claim is, as well as an original example: (p. 25-26) Define a policy claim, and give an example of one you could make (p. 26) Do claims cross these boundaries? Explain! (p. 26)

Final 5: Logical Fallacy of the Day: For today, I thought we’d focus on the Here’s a specific one: Appeal to Authority VID When writers or speakers use appeal to authority, they are claiming that something must be true because it is believed by someone who said to be an "authority" on the subject. Whether the person is actually an authority or not, the logic is unsound. Instead of presenting actual evidence, the argument just relies on the credibility of the "authority." Examples of Appeal to Authority: 1. A commercial claims that a specific brand of cereal is the best way to start the day because athlete Michael Jordan says that it is what he eats every day for breakfast. 2. A commercial claims that 3 out of 4 dentists would choose this particular brand of toothpaste for their own families to use.