Argumentative Writing

Bell Activity Take out your study guide, your Donner notes, and a blank piece of paper. Review pages with your table group. Make sure you have answered questions If you finish early, read pages and answer questions This is a no gum class. Please dispose of it properly!

What are we learning today? History Objective – We will use the evidence we have gathered to write an argumentative essay about the Donner Party. Behavior Objective – Work Ethic: We will be attentive during the lesson, then put our best effort into writing our rough draft. Language Objective - We listen to the description of the parts of an argumentative essay. Then we will use what we learn to write a rough draft of an argumentative essay.

Persuasion vs. Argument Ethos (author credibility) Pathos (emotional appeals) Persuasion Logos (logical appeals) Reason Argument

What is Argument? To change reader’s point of viewTo bring about some action on the reader’s part To ask the reader to accept the writer’s explanation or evaluation of a concept, issue, or problem

Elements of Argument Claim: Your opinion about the topic; the side of the debate your support Data: Evidence that is relevant and verifiable; facts Warrant: explanation of how the evidence supports the claim; often common sense rules, laws, scientific principles or research, and well-considered definitions. Backing: support for the warrant (often extended definitions) Qualifications and Counter-arguments: acknowledgement of differing claims

Creating an argument Claim MLMS should allow gum in all classes. Data (Evidence) Scientific studies show that chewing gum helps students relax. Warrant (Reason/Explanation) If students are more relaxed and comfortable at school, in class behavior will be better and students will do better on tests and assignments.

Donner Party Essay - Claims Question #1 Should Lansford Hastings be held accountable for the Donner Party? Claim- You must pick one, and only one, claim to write about. Do NOT switch claims or be wishy-washy in your essay. Make a claim and stick to it!

Donner Party Essay - Claims Question #1 Should Lansford Hastings be held accountable for the Donner Party? Claim- Yes, Lansford Hastings’ book and instructions led the Donner Party to their doom. No, bad luck and bad choices were responsible for the Donner Party disaster. You must pick one, and only one, claim to write about. Do NOT switch claims or be wishy-washy in your essay. Make a claim and stick to it!

Donner Party Essay - Data Review your notes and read the selections in the essay guide. Find three facts (data) that support your claim. Data 1: Data 2: Data 3:

Donner Party Essay - Warrants For each piece of data that supports your claim, you need to explain why it supports your claim. Help your reader make the connection.

Donner Party Essay - Warrants Explain (warrant) why each of your three facts (data) support your claim. Data 1: Warrant 1: Data 2: Warrant 2: Data 3: Warrant 3:

Donner Party Essay – Counter Claim Argumentative essays always have a counter claim that can be made that could be supported with data and warrants as well. What is the counter claim for your essay? Why is it not as convincing as your claim? A counter claim would explain to the reader why the counter claim is not as strong as the claim you made. (It is like debating something with your parents and saying “I know what you are going to say… I

Donner Party Essay - Conclusion A conclusion in an argumentative essay should summarize why the topic is important/memorable/worth writing about. It can also summarize the main points of the argument to show the reader why they should believe/support your claim. In a short argumentative essay (like the one you are writing), the counter claim can be addressed as part of the conclusion. It should precede (be before) the ‘why this is important’ part of the conclusion.

Sentence 1 Sentence 2 Sentence 3 Sentence 4 Sentence 5 Warrant (Reasoning) Warrant Why its wrong or not as convincing as your claim? Sentence 6 Introduction Claim what you are going to talk about. Conclusion Restate claim why is this important. Opposing Claim: Date Data Argumentative Map

Label “F”act or “O”pinion 1. Washington, D.C. is the Capital City of the United States. 2. Walt Disney World is a family friendly theme park. 3. Whales are superior to dolphins. 4. Whales are mammals. 5. John Adams was the second president of the United States. 6. Abraham Lincoln was the best president the United States has ever had. 7. Michael Jordon is the greatest basketball player of all time. 8. Will Smith starred in the movie Men in Black. 9. The Frenchman, La Salle, explored the Mississippi. 10. Cats are not as friendly as dogs.

Donner Essay

Using others’ ideas appropriately Quoting: using the exact words of another. Words must be placed in quotation marks and the author cited. Summarizing : putting the ideas of another in your own words and condensing them. Author must be identified. Paraphrasing: putting someone else’s ideas in your words but keeping approximately the same length as the original. Paraphrase must be original in both structure and wording, and accurate in representing author’s intent. It can not just be switching out synonyms in the original sentence. Author must be identified.

Quoting Why use quotations? when the speaker’s name and reputation add credibility when the phrasing of the quotation is interesting or revealing and cannot be stated another way as effectively How effective are these examples? Many students “improve their reading ability” by looking at a text closely and by giving their first reactions to it (Burke 46). Hints: cut quotes to the core and use them like spice, sparingly

Summarizing Summaries Should be shorter than original text Should include the main ideas of the original Should reflect the structure of the original text somewhat Should include important details Is this an effective summary of Source B? At the moment of harvest, food begins to lose vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals important for fighting disease and maintaining health. Because the decrease is negligible, however, even if food is days or weeks from harvest, it’s still possible to derive nutrition from it and be healthy by making smart food choices.

Paraphrasing Source: “People of African descent in the Diaspora do not speak languages of Africa as their mother tongue.” Inappropriate Paraphrase: “People of African descent no longer speak the languages of Africa as their first language.” Appropriate Paraphrase: “Painter contends that cultural factors like language and religion divide African Americans from their ancestors. Black Americans speak a wide variety of languages, but usually these are not African.”