THE INTELLECTUAL STANDARD James Vineyard Sachse High School ELA Department

AESTHETIC COMMUNICATION “Every great society has at its center an appreciation for the aesthetics and the desire to teach that appreciation to its children.” Aesthetic: (n.) A conception of what is artistically valid or beautiful. We value the aesthetics all of the time. Why do we like to hear Pavarotti sing or Peyton Manning throw a perfect spiral to Marvin Harrison? We marvel at it because there is something beautiful about the perfection of form.

AESTHETIC COMMUNICATION The Aesthetics appeal to the senses. Art ► Visual Music ► Aural (auditory) Dance/Sport ► Motion Architecture ► Spatial Literature ► Intellect Didn’t think writing was an artform did you? Writing appeals to our sense of intellect or ability to use language in an insightful way. (Think poetry!)

THE INTELLECTUAL STANDARD The Intellectual Standard is made up of six components A good writer should strive to ensure that all six components work together to create the best possible written response A good writer uses self-assessment as well as peer editing before publishing any work, using the six components as a guide

CLARITY

EXPLAINING CLARITY A clear writer answers all of the following questions with “yes”: Is the writer saying what he means? Is the reader able to understand the point the writer is making? Does the writer include all necessary details? Does the writer’s eliminate poor use of grammar to enhance understanding on the part of the reader? Example: “I have 3 arms.” (clear, but not accurate)

ACCURACY

EXPLAINING ACCURACY An accurate paper is true and hits the mark. An accurate paper answers the following questions with “yes”: Are all of the writer’s facts correct? Does the writer ensure that all information included is necessary for the task at hand/form being used? Example: “This poem is about death.” (possibly true, but not accurate)

PRECISION

EXPLAINING PRECISION A precise paper says the right thing in the right way A precise paper will answer the following questions with “yes”: Does the paper use all vocabulary correctly? Does the paper use appropriate vocabulary? Is the paper free of any ambiguity? Example: “I weigh pounds.” (precise, but not accurate)

RELEVANCE

EXPLAINING RELEVANCE A relevant writer shows intellectual maturity. A relevant paper answers the following questions with “yes”: Is the paper free of any facts that do not relate to the topic at hand? Does the paper confuse the reader with information placed in the wrong area? Example: 3 rd grade math question: “There are 75 sheep and 15 sheepdogs. Calculate the age of the shepherd.” (clear, but not relevant)

BREADTH

EXPLAINING BREADTH A writer who writes a broad paper will cover the entire spectrum of the topic Most writers avoid uncomfortable issues within their topics and often fail to cover this component. A broad paper answers the following questions with “yes”: Does the writer steer clear of logical fallacies? Does the writer cover multiple facets of his topic? Does the writer consider multiple opinions and views? Example: child to parent: “If you’d love me, you’d let me do that.” (Child’s logic fails to consider the viewpoint that parent’s refusal is based in love.)

DEPTH

EXPLAINING DEPTH A deep paper plumbs the topic to its uttermost point of understanding A deep paper does not give simple answers and answers the following questions with “yes”: Does the paper consider all alternatives to solutions? Does the paper consider the motives and reactions of all subjects involved? Does the paper consider other possible outcomes to events had variables been changed?

EXPLAINING DEPTH Example: A teenage boy beats up his best friend. Upon visiting him in In-School Suspension, his teacher poses the question, “Why did you hit your best friend?” The young man replies, “Because he was looking at my girlfriend.” The teacher responds, “But don’t you want a girlfriend worth looking at?” The teenager fails to realize that there is no depth to his reason for fighting, unaware that his best friend’s admiration of the girl in question is actually a compliment to her beauty.

WRAPPING IT UP Now YOU must determine if all of your responses contain all six of these components Any paper or writing that fails on any account in unimpressive and lacks the depth necessary to show complete understanding of a topic