English I Honors—February 11, 2015 Bell work: Explain the difference between formal and informal writing style. Homework: – Study Island homework (textual evidence) due Friday at midnight.

Embedded Assessment 2 Your assignment is to write an essay of argumentation about the value of a college education. Your essay must be organized as an argument in which you assert a precise claim, support it with reasons and evidence, and acknowledge and refute counterclaims fairly.

EA2: Writing an Argumentative Essay p. 84 Scoring Guide Include a well- developed introduction and background, a clear explanation of the issue, a claim, and a thesis statement. Present body paragraphs that strongly support the central claim with relevant details. Summarize counterclaims and clearly refute them with relevant reasoning and evidence. Conclude by summarizing the main points and provide logical suggestions for change. Follow a clear structure with a logical progression of ideas. Showcase central points and use effective transitions. Use a formal writing style, smoothly integrate credible source material into the text (with accurate citations). Demonstrate correct spelling and excellent command of standard English conventions.

Why College Isn’t for Everyone As you read the essay, mark the text for the following: – claim (also write this in the chart on p. 81) – support/evidence (also write this in the chart on p. 81) – counterclaims/refutations (also write this in the chart on p. 81) – conclusion/call to action (a final challenge to the reader to take action) – Answer the Key Ideas and Details questions on a separate sheet of paper. – Answer the following on your paper: Who is/are the audience for this essay? Use text support.

Identify Elements of an Argument Why College Isn’t for Everyone Central Claim Attending college unequivocally is not the right decision purely on economic grounds. Support/Evidence Earnings have nothing to do with college but with other traits. More than 40% fail to graduate and make little more money but have debts and lost earning accrued while unsuccessfully pursuing a degree. Earnings vary considerably between different schools and majors. The number of new college grads exceeds the growth in the number of jobs. Counterclaims Does this mean no one should go to college? Of course not. Support College is more than training for a career and high school students with certain attributes are less likely to drop out of school. Conclusions/Call to Action Graduates in the top quarter of their class should go to a 4-year program. Those in the bottom quarter should not go to college (opt for alternatives). Those in the middle should go to a 2-year program and then transfer to a 4- year school.

Identify Elements of an Argument Actually, College is Very Much Worth It Central Claim 86% of college graduates still felt it was a good investment. Data make clear that getting a college education is a good idea— college graduates earn more and are more likely to have a good job in the first place—it is important for some Americans. Support/Evidence Anti-college sentiment is nothing new. Zuckerberg and Jobs’ companies are bursting with college graduates. Most effective social mobility strategy we have. College dropouts earn $712 vs. college grads $1038. College grads have better benefits. Unemployment was 5.4% for college graduates. Children from low-income families gain more by going to college. Counterclaims Lately its become fashionable to question whether it’s really “worth it” to go to college. Americans would be better off skipping college. Support “widespread dissatisfaction”, “only 40% of Americans felt that college provide “excellent” value for the money.”, “there are rewarding jobs without going to college.” Conclusions/Call to Action There are a lot of benefits for going to college. When people who worked hard to achieve something that benefitted them start telling you that it’s really not all that important or useful—beware.