1. Today’s goals Introduce Major Essay 2: Write to Inform (WTI) essays
Analyze sample web articles to better understand their genre conventions
Continue discussing fake news and the critical consumption of information

2. Quiz 2
Answer the following as they relate to our readings and discussions in class:
“Over 95% of the patients exhibited . . .” is an example of which rhetorical appeal?
Ethos
Pathos
Logos
Angle of Vision
“The Bible/Quran/Torah tells us that . . .” is an example of which rhetorical appeal?
“I personally experienced the immigration ban” is an example of which rhetorical appeal?
“According to Harvard University . . .” is an example of which rhetorical appeal?
What is rhetoric? Also, when do we use rhetoric?
What are rhetorical appeals? Name and explain the three rhetorical appeals
Extra Credit: What is angle of vision? Give an example of how a writer could use angle of vision

3. Major Essay 2: Write to Inform
words (Going over the maximum will penalize your grade for this essay)
Closed form prose
Must include Works Cited page detailing your sources
Multimodal assignment that will incorporate images (and possibly video)
Final draft due 3-9 to Turnitin.com by midnight

4. Group activity- wti sample analysis
In your unit 2 groups
Read through the sample student web article and answer the questions below
What is the main idea or thesis of the article? Take this directly from the source if possible.
What main sections or elements of a web article can you find in the student’s essay? What elements might be missing?
What supporting evidence is used in the essay? Is it presented credibly? If so, how?
What overall grade would you give the essay? Why?

5. Class discussion- fake news
Take a few minutes to share the fake news articles you brought in for homework
Of these articles, which is the hardest to identify as fake? Why?
Which article is easiest to identify as a fake? Why?
How did the who brought in the article find out it was fake?
If you found these articles on a credible news platform, would you know they were fake?

6. Checking web credibility
Check the company/website name and credibility
If this is brought into question at all, check the other stories on the website
Check the author’s credibility and credentials (on a different website)
If sources are used or links or provided, check them!
If any facts or data seem off to you, verify them with at least one other source on a different website

7. Group activity- Fake news analysis
In your unit 2 groups
Identify the article name, website, and person who brought in each article
Select one article (the most credible seeming) from amongst your group members for more in-depth analysis
Which article have you selected? What “company” published it?
Of the strategies we just discussed, how could you most easily identify this as a fake news story?
If you were able to edit this fake story, how could you make it seem more credible or believable?

8. Group activity- rhetorical appeals on the web
In your unit 2 groups
Select one current web article (published within the last month) from a professional news site. Read through the article and answer the questions below
What is the title of the article? Who are the author and publishing company?
How does this article use ethos? Describe and give at least one quote.
How does this article use pathos? Describe and give at least one quote.
How does this article use logos Describe and give at least one quote.
How would you describe the author’s angle of vision? What have they chosen to focus on for the text? What information might be left out?

9. Blog entry 4 Focus: WTI Research summary
Select two sources on the same topic from different publications to begin your research
In your blog, first identify the names and publications for each of the web articles that you will use with your WTI essays (you should post the links in your blog if possible)
Next, provide a brief summary of what you think are the main points of each article or what makes your chosen current event interesting. Explain any differences or similarities you find in the articles’ information
Finally, what is your perspective on this topic? Which side of the issue would you support if writing about it?
Note: The points for this blog entry will contribute to the final grade for your WTI essay.