BOO! Happy Halloween!!

More thesis practice.. 
Don't worry!! We will SO get this! It just takes practice! I won't give up.. you better not!! 

Here are examples of weak and strong thesis statements.

• Unspecific thesis: "Eleanor Roosevelt was a strong leader as First Lady."  This thesis lacks an argument. Why was Eleanor Roosevelt a strong leader?
• Specific thesis: "Eleanor Roosevelt recreated the role of the First Lady by her active political leadership in the Democratic Party, by lobbying for national legislation, and by fostering women’s leadership in the Democratic Party."  The second thesis has an argument: Eleanor Roosevelt "recreated" the position of First Lady, and a three-part structure with which to demonstrate just how she remade the job.
• Unspecific thesis: "At the end of the nineteenth century French women lawyers experienced difficulty when they attempted to enter the legal profession."  No historian could argue with this general statement and uninteresting thesis.
• Specific thesis: "At the end of the nineteenth century French women lawyers experienced misogynist attacks from male lawyers when they attempted to enter the legal profession because male lawyers wanted to keep women out of judgeships."  This thesis statement asserts that French male lawyers attacked French women lawyers because they feared women as judges, an intriguing and controversial point.

Write a thesis for the following topics: 

1. Voting age 

2. Beauty pageants

3. Torture 

4. Taxes

5. Credit cards

6. Mean girls 

7. Video games

8. Academic honesty

9. Global climate

10. Standardized testing

Things you MUST consider... 

1. Topic size.. do not just drop the topic into your thesis as the subject. What approach are you taking towards the subject? 

2. Are you showing assessment or analysis of the issue? What do you think about the issue? What can be done about the issue? What changes should be made? What is more important or not? 

3. Are you answering how and/or why? Think about us having a discussion about this issue. You state your solution to a problem and then I ask you "how?" or "why?" . This is where your voice gets to be heard. 

4. Make sure that you are not describing or summarizing the topic or issue. 

5. Look at your VERB usage.. Try to keep with an ACTIVE verb! 

6. ASK YOURSELF A QUESTION BEFORE YOU WRITE... Think of a higher level Bloom's question.. remember an answer to a question is...   such as... Compare the roles students have currently in making decisions at LSN to the role you think they should have in making decisions..   

Homework for Friday, October 31st

1. Review the thesis/claim link from UNC... reinforcement of what thesis should/shouldn't do. I guess I do need to state that you should be taking notes if you can't rattle these techniques and guidelines off your head AND then apply them with ease.
2. Review and get a handle on Toulmin Method (links on side margin). We are going to get started on this on Friday.
3. Practice writing a claim/thesis for the following topics..

Bronco Time
Technology in classroom
Professional athlete salary
American military
Writing instruction
Senior class community service
Student opinion in schools
Homework
Missouri
Reading

Now remember...
* Are you describing or analyzing?
* Are you thinking about the topic head on or from a different angle?
* What are your preconceived notions about the topic? Are you just passing them along?
* Where are you on Bloom's Taxonomy in your approach to the topic?
* Does the topic need to be adjusted?
* What is the intellectual question?
* Is it arguable? Are you showing YOUR VOICE in the content's world?

Today's Class: October 29th/ 30th

Claim Practice

2nd Hour: Claim Practice Doc

3rd Hour: Claim Practice Doc

4th Hour: Claim Practice Doc

Homework for Wednesday

Watch the ROYALS WIN!

Class today: October 28th

Now, I am sick..  ugh.

We are taking the claim practice that I didn't post last night into today..
Therefore...

1. Review the following link on CLAIMS: Claims Handout
2. Review the 4 major ways to make a CLAIM arguable: Claims- 4 major types
3. Then open the following link on Thesis/claim practice: Thesis writing practice
- Do these exercises on your own paper.
First, identify what is wrong with the initial thesis.
Second, rewrite the thesis. Push the argument while trying to adhere to our thesis/claim formula.
Third, tell me why your thesis is now an outstanding thesis (tell me specifically what it does).

There is one that mentions a book... just substitute any book or understand the overall premise of the statement. It doesn't matter about the specific book. As always, take good notes and be attentive to the instruction.

Turn these in at the end of the hour.

I will post homework this afternoon.

Class: October 27th

I have sick kids.. Sorry!
1. Partner up with a productive partner.
2. Take out book and talk through Toulmin's Method. In your individual notes, write your own summary of each part of the method.
3. Now you are going to be talking through Glazer's writing process- first initial draft, then revisions.
Use the following questions-
What structures do you notice?
What types of questions is he asking to make revisions?
What types of improvements do you see?
Where do you see induction/deduction? How is it used?
Is this usage effective?
Where do you see Toulmin's method?
How does it enhance his argument?
4. Now take out your induction/deduction practice. Share attempts and evaluate your successes..
5. Check for homework by mid-afternoon.. It will be on claim writing... We need practice.

Due: Monday, October 27th

1. Review deduction and induction- (475-76)
2. Read and study the practice with Glazer's writing and drafting.. pages 479-485.  Annotate these and study the techniques- this is leading to your own application. Study his process.
3. Do the exercises on induction and deduction in your notes from the following pages: 485-87

THEN-

4. Review the TOULMIN Layout of Argumentation (477-78), which is basically just a list of the steps of the method..  so let's get a little deeper..
5. Read and study the Outline of a Toulmin Argument (See under Current Links). This will talk you through the different parts of the argument and provide and example.

Class Tuesday, October 21st

1. Quiz: Argument, etc. (See Monday's class for list of quiz material)
2. Continue work from Monday's class, if you haven't finished.
3. Due Wednesday:
Write a CLAIM for the following class/paper scenarios:

Paper #1: given no information from prof. You come up with the class and topic.
Paper #2: Drinking alcohol
Paper #3: Who is the most influential person in a teenager's life?
Paper #5: Abortion
Paper #6: Math class (not as the topic.. this is the class you are being asked to write a paper for)
Paper #7: What is the most important issue of the Midterm Elections?
Paper  #8: Art, PE, Band (You pick the class and you are to write a paper in that class)
Paper #9: Given no information from prof. You come up with the class and topic.
Paper #10: Sex

You will need to have your 10 claim statements when you come to class on Wednesday. Do you recognize the writing scenarios? However, realize that there are many things that have to happen before the final claim statement. What do you need to consider? Have you gone through the Steps of Writing?

A few of these are designed to be very difficult in developing an ARGUMENT... remember, argument, not persuasion.

This assignment is to practice the following things: 1. Recognizing a writing situation and being able to apply the Steps of Writing to move forward successfully.   2. Recognizing the difference between persuasive writing and argumentative writing.  3. Developing a solid argumentative claim.

Class today: October 20th

1. Refresh on Steps 1-3 of Writing- remember their purpose? How does one link to the next? How does Step 3 help with other writing issues?
2. Look over your fallacies.. do you own them yet??
As I was reading the news this weekend... I found a couple of articles that I thought tied in pretty well to to our recent classroom discussions: Kansas Politics and Ebola Politics

Read through the articles and take notes at BOTH the examples of fallacies (and identify what type) and what you feel is the impact of fallacious writing- Just notes.

If you are still struggling with fallacies... here is a good two part article with commercials used to demonstrate the different types of fallacies: Fallacies Commercials Part 1   Fallacies Commercials Part 2 (Keep in mind.. I am not promoting political agendas or products.. it is a good tutorial)

3. Read through the following link on the difference between Persuasive and Argumentative writing: Persuasive V. Argumentative..  take good notes

This is a good chart to know to distinguish the difference: P V. A Chart

4. When you are done reviewing.. you need to read the two samples. In your notes, write down examples of the differences between the two samples. Point out specific examples... what they are doing and what the effect is..Persuasive and Argumentative article

5 . Step 4- Writing a Thesis- Formula and Checklist

6. QUIZ TUESDAY!
Your quiz will cover the following concepts:
- Argumentative writing basics
- Fallacies (types and explanations)
- Steps of Writing 1-4 (purpose, how to, formulas, checklists, carry over)
- Differences between argumentative and persuasive writing
- Inductive and  deductive reasoning (475-481)
- syllogism
- Types of warrants
- Toulmin's 6 components of an argument

Class today and due tomorrow: October 14th

In your Reader for the College Writer, read/annotate pages 463-73. Study these pages. Study. Study.

Become experts. Quiz on Tuesday. 

Due: Monday, October 13th

1. Final college essay draft is due to turnitin.com by 7:35 AM on Monday morning.
Class numbers are:
2nd Hour: 8875789
3rd Hour: 8875799
4th Hour: 8875808

password: bearcats

2. Read the following pages in the College Reader: 163-174, 193-204, 212-14.
It would be a great idea to read through this before submitting your final draft to turnitin.com. Take good notes. This information will be beneficial to you as you implement syntactical choices in your writing.

If you have a 6th edition of the College Reader, the page numbers are: 201-07, 229-31, 257-268


TITLES:
I have not gotten to this in class yet.. so it will not be held totally against you if your execution is not flawless.. but I would like you to try..

There is a standard TITLE format in academic writing...  We shall call it the colon method. 

Formula:
A clever hint at your subject/or topic: Directly state your topic
Example- Risky Business: The Art of Basket Weaving

Major words are capitalized...

If you have 6th edition of Reader, here is the last few pages that you need to read. 

Class today: October 7th

1. Review the personal narrative structure- See link under "current assignments"
2. Review the Joubert and Angelou examples focusing upon the syntax choices, execution of "show don't tell", and theme (Angelou)
3. Read the following sample of a student personal narrative: Personal Narrative Sample

Note the following elements:
- Structure
- Implementation of elements of descriptive writing= show don't tell
- thematic unity (purpose and follow through)

Due: October 7th

1. Read "Graduation" by Maya Angelou in the Reading and Writing from Literature book- page 520.

The THREE major things that we are needing to work on and improve upon in our narrative writing are: 1. Having a central theme/thesis POINT that dictates the need for telling the story. 2. Showing not just telling.  3. Transitioning.

As you read "Graduation", please focus on these three aspects...  They are really structural, content, and thematic..

Annotate your text thoroughly for these techniques and how she achieves them simultaneously, while creating an engaging narrative.

Remember: The specific techniques that we have been, when employed effectively and thoughtfully, are what allow success in audience engagement.

2. Review the sentence diagramming link.

Bring your book to class on Tuesday.

Due: Monday, October 6th

1. College essay ATTEMPT #2-

Remember that in addition to the focus on descriptive and narrative writing techniques, you will be placing precise attention on your syntax and diction. Look at the arrangement of your sentences and phrases. Make judicious choices in diction. Use the questions on the handout to guide your thinking before you start writing. There are many aspects to handle in such a short writing piece.

To help in this process.. look at your initial writing reflections from attempt #1. What can you improve upon? Also look at Joubert's notebook and the annotations you made.

Typed draft due when you come to class on Monday.