Sample Thesis and topic sentences:
Ex. 1
So the question is should we build more prisons so that we can hold more people or should we start killing the people that are in there for life?
-First, let's talk about what prison really is.
-Most prison cells consist of a very small room that has a bed, sink, and toilet in it.
-Not only do prisons sound dirty and really uncomfortable, they may also be very painful to some prisoners.
-People say that living in prison isn't even worth living.
-Prisons all over are overcrowding.
-The best choice would be to kill that people that are sentenced to prison for life.
-Although the prisoner's families are not the most important factor in what they decide to do about the overcrowding, it is still a factor.
-Another factor is the cost it will be to kill them.
-One of the biggest factors with killing the prisoners is what will they do with their bodies.
-If we were to decide to build more prisons across the world there could be many problems with it.
-Besides how much money it costs us as tax payers also think about where they are going to build these prisons.
-Another factor with building more prisons is that it is going to take a good chunk of time to build all of these prisons and with at the rate that it is going we will have to keep building forever, which will just take more time and money.
-People can argue both ways about what decision is better.
-If we were to build more prisons, they could argue how we don't have the space and that they don't deserve more prisons for them to make it more comfortable if it is their own faults they are in there.
-In conclusion, I think it will be better for us to kill the prisoners that are sentenced for life.
Ex. 2
During his arrest, Moore stated, "Life is like a video game; everybody has to die sometime." (Bradley CBS News)
-Parents and educators first began worrying about the effect that video game violence has on our youth after the Columbine shooting incident and, following that, the outbreak of school shootings across the Unite States in recent years.
-Video games first entered the mainstream media in 1971.
-One reason that this has proven difficult is because the gaming industry, lawmakers, parents and children argue that many popular video games and gaming systems are not harmful to children.
-The problem is, however, that not all families play video games together.
-As video games become more interactive, more concerns are raised.
-This has prompted numerous research studies to be conducted to examine whether or not exposure to violent video games increases, decreases, or has absolutely no effect whatsoever on aggressive behavior in adolescents.
-However, statistics in juvenile crime rate also show that while the number of overall juvenile crime is decreasing, certain types of juvenile crime are increasing.
-In an opposing view study also conducted in 2006, researchers had children play a violent video game entitled Quake II and recorded measurements of anger before, during, and after playing this video game (Unsworth, Devilly and Ward 383).
-What the critics of stricter video game regulations cannot ignore though are top research groups who have begun to contradict their claims at an alarming rate.
-Another argument against legislation being proposed to limit access to violent media is that it is a violation of parental rights.
-By being swayed to this way of thinking, we are assuming that all parents have sound judgment and spend enough time with their children to know how each one will react to each violent game that they play.
-Unfortunately, lawmakers have not been very successful in their attempts to pass legislation that would enforce stricter video game regulations and prohibit the sale and play of violent video games for youth under the age of 18.
-It is time for a federal law to be placed into action that will protect our children from the negative effects of violent video games and empower parents with the correct knowledge about the ratings systems the gaming industry uses.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Rating Thesis Statements
For each of the sample thesis statements below, rate using the 1-3 scale described below, and make a short note as to why you would give it that rating. We will discuss as a class.
3 = a strong thesis statement with the tension that will give the essay direction and be clear to readers (PURPLE)
2 = a thesis statement that is flawed but has potential and could be improved (YELLOW)
1 = a thesis statement that is bad in one or more serious ways (GREEN)
1. Alcohol and drug addiction are both diseases.
2. I believe that the random-drug testing policy in high schools should be allowed because it will motivate students by turning them into the right direction, it is effective in reducing student drug use, and will help prevent athletes from using illegal substances to enhance their performances and will show their own ability versus them using drugs or steroids.
3.I feel that Head Start needs to expand more because children gain so much while attending. Being such a powerful country that we are, you would think that more people would want the best for everyone, which means day care for everyone, no waiting list.
4. Wealthy young people are given many more opportunities than lower or middle class young people in the educational world from the time they begin their education.
5. Although spanking may be an effective measure of discipline, gets the child's attention, and will help the child understand right from wrong, it should be banned because it can possibly lead to harsher discipline, leaves children with mental and physical scars, and could lead to death.
6. I believe that by attending a community college, one can receive an adequate education, at a reasonable price, that prepares you to either enter the workforce or continue on to a four-year college.
7. In this paper I will argue about how government is helping the lower class Americans with their health care, or is the government helping at all?
8. I'm going to persuade my readers why conventional farming is better than organic farming.
9. I am against teaching abstinence only in schools because I don't think SAO [Sexual Abstinence Only] programs work, they don't teach students the importance of safe sex, and they give inaccurate information about condoms and other contraceptives.
10. I am for helmet laws because helmets save lives, there are many laws in many states requiring people to wear them, which is a good idea in my opinion, but yet some groups of riders are against my opinion.
3 = a strong thesis statement with the tension that will give the essay direction and be clear to readers (PURPLE)
2 = a thesis statement that is flawed but has potential and could be improved (YELLOW)
1 = a thesis statement that is bad in one or more serious ways (GREEN)
1. Alcohol and drug addiction are both diseases.
2. I believe that the random-drug testing policy in high schools should be allowed because it will motivate students by turning them into the right direction, it is effective in reducing student drug use, and will help prevent athletes from using illegal substances to enhance their performances and will show their own ability versus them using drugs or steroids.
3.I feel that Head Start needs to expand more because children gain so much while attending. Being such a powerful country that we are, you would think that more people would want the best for everyone, which means day care for everyone, no waiting list.
4. Wealthy young people are given many more opportunities than lower or middle class young people in the educational world from the time they begin their education.
5. Although spanking may be an effective measure of discipline, gets the child's attention, and will help the child understand right from wrong, it should be banned because it can possibly lead to harsher discipline, leaves children with mental and physical scars, and could lead to death.
6. I believe that by attending a community college, one can receive an adequate education, at a reasonable price, that prepares you to either enter the workforce or continue on to a four-year college.
7. In this paper I will argue about how government is helping the lower class Americans with their health care, or is the government helping at all?
8. I'm going to persuade my readers why conventional farming is better than organic farming.
9. I am against teaching abstinence only in schools because I don't think SAO [Sexual Abstinence Only] programs work, they don't teach students the importance of safe sex, and they give inaccurate information about condoms and other contraceptives.
10. I am for helmet laws because helmets save lives, there are many laws in many states requiring people to wear them, which is a good idea in my opinion, but yet some groups of riders are against my opinion.
Ch. 16 Notes
-Proposal arguments call an audience to action: should arguments
-Practical proposals generally target a specific audience (usually the person with the power to act on the proposal) and are typically introduced with a "letter of transmittal," in which the writer briefly summarizes the proposal, explains its purpose, and courteously invites the reader to consider it.
-Policy proposal is aimed at more general audiences instead of specific decision makers. These proposals typically address issues of public policy with the aim of swaying public support toward the writer's proposed solution and typically require researched sources.
-When you make a proposal argument, you must first determine whether the problem you are addressing is already known to your audience. Follow format of Classical Argument in Ch. 14:
*introduce the issue
*present the claim
*provide supporting reasons for the claim
*summarize and respond to alternative views
*provide a conclusion
-Call the reader's attention to the problem then propose and justify a course of action
-Convince the audience that a problem exists, that it is serious, and that some action should be taken to resolve it.
-When offering a solution to a problem, you must keep in mind there is always an alternative course of action. So to be effective, you must demonstrate that a significant problem exists; propose a solution to the problem; and justify the solution showing that benefits outweigh costs and that the proposed solution will fix the problem better than the alternatives.
-Review descriptions on p. 449 for the following:
*Description of the problem
*Proposal for a solution
*Justification
-Give your problem presence; help the readers see and feel it
*anecdotes, examples of people suffering startling facts, statistics
-To persuade your readers to act, you will need to involve them both mentally AND emotionally
Declaration of Independence: anticipates its audiences resistance to change
*in class discussion
-The more uncertain your proposal's consequences, the more clearly you must show how the proposal will bring about those consequences--identify the links in the chain and show how each one leads to the next; cite similar proposals that yielded the sorts of results you are predicting
-Review justification strategies on p. 452
*Argument from principle
*Argument from consequence
*Argument from precedent or analogy
p. 453 Complete for your argument:
Claim
Principle
Consequence
Precedent/analogy
Review Framework of a Proposal Solution p. 457
-Practical proposals generally target a specific audience (usually the person with the power to act on the proposal) and are typically introduced with a "letter of transmittal," in which the writer briefly summarizes the proposal, explains its purpose, and courteously invites the reader to consider it.
-Policy proposal is aimed at more general audiences instead of specific decision makers. These proposals typically address issues of public policy with the aim of swaying public support toward the writer's proposed solution and typically require researched sources.
-When you make a proposal argument, you must first determine whether the problem you are addressing is already known to your audience. Follow format of Classical Argument in Ch. 14:
*introduce the issue
*present the claim
*provide supporting reasons for the claim
*summarize and respond to alternative views
*provide a conclusion
-Call the reader's attention to the problem then propose and justify a course of action
-Convince the audience that a problem exists, that it is serious, and that some action should be taken to resolve it.
-When offering a solution to a problem, you must keep in mind there is always an alternative course of action. So to be effective, you must demonstrate that a significant problem exists; propose a solution to the problem; and justify the solution showing that benefits outweigh costs and that the proposed solution will fix the problem better than the alternatives.
-Review descriptions on p. 449 for the following:
*Description of the problem
*Proposal for a solution
*Justification
-Give your problem presence; help the readers see and feel it
*anecdotes, examples of people suffering startling facts, statistics
-To persuade your readers to act, you will need to involve them both mentally AND emotionally
Declaration of Independence: anticipates its audiences resistance to change
*in class discussion
-The more uncertain your proposal's consequences, the more clearly you must show how the proposal will bring about those consequences--identify the links in the chain and show how each one leads to the next; cite similar proposals that yielded the sorts of results you are predicting
-Review justification strategies on p. 452
*Argument from principle
*Argument from consequence
*Argument from precedent or analogy
p. 453 Complete for your argument:
Claim
Principle
Consequence
Precedent/analogy
Review Framework of a Proposal Solution p. 457
The Declaration of Independence
http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/doi/text.html
The Declaration of Independence has four main parts:
* a preamble, or foreword, that announces the reason for the document
* a declaration of people's natural rights and relationship to government
* a long list of complaints against George III, the British king
* a conclusion that formally states America's independence
Helpful definitions:
unalienable: that may not be taken away
despotism: absolute power or control; tyranny
transient: passing away with time
usurpations: acts of wrongfully taking over a right or power that belongs to someone else
conjured: appealed to
consanguinity: blood relationship
acquiesce in the necessity which denounces: recognize that we must demand
parallelism: the use of similar grammatical forms to express ideas of equal importance
insurrections: an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government
List of complaints begins with "He..."
Why do they repeat it?
Why do they make it personal?
What makes this document convincing? Why is it considered an effectively persuasive argument?
How does the D.I. anticipate its audiences resistance to change?
The Declaration of Independence has four main parts:
* a preamble, or foreword, that announces the reason for the document
* a declaration of people's natural rights and relationship to government
* a long list of complaints against George III, the British king
* a conclusion that formally states America's independence
Helpful definitions:
unalienable: that may not be taken away
despotism: absolute power or control; tyranny
transient: passing away with time
usurpations: acts of wrongfully taking over a right or power that belongs to someone else
conjured: appealed to
consanguinity: blood relationship
acquiesce in the necessity which denounces: recognize that we must demand
parallelism: the use of similar grammatical forms to express ideas of equal importance
insurrections: an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government
List of complaints begins with "He..."
Why do they repeat it?
Why do they make it personal?
What makes this document convincing? Why is it considered an effectively persuasive argument?
How does the D.I. anticipate its audiences resistance to change?
Friday, March 12, 2010
CA1
I apologize for my confusion last night regarding your Classical Argument essays, but I checked the syllabus again after class and you weren't supposed to get the checklist until last night, so that was right. My other sections meet more frequently and are ahead of you which I think is what confused me.
We have talked about the progression of this project in class, so make sure you are paying attention to discussions. Those computers in front of you are a great asset but also an easy distraction. And ALWAYS check your syllabus.
You can email me next week if you have any questions. Otherwise, enjoy your spring break, and I look forward to your presentations. Please bring your highlighted sources with you.
Thanks!
We have talked about the progression of this project in class, so make sure you are paying attention to discussions. Those computers in front of you are a great asset but also an easy distraction. And ALWAYS check your syllabus.
You can email me next week if you have any questions. Otherwise, enjoy your spring break, and I look forward to your presentations. Please bring your highlighted sources with you.
Thanks!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Classical Argument Checklist
Chapter 14
Writing a Classical Argument Essay
Write a position paper that takes a stand on a controversial issue. Your introduction should present your issue, provide background, and state the claim you intend to support [thesis]. The body of your argument will present reasons and evidence in support of your own position as well as summarize and respond to opposing views. You need to choose whether you want to summarize and refute opposing views before or after you have made your own case. End the essay with your strongest argument.
Chapter 14: Writing a Classical Argument discusses the following items that you need to include:
• Creating an Argument Frame: A Claim with Reasons
• Articulating Reasons
• Articulating Unstated Assumptions
• Using Evidence Effectively
• Addressing Objections and Counterarguments
• Responding to Objections, counterarguments, and Alternative Views
Length and Technical Issues: 7-10 pages double-spaced with one-inch margins—the works cited does NOT count as a page. Word-processed in Times New Roman and size 12.
Format:
Introduction
Attention Getter
Presentation of Issue
Background Information
Claim—Thesis Statement
Body
Para 1- Summary of student writer’s position
Summary of opposing view
Para 2- ? Presentation of Writer’s Position
Reasons and evidence in support of position
Opposing reasons and evidence
Rebuttal
Para 3- Make the Case
Conclusion
Summarize all the reasons (points) for the position
Bring essay to closure
May relate topic to larger body of issues
Document Design
Use headings to separate sections of argument
Source Guidelines
• All sources used within the text of the paper must be cited on the Works Cited page according to MLA
• Sources must be used and formatted correctly—parenthetical or in-text references (attributive phrases used in order to differentiate between student voice and those of the referenced sources i.e. According to Author.
• A minimum of 8 sources must be cited in the text of your paper.
• You must have a variety of sources—both print and non (EBSCO, LexisNexis, Proquest, newspapers, books, periodicals, interviews, etc.)
• Your sources should include the journal articles you analyzed for the Strong Response and Comparison of Sources papers.
• ONE of your sources may be from a search engine other than databases from HCC
Topic:
Remember, you will be using the same topic that you had for your Strong Response and Comparison of Sources papers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evaluation Checklist for an A
Format (50_pts)
Introduction
- Attention getter
- Presentation of Issue
- Background Information
- Thesis Statement—Position and Forecast of Argument Frame
Body Content
- Creates an Argument Frame: A Claim with Reasons
- Articulates reasons
- Uses evidence effectively
- Addresses objections and counterarguments
- Responds to objections, counterarguments, and alternative views (rebuttal)
- Remains focused on thesis
- Is clearly intended for a specific audience
- Uses an appropriate balance of ethos, pathos, and logos appeals
Body Organization—Writer’s Choice*
- Summary of student writer’s position
- Summary of opposing view
- Presentation of Writer’s Position
- Reasons of evidence in support of position*
o All supporting reasons/evidence in separate sections (use HEADINGS to indicate this
o Opposing reasons and evidence followed by evidence in its own section (match organization to support sections)
OR
o Discussion of supporting reasons/evidence and opposition and rebuttal together under a REASON heading
- Opposition and Rebuttal
- Make the case
Cites credentials of sources when appropriate
- Uses HEADINGS to separate sections
- Organization is consistent throughout
Conclusion
- Summarizes all the reasons (points) for the position
- Brings essay to closure
- May relate topic to larger body of issues
Source Guidelines (30 pts)
- A minimum of eight sources are cited
- All sources used within the text of the paper are cited on the Works Cited page according to MLA
- Sources are formatted correctly—parenthetical or in-text references (attributive phrases used in order to differentiate between student voice and those of the referenced sources i.e. According to Author)
- There is a variety of sources (EBSCOhost, Lexis Nexis, Proquest, NewsBank, newspapers, books, periodicals, interview, etc.)
- Annotations are thoughtful and clearly written in complete sentences
Length and Technical Issues (5 pts)
- 7-10 pages double-spaced with one-inch margins
- Headings and subheadings are correctly formatted
Style Issues (15 pts)
- Is free of excess words
- Uses transitions effectively
- Is free of serious G.U.M.P. errors—less than two per typed page
GRADE: ___________/100
Writing a Classical Argument Essay
Write a position paper that takes a stand on a controversial issue. Your introduction should present your issue, provide background, and state the claim you intend to support [thesis]. The body of your argument will present reasons and evidence in support of your own position as well as summarize and respond to opposing views. You need to choose whether you want to summarize and refute opposing views before or after you have made your own case. End the essay with your strongest argument.
Chapter 14: Writing a Classical Argument discusses the following items that you need to include:
• Creating an Argument Frame: A Claim with Reasons
• Articulating Reasons
• Articulating Unstated Assumptions
• Using Evidence Effectively
• Addressing Objections and Counterarguments
• Responding to Objections, counterarguments, and Alternative Views
Length and Technical Issues: 7-10 pages double-spaced with one-inch margins—the works cited does NOT count as a page. Word-processed in Times New Roman and size 12.
Format:
Introduction
Attention Getter
Presentation of Issue
Background Information
Claim—Thesis Statement
Body
Para 1- Summary of student writer’s position
Summary of opposing view
Para 2- ? Presentation of Writer’s Position
Reasons and evidence in support of position
Opposing reasons and evidence
Rebuttal
Para 3- Make the Case
Conclusion
Summarize all the reasons (points) for the position
Bring essay to closure
May relate topic to larger body of issues
Document Design
Use headings to separate sections of argument
Source Guidelines
• All sources used within the text of the paper must be cited on the Works Cited page according to MLA
• Sources must be used and formatted correctly—parenthetical or in-text references (attributive phrases used in order to differentiate between student voice and those of the referenced sources i.e. According to Author.
• A minimum of 8 sources must be cited in the text of your paper.
• You must have a variety of sources—both print and non (EBSCO, LexisNexis, Proquest, newspapers, books, periodicals, interviews, etc.)
• Your sources should include the journal articles you analyzed for the Strong Response and Comparison of Sources papers.
• ONE of your sources may be from a search engine other than databases from HCC
Topic:
Remember, you will be using the same topic that you had for your Strong Response and Comparison of Sources papers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evaluation Checklist for an A
Format (50_pts)
Introduction
- Attention getter
- Presentation of Issue
- Background Information
- Thesis Statement—Position and Forecast of Argument Frame
Body Content
- Creates an Argument Frame: A Claim with Reasons
- Articulates reasons
- Uses evidence effectively
- Addresses objections and counterarguments
- Responds to objections, counterarguments, and alternative views (rebuttal)
- Remains focused on thesis
- Is clearly intended for a specific audience
- Uses an appropriate balance of ethos, pathos, and logos appeals
Body Organization—Writer’s Choice*
- Summary of student writer’s position
- Summary of opposing view
- Presentation of Writer’s Position
- Reasons of evidence in support of position*
o All supporting reasons/evidence in separate sections (use HEADINGS to indicate this
o Opposing reasons and evidence followed by evidence in its own section (match organization to support sections)
OR
o Discussion of supporting reasons/evidence and opposition and rebuttal together under a REASON heading
- Opposition and Rebuttal
- Make the case
Cites credentials of sources when appropriate
- Uses HEADINGS to separate sections
- Organization is consistent throughout
Conclusion
- Summarizes all the reasons (points) for the position
- Brings essay to closure
- May relate topic to larger body of issues
Source Guidelines (30 pts)
- A minimum of eight sources are cited
- All sources used within the text of the paper are cited on the Works Cited page according to MLA
- Sources are formatted correctly—parenthetical or in-text references (attributive phrases used in order to differentiate between student voice and those of the referenced sources i.e. According to Author)
- There is a variety of sources (EBSCOhost, Lexis Nexis, Proquest, NewsBank, newspapers, books, periodicals, interview, etc.)
- Annotations are thoughtful and clearly written in complete sentences
Length and Technical Issues (5 pts)
- 7-10 pages double-spaced with one-inch margins
- Headings and subheadings are correctly formatted
Style Issues (15 pts)
- Is free of excess words
- Uses transitions effectively
- Is free of serious G.U.M.P. errors—less than two per typed page
GRADE: ___________/100
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Teacher Draft Comments
Choose three different colors and highlight every section of your paper where you discuss ethos in the same color, pathos in another color, and logos in a third.
Then, give your paper to one other reader. Have that person look at your draft and answer:
a) do they agree that you are actually discussing ethos (write agree or disagree), then write why
b) rewrite the person's connetive points in your own words. If you do not know what they are saying or are not sure, note that as well.
c) have a discussion with your partner about this feedback
Show this copy to me for credit and take it home with you as you work on your final drafts.
Then, give your paper to one other reader. Have that person look at your draft and answer:
a) do they agree that you are actually discussing ethos (write agree or disagree), then write why
b) rewrite the person's connetive points in your own words. If you do not know what they are saying or are not sure, note that as well.
c) have a discussion with your partner about this feedback
Show this copy to me for credit and take it home with you as you work on your final drafts.
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