1. READ 142 Spring 2011 1

2.  Next Week’s Assignment  Discussion Board Assignment- Due Sunday at 11:59 p.m.  Discuss Reading  Writing Responses  Parts of an Argument 2

3.  When we read various articles, I will highlight vocabulary words.  We will discuss them and define them.  I will keep a list on our course website under “vocabulary.”  Your midterm will contain a section that assesses your knowledge of those words. 3

4. Fox sidles up to the duck family and insists that he is a duck…just a larger and browner version of a duck. 4

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6.  Please number the paragraphs in your article.  Let’s count off from 1-6.  Take turns reading each other’s summary and choose one that covers the article’s most important points AND uses academic vocabulary.  Choose someone to explain why your group chose that summary. 6

7. Groups 1: What other argument(s) is the writer responding to? What is motivating the writer’s argument? Groups 2: How does Brott support his main claim? What type of evidence does he provide? Group 3: What assumptions does the writer make? (Not about the reader but about the topic. NOT: The reader cares.) Group 4: Where does Brott present a view different from his own? How do you know? Groups 5: If you disagreed with the writer, what support would you provide? Group 6: What larger issues does this article address? 7

8. What is an argument? 8

9.  A couple of people yelling at each other.  Someone making an assertion, or claim, without support.  Someone saying another person is wrong without support. 9

10.  you are offering a series of related statements which represent an attempt to support that assertion (or claim) — to give others good reasons to believe that what you are asserting is true rather than false. 10

11.  Think back to your high school or college years. Talk about the worst teacher you had.  Give reasons and examples for your opinion.

12. DEFINITIONTEACHERARTICLEOWN EXAMPLE CLAIM REASONS EVIDENCE WARRANT REFUTATION & RESPONSE

13. CLAIMWHAT DO YOU THINK? REASONSWHY DO YOU THINK SO? EVIDENCEHOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE RIGHT? ASSUMPTIONWHAT ARE YOU ASSUMING? REFUTATION OR COUNTER-ARGUMENT IT MAY BE ARGUED THAT ____. I’M STILL RIGHT BECAUSE ______.

14.  The debatable statement that forms the main point of an argument  The umbrella statement that all other parts of the argument have to fall under  A claim is a statement that the arguer presents; the point the arguer wants to make.  Other terms for claim are “assertion,” proposition,” “conclusion,” and “thesis.”

15.  A pig is smarter than a mule.  Employers should be able to fire any employee who refuses to take a drug test  Hunting for sport is immoral.  These are not claims and these statements don’t make an argument.  These are simply opinions. CLAIM + REASONS = ARGUMENT  You can not determine the worth of a claim without reasons.

16.  Reasons answer the questions: Why do you think so? Why are you making that claim?  Evidence offers tangible support for your reasons. How do you know you’re right?

17. How good is the evidence? Types of evidence: 1. Personal experience 2. Research studies, polls, statistics 3. Case examples 4. Appeals to authority 5. Good reasoning 6. Analogies

18.  What are the assumptions?  Warrants are the inferences or assumptions that are taken for granted by the writer.  They are the unstated beliefs that connect the claim and the support; they derive from our cultural experiences and personal observations.

19. IT MAY BE ARGUED THAT ____. I’M STILL RIGHT BECAUSE ______. Refutation/COUNTER-ARGUMENT Potential objections to the argument's reasons, objections which the writer expects his or her opponents to make Usually, these are included in arguments as opportunities for the writer to present her or his own reasons as refutations/rebuttals Response After stating the objections of opponents, most writers will refute or rebut the objections Good rebuttal usually requires evidence

20. Claim: Boys and girls should be taught separately. Refutation: Not all schools with single-sex classrooms get good results. Last year, Rockport Middle School abandoned their program.

21. Response: Even though some schools with single-sex education have better results than others, the schools who are successful have better teacher training.

22.  Re-read “Not All Men Are Sly Foxes.” Each partner group will identify one aspect of the article.  1. Claim  2 & 3. Reason and Evidence  4 & 5. Warrant (Assumptions)  6. Refutation (Counter-argument) & Response

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24.  You are often asked to write a response to a reading assignment after summarizing its content.  When you are giving your opinion on some type of text, you want to go beyond restating what the author says: “I agree with this author because I agree with his opinion.”  “I disagree with Jones because I don’t think marijuana should be made illegal.” 24

25.  For this week, your first paragraph should be a summary of the article.  Your second paragraph should be a personal response to the article. 25

26. 26 In his article, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko blames the fast food industry for fueling today’s so-called obesity epidemic, not only by failing to provide adequate warning labels but also by filling the nutritional void in children’s lives left by their overtaxed working parents. With many parents working long hours and unable to supervise their children, Zinczenko claims, children today are easily victimized by the low-cost, calorie-laden foods that the fast food chains are all too eager to supply. Zinczenko’s hope is that with the new spate of lawsuits against the fast food industry, other children with working parents will have healthier choices available to them, and they will not, like him, become obese.

27. 27 In my view, however, it is the parents, and not the fast food chains, who are responsible for children’s obesity. While it is true that many of today’s parents work long hours, there are still several things parents can do to guarantee that their children eat healthy foods…

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29.  You’ll need to do more than simply say you disagree with a view.  Some reasons why you might disagree:  The argument fails to take relevant factors in account.  It is based on faulty or incomplete evidence.  It rests on questionable assumptions.  It uses flawed logic, is contradictory, or overlooks what you take to be the real issue. 29

30. You can look at the reasons, evidence and assumptions to explain why you disagree with an argument. 30 CLAIMWHAT DO YOU THINK? REASONSWHY DO YOU THINK SO? EVIDENCEHOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE RIGHT? ASSUMPTIONWHAT ARE YOU ASSUMING? REFUTATION OR COUNTER-ARGUMENT IT MAY BE ARGUED THAT ____. I’M STILL RIGHT BECAUSE ______.

31.  X is mistaken because she overlooks __________.  X's claim that __________rests on the questionable assumption that __________.  I disagree with X’s view that _________ because, as recent research has shown, _________.  By focusing on __________, X ignores the deeper problem of __________.  Recent research has brought X's view under scrutiny since __________. 31

32. Even though Brott offers compelling examples of negative stereotypes of literary fathers, he is mistaken because overlooks another area of influence that has greater sway over children--- television and movies. Unlike the absent fathers of children’s books, media portrayals of fathers are far more positive. 32

33.  Even though Brott offers compelling examples of negative stereotypes of literary father… (then use a template)  While it may seem that many books contain negative portrayals of fathers… (then use a template) 33

34.  Take out a sheet of paper, and choose one person to write.  Write group members’ names on the top right.  Title: Summary Practice  Write the first sentence of a response to “Not All Men Are Sly Foxes” that disagrees with the author. 34

35. You need to do more than simply echo views you agree with. Even as you’re agreeing, it’s important to bring something new and fresh. Open up some difference between your position and the one you’re agreeing with. Some ways you can agree with a difference: Point out some unnoticed evidence or line of reasoning. Cite some corroborating personal evidence, or a situation not mentioned by the writer that her views help readers understand. 35

36. I agree that _________ because my experience __________ confirms it. X is surely right about __________ because, as she may not be aware, recent studies have show that __________. X's theory of __________ is useful because it sheds light on the difficult problem of __________. I agree that _____, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe ___________. Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interested to know that it basically boils down to _________. 36

37.  Write the first sentence of your response to “Not All Men Are Sly Foxes.”  Agree with the writer. 37

38. 38 I agree that fathers are often portrayed as selfish or distant in children’s literature because my experience as a parent confirms it. I surveyed my three-year-old daughter’s books recently and found that three out of every five books did not even mention a father. The fathers that were mentioned…. In fact, this depiction is not limited to just books. Many of the cartoons she watches do not contain….

39.  There is nothing wrong with forthrightly declaring that you have mixed feelings, especially after you’ve considered various options. In fact, expressing ambivalent feelings can serve to demonstrate sophistication as a writer. 39

40. Although I agree with X up to a point, I cannot accept his overall conclusion that ________. Although I disagree with much of what X says, I fully endorse his final conclusion that _________. Though I concede that __________, I still insist that __________. While X is wrong when she claims that __________, she is absolutely right that __________. Whereas X provides ample evidence that ______, Y and Z’s research on ______ and ______ convinces me that ______ instead. Of course, many will disagree with the assertion that __________. 40

41.  Write the first sentence of your response to “Not All Men Are Sly Foxes.”  Agree and disagree with the writer. 41