The Day Has Come….. Tomorrow, you will enter the north commons at 7:30. Tomorrow, you will show the world your fabulous writing skills, your mature thinking and your ability to discern a fallacious argument from a solid argument.

Check yourself and be sure you are ready to tackle the beast. But Before You Enter…. Check yourself and be sure you are ready to tackle the beast.

All Things Argument

Sitting in front of you is this argument prompt. What exactly is the prompt asking of you? What context are you given so you can better understand the passage? How might this context be a useful part of your essay? What should you do as you read this passage? What outside evidence pertains to your argument Can you integrate personal experience references? Can you integrate historical references? Can you integrate literary references? Can you integrate examples from modern culture?

Argument Continued…. 6. Would your essay be stronger with fewer well developed examples or a wider variety of less developed examples? 7. Should you use first person? 8. Should you make direct references to the author and passage? 9. List some techniques to use in your concluding statement. #

Play it Safe! Make a direct reference to the author of a passage or quote somewhere in the first two paragraphs. Avoid second person (you) When in doubt, less but more fully developed examples are better. Create a clear, precise and concise thesis in the first paragraph. Engage the reader with a hook, don’t skip this. Take the time to include a conclusion that paints a bigger picture of the issue you’re discussing. Avoid being satirical unless you are sure it will be successful. Vary vocabulary but don’t go hog-wild.

All Things Rhetoric

Rhetorical Analysis What is the task you must accomplish? What are some general strategies author’s use when creating a satirical piece of writing? What seem to be the most important aspects of the passage to focus on? What should you do if you can’t remember a literary term but know the author used the technique?

Rhetorical Analysis Continued Should you mention HOW the satirical strategies are effective? Why? How can you integrate your own voice into this essay? What are some fail-safe methods for including voice but not losing the focus of the prompt? How can you create a fresh conclusion that does not simply list off strategies used by the authors?

DO Not…. Forget to refer to the author. Forget to consider the importance of a time period (look at dates). Call the author a he, when she wrote the piece. Let the rhetorical devices drive your essay, let HOW the rhetorical devices support the author’s argument dictate the structure of the essay. Repeat your thesis in your conclusion or say “In conclusion…” Consider referring to the author’s argument OR addressing his/her closing comments in the passage.

All Things Multiple Choice

55 questions in 60 minutes 1. Do you quickly read through each passage to decide which is the most difficult? Or do you just dig in? 2. You know that each passage will be followed by what types of questions? 3. You are not sure of a vocabulary word used in the passage but are asked of it’s definition. What do you do? 4. What tactics will you use to answer a question that addresses all the following EXCEPT…? 5. What types of questions do you skip?

Multiple Choice 5. Knowing there is always a mostly right answer and a completely right answer, what technique do you use to determine which is the best? 6. When faced with an “options” question I, II or III. What technique do you employ to successfully answer this question?

All Things Synthesis

AWWWKK…you are asked to write about the literature curriculum in schools. Is it best to form an argument BEFORE looking at the sources? Do you need to take a stand? What is the prompt asking of you? Where do you stand? Which sources provide more factual information? Which sources provide more opinionated information? How is each source useful to your own argument? How can you best pull in your own “outside” sources? Where would these outside sources be best synthesized? Why might the dates each source was published be of importance? Do you need to offer a recommendation to the “issue”?

DO NOT…. Misread the source or misrepresent the source. Say, “Source A says…” Allow the reader to see that the sources dictate your opinion. Be fresh and unique. Spend an entire paragraph directly quoting material from a source. Forget to analyze the evidence you provide- analyze means provide warrants to your claims. Analyze means to show the reader HOW the evidence links to your thesis statement. Restate your thesis in the conclusion. Consider your call to action your concluding paragraph.

What should you do tonight in preparation for the test? look over language terms, map out plan of attack, go to bed early