Unit 3 Goals Utilize genre and discipline specific visual rhetoric & document design strategies Conduct primary research (based on planning from unit 2) & incorporate results into informative writing

Today’s Goals Understand the differences between articles and reports in informative writing Begin to analyze thinking of a publication to use with your unit 3 essay- the informative article

Informative Writing Article: thesis statement driven document that presents information in an surprising or engaging way Report: thesis question driven document that present the results of a fact finding or data gathering investigation Most of the publications we look at will fall into one of these categories. Which seems more appropriate for your subject matter?

Group Activity 1: Intro to Informative Writing In groups of 4 students max Read “Tarantulas” on p. 316 and “Myths about ‘Dangerous’ Spiders” on p. 317 Answer questions 1-3 on pg Which of these would you classify as an article and which as a report?

Informative Writing Strategies Surprising Reversal: Strategy in which the writer’s thesis pushes against a counterthesis Useful because it automatically creates a thesis with tension to engage reader interest Often comes in the form of: “Where as some people/scholars say X, I am going to argue Y” Must keep in mind that ‘surprise’ is relative and depends on your audience and your relationship with that audience May be used with your main thesis or can be used as a general strategy for presenting surprising information

Informative Writing We will be taking a separate look at 4 different styles of publications: Newspapers Magazines Scholarly Article Research Report What visual rhetorical strategies do these types of publications use? How might each organize information differently? Aside from their general purpose of being informative, what else might each of these publication styles be trying to accomplish?

Group Activity 2: Genre Analysis In your unit 2 groups Select an article from one of the example publications and answer the following questions about it: 1. In a sentence or two, sum up the point of the article 2. Where does the article fall on the open/closed form prose continuum? 3. What is the intended purpose of the article? Go beyond simply “inform” 4. Who is the intended audience? Consider age range, income, sex, and any other characteristics you might want. Feel free to look up this information if able. 5. Does the article use subheadings or not? If so, write their names out here. Are these subheadings semantically based or do they adhere to a research article format? 6. What are the genre conventions of this publication? Is the language formal/informal? Does it utilize figurative or concrete language? Is it more humorous or serious? 7. How does the writer use ethos? Does the writer establish himself as an expert or speak of his own credentials? 8. How does the writer use pathos? What appeals to emotions, senses, or sensibilities can you find in the essay? 9. How does the writer use logos? What instances of logic and hard facts can you find in the essay? 10. How would you describe the author’s angle of vision? What stance are they taking on the topic?

Homework Read A&B Sign up for a class progress conference Not mandatory but strongly recommended Will go over individual grades for the course and your progress thus far Appointments start next week. Most will be brief (<5 minutes) and take place directly before or after class Sign up sheet on class website (posted at 5 pm) Begin conducting Primary research Finalize your interview/survey questions Make arrangements for your interviews or observations Create the online version of your surveys Preliminary research results due 3/27