World Literature Wednesday, November 30, 2011 and Thursday, December 1, 2011

Scoring  Exchange paragraphs with a different group.  Read over the paragraphs. In your group, discuss each one and give it a score. At the bottom, state why you gave it the score that you did. 4=Topic sentence makes a clear and sophisticated argument. Evidence (at least 3 pieces) is very specific and relevant to the argument. Language is lively and persuasive. Conventions are perfect. 3=Topic sentence is clear but simple. Evidence (at least 2 pieces) is specific and relevant. Language is accurate. There are some convention errors, but they don’t distract from the ideas. 2=Topic sentence is present but not entirely clear. Evidence (at least 2 pieces) is general but relevant.) Language is mostly accurate though some may be awkward. Convention errors are very noticeable, but the ideas still come through with some work from the reader. 1=Topic sentence is missing or unrecognizable. Evidence is lacking or not relevant. Language use is awkward and confusing. Convention errors make it so that readers are not able to understand the ideas of the writing.

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Persuasive Language  Persuasive language is choosing just the right words or phrases to use at just the right time with just the right audience.  Strong words trigger strong feelings.  Seizes  Snarls  Dumbstruck  Effective choice of connotations  Mean or strict  Late fee or extended-viewing fee  Used or pre-owned  Surge or escalate  Repeated words or phrases for emphasis  I have a dream…(Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Persuasive Language – Find Words that Could Be More Effective I was a good high school student. One day, with an essay in one hand, I went to class. “I’m done!” I smiled. The teacher took the essay out of my hands and threw it away. She said, “It’s a day late!” I look at my hard work. The teacher didn’t even look at it! The No Late Homework Rule is bad. Why is the word choice in this

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Persuasive Language Example I am a conscientious a high school student. One day, with a five page essay in one hand, I rushed into the classroom. “I’m done! I’m done!” I panted, beaming proudly. The teacher seized the essay out of my grasp crumpled it into a ball and threw if forcefully in to the recycle bin before me eyes. She snarled, “It’s a day late!” I stared dumbstruck at all of my hard work, balled up like a piece of trash. The teacher didn’t even glance at it! The No Late Homework Rule is a cruel, horrible rule. How does the word choice impact the power of this example vs. the previous example?

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Antithesis/Rebuttal  A reader of your essay is more likely to listen to you if you show you can see his/her point of view before you counter that argument.  The antithesis is when you acknowledge or consider the opposing viewpoint, conceding something that has some merit.  Rebuttal is when your own argument proves the other side to be flawed, and shows your argument is stronger.

Attack the opposition  In your antithesis/rebuttal paragraph.  Find the flaws.  Attack the opposition’s logic.  Consider a different way of viewing the evidence and explain how it really supports your side and not the opposing side.  This will strengthen your argument by showing your reader that you see the other side and how the other side is not as valid as your argument.

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Antithesis/Rebuttal Some say a dress code will reduce the number of cliques in school and reduce discipline problems. Having a school dress code might improve discipline, which might be true in schools where students fight over shoes, but enforcing a dress code will generate even more discipline issues than we have now and lead to student rebellion. Students will quickly adapt and find new ways to express themselves and their identification with their social groups. Hairstyles, piercings, and tattoos will not just prove which group the student belongs to, but will make students even more of a discipline problem when the tattoos permanently express youth distress. We are still individuals and should be allowed to express ourselves and be allowed our civil rights. There is nothing more important to student than the ability to express their unique sense of self. Whether it’s grunge, Goth, or glam, each student at our high school is a person whose voice must be heard. Dress codes would turn us all into a bland, uniform mass of white and navy. Student must never be forced to wear uniforms for the school board’s convenience.

Return to the “school start time” prompt  With your group, go back to your original list of reasons that support both sides.  Consider the opposing side and their potential evidence.  Now write an antithesis/rebuttal paragraph. Make sure that you are not repeating the earlier reasons already stated by your group. Try to really attack the ideas of the opposition or provide an alternate view of that opposition.

Write your own antithesis/rebuttal  Have each group member take one reason on the opposing side. Make sure that it is not just going to address the exact opposite of the reason you focused on in your original paragraph. 1.Start with the antithesis statement. Make sure that there is a tag phrase at the start to let your reader know that it is from the opposing side. (“Some people may argue…” “While it may be true that …” “While it may seem like …”) 2.Use the rebuttal as an opportunity to add in a 4 th argument or as an opportunity to  Really work on attacking the opposing side by either providing new, strong evidence to support a 4 th argument or by pointing out the flaws in the opposition or a different interpretation of the evidence. (“While some may interpret ________ to mean that _________, this actually supports the claim that ___________ by...”).

If your group has been and continues to work well together:  Together write a single antithesis/rebuttal paragraph. 1.As a group, discuss the opposing argument, their arguments and evidence. 2.Start with the antithesis statement. Make sure that there is a tag phrase at the start to let your reader know that it is from the opposing side. (“Some people may argue…” “While it may be true that …” “While it may seem like …”) 3.Use the rebuttal as an opportunity to add in a 4 th argument or as an opportunity to  Really work on attacking the opposing side by either providing new, strong evidence to support a 4 th argument or by pointing out the flaws in the opposition or a different interpretation of the evidence. (“While some may interpret ________ to mean that _________, this actually supports the claim that ___________ by...”).