1. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08
Feature Menu
Introducing the Selections
Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
Writing Skills Focus: Preparing for Timed Writing

2. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Introducing the Selections
What does it take to be a good citizen?

3. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Introducing the Selections
American citizens possess certain rights.
These rights allow people to make important choices every day.
Religion
Speech
Assembly

4. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Introducing the Selections
To earn these rights and freedoms, people from other nations sometimes long to become citizens of the United States.

5. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Introducing the Selections
What are your First Amendment rights?
What are naturalized citizens, and what can’t they do?
These selections will help you answer these questions—and help you understand what it means to be a citizen of the United States.
[End of Section]

6. Often, a writer’s job is to persuade you to do things.
Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
Often, a writer’s job is to persuade you to do things.
Buy this!
Order this!
Join this!

7. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
Read persuasive arguments carefully and critically. Evaluate the writer’s arguments to determine whether they are credible, or believable.
I don’t think the author of this Web article uses good reasons to support her argument.

8. Reasons answer the question “Why?”
Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
In persuasive writing, the writer states a proposition, or opinion, and then supports that opinion with reasons.
PROPOSITION
reason
PROPOSITION
Reasons answer the question “Why?”

9. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
A writer may use several different kinds of reasons to support his or her proposition.
PROPOSITION
facts
statistics
examples
expert opinions

10. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
When you read a persuasive argument, evaluate each reason the writer gives.
expert opinions
facts
examples
statistics
Do the reasons support the writer’s proposition?

11. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
Read, then listen to, the following excerpt from “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass.
I will, in the name of humanity, which is outraged, in the name of liberty, which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery—the great sin and shame of America!
I will, in the name of humanity, which is outraged, in the name of liberty, which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery—the great sin and shame of America!
What proposition does Douglass make here?
Slavery is wrong and hurts America.

12. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
Writers support their propositions with reasons. Kinds of reasons include:
facts
A fact is a true detail that may include the results of research or surveys.
Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? That he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it.
Here, Douglass refers to the fact that the Declaration of Independence makes these claims.

13. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
Writers support their propositions with reasons. Kinds of reasons include:
statistics
Statistics are facts in the form of numbers.
There are seventy-two crimes in the state of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of these same crimes will subject a white man to like punishment.
Douglass supports his argument with numbers that can be checked and verified.

14. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
Writers support their propositions with reasons. Kinds of reasons include:
examples
An example is an instance that illustrates another reason or a fact.
. . . we are reading, writing, and ciphering, acting as clerks, merchants, and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators, and teachers; that we are engaged in all the enterprises common to other men . . .
Douglass lists examples of the skills and professions slaves do as well as white people.

15. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
Writers support their propositions with reasons. Kinds of reasons include:
expert opinions
An expert opinion is a quotation from an expert in a given subject area.
What kind of expert opinion might provide effective support to an argument against slavery?

16. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Informational Text Focus: Proposition and Support
Into Action: Complete a chart like this one for each article. First, identify the article’s proposition. Then, record examples of the types of support you discover.
Proposition: ___________________________
Type of Support
Example
Fact
“Twenty-two percent could name all five.”
Statistic
Example
Expert Opinion
[End of Section]

17. Preparing for Timed Writing
Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Writing Skills Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer
Preparing for Timed Writing
As you read, look for ways the writers signal that they are providing support. Write down these signals in a notebook.
facts
statistics
examples
expert opinions

18. Preparing for Timed Writing
Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Writing Skills Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer
Preparing for Timed Writing
For example, an expert opinion might begin with a description of the speaker’s background.
A statistic might be stated as “More than two thirds.”
[End of Section]

19. Vocabulary

20. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
majority n.: larger part of something.
minority n.: smaller part of something.
Left Out in ’08
suffrage n.: right to vote.

21. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
Years ago, most school classrooms were filled with rows of desks bolted to the floor.
The majority of classrooms were designed to keep order.

22. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
The majority of today’s classrooms are filled with movable furniture and instructional equipment.

23. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
The candidate who earns the majority of votes
loses the election.
demands a recount.
wins the election.

24. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
The candidate who earns the majority of votes
loses the election.
demands a recount.
wins the election.
Who is in the majority in your classroom, the girls or the boys?

25. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
In this container, darker, free-range eggs are in the minority.
There are fewer darker, free-range eggs.

26. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
Which animal photo shows a kitten in the minority? a. b. c.

27. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
Which animal photo shows a kitten in the minority?
If there were three kittens, would they still be in the minority?
Why or why not? c.

28. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
Suffrage is so important that people have fought and died for it.
Why is the right to vote in political elections so important?
Who has suffrage in the United States? 28

29. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
In the United States, women didn’t have suffrage before In other words, women before 1920
were forced to vote for the same candidates as their husbands.
were not allowed to talk about politics.
were not allowed to vote. 29

30. Don’t Know Much About Liberty and Left Out in '08 Vocabulary
In the United States, women didn’t have suffrage before In other words, women before 1920
were forced to vote for the same candidates as their husbands.
were not allowed to talk about politics.
were not allowed to vote.
[End of Section] 30

31. The End