1. Critical Thinking
Save your own life! Bring your answer up for me to check. You can guess more than once on this one if you get it wrong. There is a mathematically correct answer. You’ll have three minutes for this one. No cheating!

2. The Situation
You are a prisoner sentenced to death. The Emperor offers you a chance to live by playing a simple game. He gives you 50 black marbles, 50 white marbles and 2 empty bowls. He then says, "Divide these 100 marbles into these 2 bowls. You can divide them any way you like as long as you use all the marbles. Then I will blindfold you and mix the bowls around. You then can choose ONE bowl and remove ONE marble. If the marble is WHITE you will live, but if the marble is BLACK... you will die."  How do you divide the marbles up so that you have the greatest probability of choosing a WHITE marble?

3. The Answer
Place 1 white marble in one bowl, and place the rest of the marbles in the other bowl (49 whites, and 50 blacks).  This way you begin with a 50/50 chance of choosing the bowl with just one white marble, therefore life! BUT even if you choose the other bowl, you still have ALMOST a 50/50 chance at picking one of the 49 white marbles.

4. Goals for the Day
I can identify the various features of a body paragraph within a synthesis essay and begin to include them in my writing.

5. Features of Synthesis Body Paragraphs
We noted that there were four features of highly effective opening paragraphs.
With your small group, discuss and then create a list of the features that you believe would be evident in a highly effective body paragraph of a synthesis essay.
You might want to consider the opening paragraph as a lead-in to the body paragraphs. If so, what is needed in the body paragraphs to help ensure your opening is successful?
Additionally, consider what is necessary in any highly effective body paragraph.

6. Our list of Qualities for Body Paragraphs
Topic sentence – a subclaim of your thesis.
Evidence/support – 2-3 pieces of evidence/from 2-3 sources (synthesis)
Explanation of your evidence
Transitions that tie information together
***sometimes – counterarguments/rebuttals
Recognition of the complexities of the issue

7. Analyze Your Own Writing
Identify each of the features we just identified as important to developing a highly effective body paragraph in your own body paragraphs.
Either in the margins of your essay or on a separate piece of paper, make a list of the features you completely neglected, the features you included but not as successfully as you could have, and the features you feel you successfully included.

8. Let’s focus on Integrating Sources
We mentioned that source information should be selected carefully and integrated in such a way that it supports your claims.
What often happens, however, is that students do not return to the sources they plan to use and examine them in more depth. Instead, the quick, superficial summary is what remains in students’ minds. Even more often, students then go on to ‘cherry-pick’ a single standout quote from a source to use.

9. Practice Exercises to make a point
1. Look back at Source B, the student-written article for a school newsletter. If you were to select a specific quotation from Vangelli’s article to use in your essay, what would it be? Write it down.
In a small group, compare the quotes you chose. You may find that there are a surprising number of commonalities. Perhaps the line that leaps to your attention is not the best choice.

10. Practice Exercises to Make a Point
2. Look back for a quote from Vangelli’s article that best relates to your position on your sign from page 5. The quote may be used to agree with your position, provide a concession to your position, or raise the opposition’s point of view. Write it down.
In small group, discuss how quote you chose is different. Why did this quote stand out? How will you use it differently to help you develop your position?

11. Considering How Quotes are Integrated
Now, not only is it essential that you select quotes wisely and purposefully, but you also need to extend the idea raised in the source beyond simply what the author says. What do you have to say about it? Many students raise and drop points far too quickly instead of staying with the point, which develops the argument more fully.
Student Example: Integrity is important and valued by many. Source E gives a statistic that 88% of students who participated in a survey believe that failure on an assignment was a reasonable consequence of the honor code. Source B even extends this argument to say that integrity is implicit in an honor code. Operating under an honor code makes all students aware of the responsibility they hold.

12. Considering How Quotes are Integrated
Student Example: Integrity is important and valued by many. Source E gives a statistic that 88% of students who participated in a survey believe that failure on an assignment was a reasonable consequence of the honor code. Source B even extends this argument to say that integrity is implicit in an honor code. Operating under an honor code makes all students aware of the responsibility they hold.
Now, this student has composed a topic sentence that raises a point: integrity is valued in our society. She has made an effort to synthesize the sources, using E and B together, and has paraphrased ideas from each source that support the paragraph’s point. Sources are correctly cited. However, there is no particular argument made (is the student keeping the honor code? revising it? eliminating it?), the source material is used only briefly, and nowhere is the student’s own voice heard.

13. Considering How Sources are Integrated
Look over Sources B and E again. Highlight several brief sections of those sources that indicate integrity is an important value to our society. Make notes in the margin about your own ideas and reactions to the source material.

14. Review a Revised Student Paragraph

15. Revising your own Body Paragraph
Select a body paragraph from your original essay (or completely re-write one if you feel you need to try again). ● Is a clear point made in the topic sentence? ● Is the paragraph putting forth an argument about honor codes as indicated by the prompt? ● Is source material chosen wisely? ● Do you extend the point made by the source material chosen instead of simply dropping the idea? ● Do you synthesize source materials? ● What other rhetorical strategies are employed?

16. Homework
Reminder a new set of Albert assignments are up! You must complete at least one by Sunday at midnight – you may complete the others for extra credit.
Revise a single body paragraph of your essay following the criteria we determined makes a good body paragraph.
Read the student sample synthesis essay and the score justification. Compare this writing to your own. Write down at least three things you are doing similarly to this student and three things you’d like to try to improve.
Read page and then complete exercises 1 and 2 on pages

18. Sentence Types

20. Classifying By Structure

21. Classifying Sentences
Individually, complete the formative.
Review and practice with the Clauses packet as needed.
Come to class on Wednesday with any questions you still have.