The Next Phase of Argumentation

All hours followed the same agenda today.

1. In 3 groups, you discussed the Suellen Grealy essay and what you noted from homework reading.
2. We discussed counterclaims and rebuttals and their purpose in an argumentative essay. Remember, a counterclaim is a second position that you take on the given topic. It is not the direct opposite. As a result, you must treat you counterclaim as a viable, logos-based claim that will have evidence for support. With the rebuttal, you are explaining why the original claim is the stronger option of the two. You are not trashing the counterclaim or finding faulty logic in it --- if that is the case, you have created a straw man.
3. To practice claim, counterclaim, and rebuttal, we used the topic of the holidays. The following pictures shows a claim with evidence (note that we "grouped" our evidence together with numbers 1, 2, 3 to create organization), a counterclaim with evidence, and a rebuttal with included evidence. For all stages, you need evidence to validate your argument.

4. Following our holiday happiness and stress, you were assigned the Lucy argument in which you will be constructing an argument around this prompt: Who is the real Lucy Grealy?

5. During class, we brainstormed possible claims, selected a working claim, and commenced gathering evidence. When you walk into class, you will have all of your evidence for this working claim --- you may cull it from either memoir, Suellen's essay, online interviews, or other materials relating to Lucy. Last but not least, group your evidence by number so that we may work on warrants, counterclaims, and rebuttals during class next week.

You are welcome to work ahead on this or you may wait until class time. The final draft -- typed, hard copy -- is due by Friday, December 18 at 11 a.m.

Don't forget that if you need another eye on mechanics for your Teacher of the Year nomination, you may share or e-mail a copy for feedback.

And, the competition/review for the AP Lang final will be before school on Monday and Tuesday at 7 a.m. Try your hand at the buzzers and we spend quality time with the rhetorical toolbox terms.