The Argument

Our last regular week of the semester will feature the phases of argumentation (not persuasion, as so clearly different in intention), and all hours are firmly rooted around claim, evidence, and warrant to start. Don't worry - the other parts of the argument will make appearances on Thursday and Friday for your second argument. With the calendar winding down, we have 4 items on the docket: the Educator/Employee of the Year Essay, the Lucy argument essay (more to come at the end of the week), the final review, and the final itself, which will consist of a rhetorical analysis prompt and a rhetorical toolbox quiz - without the use of your toolbox. Since our schedule precluded us from reaching multiple choice, this will be the shortest final AP Lang has ever had. Hence, you need to have an understanding of strategies and how to write a rhetorical analysis prompt, two items that have been covered from the start of the semester. 

1: We wrapped up our brief unit of fallacies by sharing your findings regarding the Republican debate, which had its fair share of dogmatism, faulty analogy, appeal to pity, straw man, and red herring. After this reminder of what not to do, we entered the land of argument by reviewing the characteristics of a strong claim, evidence, and warrants. We will practice these stages during tomorrow's class, and then move into our first argument for Educator or Employee of the Year. 

3: We spent the hour focusing on the initial phases of argument: claim, evidence, warrant. With that knowledge reviewed, we started our first practice argument with brainstorming possible school schedules. During next class, we will work in groups to create claims, evidence, and warrants for the varying schedules and then move into the Educator/Employee of the Year argument. 

5: After sharing some of our spectacular claims, evidence, and super warrants, we spent the rest of the class receiving background for the Educator/Employee of the Year argument, looking at ways to construct this real world essay to its best advantage (3-4 paragraphs with 1 paragraph clarifying a personal connection and 1 paragraph looking at the full school community), and starting the essay. You will have time to write your first draft during the majority (not all) of class tomorrow. So, you are more than welcome to work on this over night in order to fine tune tomorrow. Absentees, if you are not comfortable writing the first draft yet, you should definitely have selected your nominee and brainstormed evidence in order to write during class.