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.

Choices & Lucy

1 & 7: To begin class, you completed a multiple choice on "A Modest Proposal" that was created by another hour. In first hour's class, we did throw out 2 questions for accuracy so the multiple choice will be worth 33 points. For seventh hour, the total will be out of 36 points. Next, we spent time with Lucy and her family --- which is a surprise since Lucy and Ann spend the majority of their memoirs ignoring the existence of the Grealy clan. For homework, finish up the rest of Suellen's essay, or diatribe if you will. We will discuss the last page on Friday and then move on to counterclaims, rebuttals, and conclusions, or the remainder of the argumentative cycle.

2 & 4: We finished our first drafts of the educator/employee of the year nominations. If you would like to me to help with editing -- mechanics-wise -- bring, e-mail, or share a copy. After our drafting, you completed "A Modest Proposal" multiple choice constructed by first and seventh hours. The total will be out of 37 points. Last, we turned our attention to Lucy -- in her own voice and in her sister's opinion. For homework, finish reading and annotating the Suellen Grealy essay for tomorrow's discussion.

Don't forget the deadline for educator/employee of the year nomination is Monday, December 14.

Teacher of the Year Nominations

During today's class, you worked on constructing an argument for Teacher of the Year. First and seventh hours finished the task today. Second and fourth hours will have an additional 15 minutes on Thursday to complete. Remember, my feedback during the assignment time is necessary for you to earn your points for this assignment.

While I am currently in second hour, I am quite impressed with the teacher arguments thus far. I learned a great deal about my fellow teachers and, from anecdotal evidence, feel blessed to have such a staff at this school. I hope I will hear many of these essays in January!

More CEW

Please read your specific hour's information.

1. We responded to the speaker of "His Coy Mistress," by writing a poem utilizing a claim, evidence, and warrant. Following that activity, we branched into the Educator/Employee of the Year argumentative essay. For the assignment, you will construct a written nomination that utilizes a claim (the "why" that person should be nominated), evidence (personal anecdote and also overview examples), and warrants (concluding sentences). This essay will be a one draft affair and 3-4 paragraphs. After you receive feedback, you may then redraft to construct a polished, vivid essay for official nomination - the deadline is December 14. Any nominating essays that are read during the January announcement will receive extra credit. You will have all class on Tuesday to work on this assignment and receive feedback from me. Then, we will return back to Lucy and multiple choice passages for the remainder of the week.

2. We finished examples of evidence and reviewed the function of warrants in argument. Then, you read "To His Coy Mistress" and identified the claim, evidence, and warrant of the speaker. For any remaining information, read first hour's synopsis. We will go over the requirements of the assignment, and you will write the essay during class tomorrow.

4: We reviewed claims by looking at my Advanced Composition's Honey Boo Boo argument examples. Then, we looked at how evidence and warrants help construct an argument through examples and "To His Coy Mistress." With partners, you then constructed a response utilizing claim, evidence, and warrant to show how the mistress would react to such a proposal. During our last moments of class, I introduced the Educator/Employee of the Year assignment with the expectation that you brainstorm a list of evidence for your nominee. We will go over all the requirements and time plan tomorrow. If you want a preview of the assignment, check out first hour's paragraph.

7: Read the information under first hour.

Discussion in the Dark

Don't forget that Lucy Logs are due by 3:45 p.m. on Friday. If you neglected the assignment, you can still turn this in for half credit on Monday.

Today was our discussion in the dark regarding Lucy, Ann, their books, and beauty in society. We will continue more with the texts next week.

Description & Argument

Some of the following may vary according to class, so make sure that you are looking at your particular hour. In the upcoming week, your first argumentative assignment will be choosing teacher or employee of the year and using specific examples to justify your claim. Start thinking about your nominee.

1: You turned in your Modest Proposal Multiple Choice passages. Then, we worked in groups to construct an image-filled description of the cafeteria. I found the additions of zeugma, juxtaposition, personification, alliteration, and other devices to create the mood of the description, something this mode of discourse requires. Next, we looked into three parts of argument: claim, evidence, and warrant. If you need a highlight package or want to look at what we read in class, go here: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/mwollaeger/cdw.htm. In order to work on identifying claim, evidence, and warrant, we read Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress." Euphemisms aside, this Carpe Diem poem features an argument and utilizes much imagery to do provide evidence. For Friday's class, we will be discussing Miss Lucy Grealy in a free form discussion. Then, we will continue with argumentation by replying to Marvell's speaker -- using our own claims, evidence, and warrants, of course! Logs are due by 3:45 p.m. on Friday.

7: Read everything above for first hour. In addition, you started in partners the response of the addressee to Marvell's speaker in "To His Coy Mistress." In poetry form, you will create her response by utilizing a claim, evidence, and warrant. We will finish this in class on Friday.

2: You turned in your Modest Proposal Multiple Choice passages. Then, we worked in groups to construct an image-filled description of the cafeteria. I found the additions of zeugma, juxtaposition, personification, alliteration, and other devices to create the mood of the description, something this mode of discourse requires. Next, we looked into two of the three parts of argument: claim and evidence. If you need a highlight package or want to look at what we read in class, go here: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/mwollaeger/cdw.htm. Don't forget that logs are due by 3:45 p.m. on Friday.

4: Read second hour above for the highlights of what we did today. We only made it through claims today and will resume argument tomorrow.

Test Maker

You are now in the brains of the test maker, the ones we revile for creating impossible multiple choice questions that make us choose the best answer and not the correct answer. For 20 minutes of today's class and 20 minutes of the next class, you are to create 8 multiple choice questions with 5 possible answers for "A Modest Proposal." You should vary the difficulty of questions from detail-oriented to challenging, include questions for the overall passage and specific paragraphs, and provide the correct answers. Make sure you use the paragraph numbers indicated in the textbook. When you complete the task, whether via digital or hard copy means, you will turn this into me and these questions will be used for another hour's MC test.

For the last moments of the hour, we read Toomer's " Harvest Song," identified sensory imagery, and analyzed the impact on the text. We will continue with descriptive writing during the next class.

After all of the above is completed, we will be starting argumentation --- you may recall that claim, evidence, warrant scenario.

Lucy Logs are due by Friday at 3:45 p.m. You are expected to be in class to turn this in.