LAB: EBSCO AND RESEARCH / EXTENSION TASK PHASE II (3 days)

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1 LAB: EBSCO AND RESEARCH / EXTENSION TASK PHASE II (3 days) 1. Check research, review argument essay template. 2. Go back to their initial research and find examples to use in their argument. Have students continue researching to find additional information to support their argument. (W , W ) 3. TMAT: The Power of a Great Introduction (literary examples video) or How To Write a Great Introduction (methods) 1 st Time Writing Rules or other Dos and Donts -SA: Previous Cornell notes and notebooks (W , W ), (RI , SL ) (W a, W , W ) 4. Review examples of persuasive strategies to use in writing. (W , W ). See Extension Task Types of Evidence Powerpoint to review use of Fact, History, Analogy, and Parallelism in writing. 5. Students may wish to complete a SOAPSTone graphic organizer to identify model rhetorical techniques to imitate in their introductions. Students should be certain that all SOAPSTONE information is touched upon their introduction (W a, W , W ). Click here 6. Direct students to draft the introduction for their speech, incorporating ethical and emotional appeals to build ethos and pathos, modeling from the texts they read in this lesson. (RI , SL ) Students use their SOAPSTone graphic organizers to identify model rhetorical techniques to imitate in their introductions. (W a, W , W ) 7. Workshop Introductions, using "4 Corners" activity to establish like-minded teams to co-author attention getting lead sentences. Students may wish to share their favorite quotes, favorite facts, etc. by creating "Famous First words" classroom display. Home: Students should read excerpt from "Common Sense" "by Thomas Paine. Continue research. NEXT STEPS: OUTLINES.

2 EVALUATING INTERNET RESOURCES Students need to learn to evaluate the quality of information they find on the web as well as other information resources such as books, magazines, CD-ROM, and television. Ask students to be skeptical of everything they find. Encourage them to compare and contrast different information resources. Consider the following ideas: Authority. Who says? Know the author. Who created this information and why? Do you recognize this author or their work? What knowledge or skills do they have in the area? Is he or she stating fact or opinion? What else has this author written? Does the author acknowledge other viewpoints and theories? Objectivity. Is the information biased? Think about perspective. Is the information objective or subjective? Is it full of fact or opinion? Does it reflect bias? How? How does the sponsorship impact the perspective of the information? Are a balance of perspectives represented? Could the information be meant as humorous, a parody, or satire? Authenticity. Is the information authentic? Know the source. Where does the information originate? Is the information from an established organization? Has the information been reviewed by others to insure accuracy? Is this a primary source or secondary source of information? Are original sources clear and documented? Is a bibliography provided citing the sources used? Reliability. Is this information accurate? Consider the origin of the information. Are the sources truth worthy? How do you know? Who is sponsoring this publication? Does the information come from a school, business, or company site?

3 What's the purpose of the information resource: to inform, instruct, persuade, sell? Does this matter? What's their motive? Timeliness. Is the information current? Consider the currency and timeliness of the information. Does the page provide information about timeliness such as specific dates of information? Does currency of information matter with your particular topic? How current are the sources or links? Relevance. Is the information helpful? Think about whether you need this information. Does the information contain the breadth and depth needed? Is the information written in a form that is useable (i.e. reading level, technical level)? Is the information in a form that is useful such as words, pictures, charts, sounds, or video? Do the facts contribute something new or add to your knowledge of the subject? Will this information be useful to your project? Efficiency. Is this information worth the effort? Think about the organization and speed of information access. Is the information well-organized including a table of contents, index, menu, and other easy-to-follow tools for navigation? Is the information presented in a way that is easy to use (i.e., fonts, graphics, headings)? Is the information quick to access? Below is a graphic to help you get started. It reviews the MOST IMPORTANT criteria for an Internet source.

4 HOW TO USE QUOTES First of all, you must integrate all quotes. This means you must make them part of your own sentence. Otherwise you freestand quotes, and this is an error in MLA writing. Example of freestanding quote: Scholars believe Bigfoot legends came from France. French lore tells of a hairy ape-man who roams the woods (Smith 50). Here is the same quote written correctly, using a simple colon: Scholars believe Bigfoot legends came from France: French lore tells of a hairy ape-man who roams the woods (Smith 50). Another way to correct this: Because French lore tells of a hairy ape-man who roams the woods (Smith 50), some scholars point to France as the origin of Bigfoot lore. THE QUOTE SANDWICH Using longer quotes can be a bit difficult to write smoothly without confusing the reader. Use them, but use them sparingly only when you are making a very important point that requires more than one sentence of your own to discuss. Most quotes will be short phrases used to enhance your own writing or employ expert language. To remember the overall FORMULA for quoting, think of it as a QUOTE SANDWICH : As a character Grendel is a monster, but he is a sympathetic monster. In Chapter 2 he says I played my way farther out into the world (Gardner 16). While you may add to and vary that formula, you may not take away. You must have a) Your own text that sets up the integration of your quote b) the quote (or paraphrase) c) a parenthetical citation. Note that if you are quoting from the SAME source on the SAME PAGE in the SAME paragraph, you may wait until your second quote: As a character Grendel is a monster, but he is a sympathetic monster. In chapter 2 he says I played my

5 way farther out into the world. He also describes himself as In a spell (16), which implies he has not yet learned to hate the world of humankind. WAYS TO INTEGRATE QUOTES Quotes in a series from the same page of the same source: If quotes from a source (Smith 2) repeat more than once IN THE SAME PARAGRAPH, you have a couple of options: 1. If there is a LONG paragraph between two quotes from the same source, Use (Ibid). 2. If you have a series of staggered quotes from the same source and page within A short paragraph, save the citation (Smith 2) until the end. 3. If your same-source quote is followed by a different source or a different PAGE from the SAME source (Smith 5), you must write the citation out again. Short quotes (direct and indirect material): As specialized term: Although Helen of Troy may have been a coquette (James 4), her heritage was noble. As illustration or backup: The Misfit is not so much a Christ figure as is the grandmother, who is the only character in the story who can relate to the Misfit (Frizzie 56). To explain a concept: Brookes thought of the poem as a an integrated unit of impulses, each impulse keying into a sensory stimulus (76). Poe s The Raven truly fits this category... To stimulate thought: Smithee once said that A balloon in hand is worth five gold records (Great Quotes). To argue against: Although a critic such as Stanley Fish may consider a text open-ended (9), there are some things that one can argue are either right or wrong. Using Long Quotes: Long quotes are quotes that are 4 or more lines in YOUR paper:...and the noted Jungian writer and therapist Smithee states plainly in his seminal work on the crystal monkies of Argentina,

6 ... the crystal monkey represents the best and worst of human behavior. Sure, they coddle their young and make sure nobody in the family goes very long without a grub worm or a dung beetle for a tasty between-meal snack. But once the crystal monkey toddler reaches a certain age, the mother and father monkey both make him or her run a kind of primitive gauntlet and one wrong move means the young will be either impaled or eaten alive by ants. No wonder these are called the Spartans of the Jungle. (Smithee 89) Quotes that are quoted by the article you are reading: If you want to use information from a writer you found quoted in another writer s article, you have two choices: 1. Locate the information for the article in which that original quote appeared (most often articles have their own bibliographies) 2. Just make the information clear and cite the article you have: Smithee quotes the noted Freudian, Noblan, when Smithee refers to the Crystal Monkey as a pyrrhic saint among other primates (89).

7 TYPES OF EVIDENCE CONTENT-DRIVEN EVIDENCE Numbers (for example, date and time, chronological dates relevant to discussion) Statistics. Although technically just one form of number evidence, statistics are special enough to count as their own separate type of evidence, especially because they are so valuable at making evidence representative. Expert opinion (this refers to the use of someone else s knowledge or opinion, not that of the author when the author quotes or mentions a recognized expert in the field) Specialized knowledge (the author s own knowledge, not common knowledge, usually acquired through some sort of formal training) *Individual stories/examples, also known as anecdotal evidence. Complex arguments often use anecdotes within more research-driven arguments. *NOTE: Anecdotal evidence can be either content-driven or inference-driven, depending on how much the author chooses to explain. Documentary evidence (evidence from documents). This includes all of the following, among many others: Letters Diaries Unpublished writings (early drafts of works published later; juvenile works by famous authors, etc.) Administrative policies, like the Washington Administrative Code Court decisions Speeches, interviews, and other statements by relevant people Charts: Measurement tools put into a visual-spatial grid, whether 2-D or 3-D Info-Graphics: Graphic (using pictures) to express complex ideas INFERENCE-DRIVEN EVIDENCE Names (for example, place names, names of individuals, organizations, movements, etc.) Sense data: things you can see, hear, touch, smell or taste from real life. Dialogue (Speech of other people reported directly, exactly as spoken, usually with quotation marks [ ] around it and set off in separate paragraphs, one for each speaker. Technically this is a subset of physical detail, because it is something you can hear, but direct reporting of what people have said is important enough to be considered a separate category.) Photographs: Reproductions of real life relevant to a story or idea

8 Illustrations: Artist-created simulations of an event or idea, sometimes instructional and sometimes decorative LANGUAGE-DRIVEN EVIDENCE Analogical Evidence (Evidence by Analogy: See further in this document) Figures of speech used to persuade by appealing to logos, ethos, or pathos. This includes traditional descriptive comparisons (simile, metaphor, personification) as well as various analogical evidence. Work choice (diction) that uses nuance (emotional association) or double entendre (double meaning that may even use puns to make a point).

9 THE MOST COMMON FALLACIES A fallacy is an often plausible argument using false or illogical reasoning. 1. Appeal to Pity (Ad Misericordiam) an argument that appeals to another s sympathy; not answering the argument EX: A woman applies to college. When the Admissions Director asks about her grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities, she states that she didn t have much time to study because her mother has been sick for several years and she has had to work through almost all of high school. 2. Appeal to Ignorance (Ad Ignorantum) asserting a proposition is true because it has not been proven false EX: Taking vitamin X is good for you since nobody taking it has become sick. 3. Arguing by Association an argument used to promote guilt by association EX: Both Senator Muha and Latin American Marxists are critics of the Chilean government; therefore, Senator Muha must be a Marxist. 4. Argument Backed by a Stick (Force; Argumentum Ad Baculum) resorting to threat in order to have a point accepted EX: Our paper certainly deserves the support of every German. We shall continue to forward copies of it to you, and hope you will not want to expose yourself to the unfortunate consequences in case of cancellation. 5. Bandwagon Appeal (Ad Populum) an argument that suggests one is correct if they go along with the crowd EX: Every fashionable senior this year is wearing a piece of Navajo jewelry. 6. Begging the Question (Circular Reasoning) you report what is true, repeating what you believe, only in different words EX: I am in college because it the right thing to do. Going to college is expected of me.

10 7. Contradictory Premises the points of the argument contradict each other; therefore, there is no argument EX: If God can do anything, he can make a stone so heavy that He won t be able to lift it. 8. False Alternative (either/or syndrome) all other possibilities, explanations, or solutions are ignored EX: Given the alarming number of immigrants in the U.S. who fail to learn English and speak it, mandating English as the official language of our country must be done. 9. False Analogy an argument that assumes a fundamental similarity between two things that resemble each other only in part EX: A college has no right to fire a popular teacher. To do so is like throwing out of office a public official who has just been reelected by the majority of the voters. 10. False Cause (Post Hoc) this argument equates sequence with causality: Because Event A was followed by Event B, the first caused the second EX: Every time I wash my car, it rains. I washed my car today; therefore, it will rain today. 11. Half-Truths an argument that contains evidence that is only partly true EX: Making English the official language is a good idea because it will make it easier for people to understand one another. 12. Hasty Generalization this argument assumes all are the same, but there are too few instances to support such a claim EX: John likes Keating s health plan, Becky likes Keating s health plan, and Sayd likes Keating s health plan; therefore, Keating s health plan must be the best choice. 13. Hypothesis Contrary to Fact an argument that starts with an untrue hypothesis and then tries to draw supportable conclusions from it EX: If I had never met Dan twenty years ago in college, I would never have fallen in love.

11 14. Oversimplification an argument that makes simple of a very complex issue by using catchy phrases such as: It all boils down to... or It s a simple question of..., etc. EX: Censorship is a simple question of protecting our children from obscenities. 15. Poisoning the Well/Personal Attack (Ad Hominem) an argument that personally attacks another as to discredit the issue at hand EX: Two students are running for student body president. Prior to the vote, one candidate puts up fliers all over the building indicating that the other boy is a cheater, liar, and has bad grades. 16. Red Herring think of a stinky smoked fish dragged across the trail to throw a tracking dog off scent; an argument that tends to sidetrack everyone involved EX: While discussing the need for tobacco subsidies in the federal budget, somebody asserts that all restaurants should have non-smoking sections. 17. Shifting the Meaning of a Key Term (There are two ways of doing this: First throughequivocation [shifting the meaning of one term] and through Amphiboly [shifting the meaning through sentence structure]) an argument that uses the meaning of words or sentences in two different senses EX: Criminals do everything to obstruct arrest, prosecution, and conviction. Likewise, liberal lawyers try in every way to obstruct the work of police. Obviously, then, most liberal lawyers are no better than criminals themselves. (Amphiboly) 18. Slippery Slope the assumption that if one thing is allowed, it will only be the first in a downward spiral of events EX: If you continue to watch professional wrestling, your grades will drop, you will become violent, and eventually you will end up in jail. 19. Sweeping Generalization (Dicto Simpliciter) an argument based on an unqualified generalization EX: All high school students are irresponsible. 20. Shameful Argument (Argumentum Ad Verecundium) appealing to an authority in one field regarding something in another field in which that authority has no more standing than anyone or anything else

12 EX: The policeman testified on the witness stand that the cause of death to the victim was a bullet wound that entered the body at the sternum, penetrated the left lung and lodged at the 5th lumbar vertebrae.

13 USING ANALOGIES AS EVIDENCE To give an analogy is to claim that two distinct things are alike or similar in some respect. Here are two examples : Capitalists are like vampires. Like the Earth, Europa has an atmosphere containing oxygen. The analogies above are not arguments. But analogies are often used in arguments. To argue by analogy is to argue that because two things are similar, what is true of one is also true of the other. Such arguments are called "analogical arguments" or "arguments by analogy". Here are some examples : There might be life on Europa because it has an atmosphere that contains oxygen just like the Earth. This novel is supposed to have a similar plot like the other one we have read, so probably it is also very boring. The universe is a complex system like a watch. We wouldn't think that a watch can come about by accident. Something so complicated must have been created by someone. The universe is a lot more complicated, so it must have been created by a being who is a lot more intelligent. Analogical arguments rely on analogies, and the first point to note about analogies is that any two objects are bound to be similar in some ways and not others. A sparrow is very different from a car, but they are still similar in that they can both move. A washing machine is very different from a society, but they both contain parts and produce waste. So in general, when we make use of analogical arguments, it is important to make clear in what ways are two things supposed to be similar. We can then proceed to determine whether the two things are indeed similar in the relevant respects, and whether those

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