The court case I am researching is vs.. This case deals with the conflict between and.

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1 Grade 8: Unit 2 Benchmark Assessment: Argumentative Paper The Supreme Court makes decisions based on the Constitution that affect the lives of all United States Citizens. When a case is brought to the Supreme Court, the justices come to a decision in which they make a claim based on evidence from past court cases (precedents), as well as the Constitution. Choose and research the court case that interests you the most. Synthesize information from multiple sources to provide a brief history of the case and explain which amendment the court used to make their decision. Determine whether this court case has had a positive or negative impact on teens today. Use evidence from the sources to argue at least two ways this case has negatively/ positively impacted teens. Remember you will need to use at least (3) sources to earn a proficient score, one of which must be a video source. The court case I am researching is vs.. plaintiff defendant This case deals with the conflict between and. plaintiff value defendant value I am arguing that students are affected today. positively or negatively 1

2 Advanced: % 4 Offers precise and insightful claims. Provides thoroughly developed analysis by backing all claims. Develops effective, convincing appeals to logos, ethos and pathos. Supports position with compelling, relevant, accurate, and credible evidence. (4 sources) Refutes counterclaims when appropriate. Conveys an accurate and indepth understanding of the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task. Ideas & Content: Central Idea/ Argument (Argument Writing) Proficient: 73-87% 3 Offers clear and explicit claims. Provides adequate analysis by backing claims. Develops and/or imitates appeals to logos. Attempts appeals to ethos and/or pathos Supports position with relevant and credible evidence. (3 sources at least 1 must be a video clip) Identifies counterclaims. Attempts to refute counterclaim Conveys an accurate and complete understanding of the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task. Partially Proficient: 60-73% 2 Offers claims which are somewhat limited and/or especially broad and vague. Voice (Argument Writing) Provides minimal analysis in terms of backing claims. Attempts appeals to logos. Attempts to support position with evidence; however, evidence may be minimal, irrelevant, or inadequate. Conveys a partially accurate and/or somewhat basic understanding of the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task. Below Proficiency: 0-59% 1 Claims are indistinct, too limited, confusing, and/or especially vague. Little or no analysis in terms of backing claims. No appeals to logos. Provides little or no evidence; response consists mainly of narration and/or repetition of content. Conveys a confused, incoherent, or largely inaccurate understanding of the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task. Established tone is consistently authoritative and convincing. Establishes and maintains a formal style and objective tone. Establishes an inconsistent formal style and objective tone. Establishes tone not suitable for purpose. 2

3 Advanced: % 4 Language is fluent, original, precise and engaging, with a notable sense of voice and awareness of audience and purpose. Employs figurative/rhetorical language purposefully and successfully (e.g. analogy or metaphor for clarity, organization, and style). Example: Writer includes multiple and appropriate types of evidence and warranting that strengthen and extend claim. (FEEDS & GAS CAP) Effectively incorporates a range of varied sentence patterns, including varied sentence beginnings. The document is expertly formatted in accordance with MLA (includes page layout, in-text citations, works cited page) and free of plagiarism. Student consistently uses accurate and correctly formatted in-text citations within the research paper. Student includes a Works Cited page that demonstrates expert understanding of the MLA requirements for required source information and formatting. The research paper is presented correctly according to MLA requirements such as heading, page numbers, margins, title, font, and spacing. Word Choice & Sentence Fluency (Argument Writing) Proficient: 73-87% 3 Language is fluent and precise with evident awareness of audience and purpose. Employs figurative/rhetorical language purposefully. Example: Writer includes some appropriate evidence and warranting to strengthen and extend claim. (FEEDS & GAS CAP) Incorporates some varied sentence patterns and beginning. The document is consistently formatted in accordance with MLA (includes page layout, in-text citations, works cited page) and free of plagiarism. Student mostly uses accurate and correctly formatted in-text citations within the research paper. Student includes a Works Cited page that demonstrates average understanding of the MLA requirements for required source information and formatting. The research paper is mostly presented correctly according to MLA requirements such as heading, page numbers, margins, title, font, and spacing. MLA Citations Partially Proficient: 60-73% 2 3 Language is appropriate but basic with limited awareness of audience and purpose. Employs figurative/rhetorical language limitedly and with limited success. Example: Writer includes evidence and warranting, but they do not always strengthen and/or extend claim. (FEEDS & GAS CAP) Makes some attempt to include different sentence patterns but with awkward or uneven success. The document is inconsistently formatted in accordance with MLA; however, it is free of plagiarism. Student uses in-text citations, but they are done inconsistently or are not formatted correctly. Student includes a Works Cited page that demonstrates minimal understanding of the MLA requirements for required source information and formatting. The research paper is somewhat presented correctly according to MLA requirements such as heading, page numbers, margins, title, font, and spacing. Below Proficiency: 0-59% 1 Relies on basic, imprecise, or sometimes unsuitable vocabulary for the audience or purpose. Lacks figurative/rhetorical language. Example: (FEEDS & GAS CAP missing.) Reveals a confused understanding of how to write in complete sentences; shows little or no ability to vary sentence patterns. The document is incorrectly formatted according to MLA specifications and may include plagiarism because of incorrect citations/mla format. Student does not use in-text citations within the research paper. Student includes a Works Cited page that demonstrates no understanding of the MLA requirements for required source information and formatting. The research paper is presented incorrectly according to MLA requirements such as heading, page numbers, margins, title, font, and spacing.

4 Advanced: % 4 Organization (Argument Writing) Proficient: 73-87% 3 Partially Proficient: 60-73% 2 Below Proficiency: 0-59% 1 Skillfully establishes and maintains consistent focus on a clear and compelling thesis. Introduction has an engaging hook, enough background information for the reader to understand the topic and a clear thesis statement. Exhibits logical and coherent structure with claims, evidence and backing that convincingly support the thesis. Body paragraphs follow the thesis order. Topic sentences state the claim. All evidence is focused on the claims. Progresses with purposeful pacing and makes skillful use of transitional words and phrases. Author knows when to slow down to elaborate, and when to move on. Weaves quotes and paraphrasing into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas in a logical order. Context is used effectively to introduce quotes.(level 3!) Concludes with purpose and gives sense of finality that is memorable. Demonstrates control of the conventions with essentially no errors, even with sophisticated language. Establishes and maintains focus on a clear thesis. Introduction has a hook, some background information and a clear thesis statement. Exhibits a logical sequence of claims and evidence to support the thesis. Paragraphs follow the thesis order. Topic sentences state the claim. All evidence is focused on the claims. Progresses with controlled pacing and makes functional use of transitional words and phrases There are still places the writer needs to highlight or move through more quickly. Integrates quotes and paraphrasing in a logical order. Signal phrases are used to introduce quotes.(level 2!) Concludes with purpose. Establishes but sometimes fails to maintain focus on a thesis. Thesis statement is present but introduction is missing hook or background information. Exhibits a sometimes logical sequence of claims, evidence, and backing; ideas within paragraphs may be inconsistently organized. Paragraphs have a recognizable order, but some paragraphs may not include topic sentences. Evidence sometimes supports claims. Progresses at an awkward pace, making an inconsistent attempt to use basic transitional words and phrases. Inserts quotes and paraphrasing. May use quote bombs/ floating quotes (Level 1) Vague or unsatisfying conclusion. Conventions (Grammar and Mechanics) Demonstrates control of the conventions, exhibiting occasional errors only when using sophisticated language (e.g., punctuation of complex sentences); errors do not hinder comprehension. Demonstrates partial control; multiple errors sometimes hinder comprehension (e.g., agreement of pronouns and antecedents; spelling of basic words). Fails to include a thesis or thesis is confused or irrelevant; fails to maintain focus. Introduction is missing the hook and thesis statement. Little attempt to organize ideas into a beginning, middle, and end, creating a complete lack of organization and coherence. Paragraphs have no recognizable order. Topic sentences are missing in all paragraphs. Evidence does not support claims. Progress is halted; makes little or no attempt to use transition words or phrases. Fails to use quotes and paraphrasing. Limited or no conclusion. Demonstrates lack of control, exhibiting frequent errors that make comprehension difficult (e.g., subject verb agreement; use of slang). 4

5 Claims After having the chance to look at some sources and information in your packet, you need to identify whether you are going to argue the case had a negative or a positive impact on teens today. You need to create two sub-claims to support whether or not the ruling impacts teens lives in a positive or negative way. Thesis Sentence Stem Options: A. Due to the ruling of, young people s lives today are positively/negatively impacted because B. The ruling of negatively/positively impacts minor s lives today because... Sub-claim #1: Sub-claim #2: WRITE YOUR OWN THESIS STATEMENT: 5

6 Introduction Paragraph Research Paper Organization Background information on your case. Evidence *Use research and DRAPES to support your claim* Conclusion Paragraph *Get reader s attention *Transition and provide background for topic *Clearly state your thesis Body Paragraphs Sub-Claim #1: One reason why this case impacts minors lives today. Evidence *Use FEEDS, include quotes from your sources Warrant *Use GAS CAP, logos, pathos & ethos to support your claim Sub-Claim #2: Another reason why this case impacts minors lives in today. Evidence *Use FEEDS, include quotes from your sources Warrant *Use GAS CAP, logos, pathos & ethos to support your claim *Transition to closing. *Summarize your main support. *End with a powerful closing. 6

7 MLA In-Text Citations In-text citations are necessary for an MLA style research paper. After you have paraphrased or quoted information from a source, you must use a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, right before the period. If you provide the information for an electronic source within the sentence, you do not need the parenthetical citation. They look like this: Antonio Banderas proved to be more than just another good actor when he was awarded the European Contribution to World Cinema by the European Film Academy (Allison 55). The only woman who was officially a veteran of the Union Army was Sara Emma Edmonds. She had to disguise herself as a man in order to enlist (Harness). After serving her country in numerous ways, Emma wrote her memoirs titled Nurse and Spy in the Union Army, which became a very popular book selling thousands of copies ( Sara Emma Edmonds ( ) ). IMPORTANT TO NOTE: *If there is no author, use the title of the article or the website (the very first part of the citation on your works cited page). 7 *If you mention the author s name in your sentence, you don t have to put it in the parentheses; use just the page number. *You CANNOT have a citation in the middle of a sentence. *If you do not cite your information in the text, you are PLAGARIZING. *If you have a few sentences that all come from the same source, it is okay to use one intext citation at the end (the last sentence). *Do NOT end a paragraph with a citation. Add a concluding/summary sentence. Integrating information into your paper You may choose to reword the information you find or you may take direct quotes from your sources; either way, you must cite the source where you found the information. If you choose to use direct quotes, you must blend the quotes into your writing. A quote should not stand alone in your paper. Standing Alone (wrong!) Edgar Allan Poe changed the course of literature. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story ( Poe s Life ). Blended (much better!): Edgar Allan Poe changed the course of literature as he is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story ( Poe s Life ).

8 Levels of Quote Usage (You want level 3!!) Level #1: The amateur quote (The quote bomb, or the floating quote ) Examples: The court said it was okay to try kids as adults. Juveniles suspected of serious crimes (Kent vs. United States 543). The court ruled that the Juvenile Court could give the case to district court. That Court had before it sufficient evidence to make an informed judgment (Kent vs. United States 543). The relationship between the sentences isn't clear, and we're forcing the reader to assume too much. Huh? What s the connection?? Examples: Level #2: Okay sometimes, but not great (The Git-r-done quote) The court said it was okay to try kids as adults. We can see this when Justice Fortas writes that "juveniles suspected of serious offenses" can be moved from Juvenile Court (Kent vs. United States 543). Justice Fortas also writes that the Juvenile Court was okay giving the case to the District Court. He expresses this when he writes, that Court had before it sufficient evidence to make an informed judgment (Kent vs. United States 543). This gets the job done and might be okay sometimes, but not very often. It's like waving a big sign around to the reader or listening audience that says, "Hey, there's going to be a quote right here!" Duh! Examples: Level #3: The expert (Smooth quote) Justice Fortas determined that a juvenile suspected of serious offenses could be tried as an adult under certain circumstances (Kent vs. United States 543). Later in his opinion, Justice Fortas expressed that the Juvenile Court originally had sufficient evidence to make an informed judgment, so it was okay that they had sealed Kent s juvenile record (560). This expert-level quote presents us with evidence and context without making the reader work too hard. Test: Cover up the quotation marks with your fingers. If the sentence reads like a regular sentence, no flags or markers setting it off, then it worked. Smooth 8

9 Verbs Used in MLA Style Signal Phrases (adapted from Diana Hacker s Rules for Writers 5th ed., p. 408) MLA style signal phrases consist of the name and qualification of your source followed by a verb which reflects his or her tone, attitude and position: Shawn Bascom, International Student Coordinator, claims that... ; Dr. Hatzenbuehler, history professor at ISU, points out that... ; As President Arthor Vailas notes,... ; Governor Schwartzenegger fears that... Signal phrases introduce paraphrases, summaries and direct quotations; here are some examples of verbs you can use in your signal phrases: acknowledges adds admits affirms agrees answers argues asks asserts attacks believes calls claims comments compares concedes confirms contends counters counterattacks declares defines denies disputes echoes emphasizes endorses estimates finds grants illustrates implies insinuates insists labels mentions notes observes points out predicts proposes reasons recognizes recommends refutes rejects reports responds retorts reveals says speculates states suggests surmises tells thinks warns writes 9

10 Double spaced and alphabetized with hanging indent (1/2 ) Works Cited Page We will be working together in class to create a works cited page using the details you have obtained from each source (e.g. author name, publication date, etc.) in the charts you ve been keeping track of. Here are some helpful websites to visit in regards to your MLA works cited page: Example Works Cited Page: Centered, no special font or extra spaces Page numbers continue 10

11 Evaluation Do I have a rubric? By knowing myself as a writer and looking at the rubric, the one thing I know that I ll need to pay close attention to is. MLA Presentation Checklist My font is size 12 point in Times New Roman, Georgia, or Arial. My paragraphs are double-spaced, with no extra spaces between them. My heading is at the top, left and includes my name, teacher, class, and date My last name and page number are in the right side of the header. My title is original and is centered at the top of the page with no extra spaces. My title is not underlined, italicized, or in quotation marks. My margins are set to 1inch. Works Cited Checklist Are my name and page number in the header s top, right corner? Are the words Works Cited centered at the top of with no extra space? formatted the same as the rest of the page? Are my entries complete? Are my entries double spaced? Are my entries alphabetized correctly by title / source? 11

12 Introductory Paragraph Hook Which hook will you use to get reader s attention? Provide a brief background of court case (remember you will go into detail later). What is the history of your court case? How did it come about? The Supreme Court decided. Thesis statement: 12

13 First Body Paragraph Topic Sentence (Introduce Historical Case) Summarize Main Ideas Background on case: Who was involved? When and where did it happen? What was being argued? Which Right was involved in the argument? What were some dissenting views? What was the decision? How has this ruling impacted teens today (transition)? 13

14 Second Body Paragraph Sub-Claim #1 This is your topic sentence. Make a claim as to whether the case impacts teens in a negative or positive way and one reason why you think this way. Evidence: What are your 3 best pieces to prove your claim? Warrants: How will you explain your evidence to convince your reader? How will you tie this evidence back to your claim? 14

15 Second Body Paragraph Counterclaim for sub-claim #1: How might someone argue against your claim? Refute this counterclaim with one more solid argument 15

16 Third Body Paragraph Sub-Claim #2 This is your topic sentence. Make another claim as to whether the case impacts teens in a negative or positive way and another reason why you think this way. Evidence: What are your 3 best pieces to prove your claim? Warrants: How will you explain your evidence to convince your reader? How will you tie this evidence back to your claim? 16

17 Third Body Paragraph Counterclaim: How might someone argue against your claim? Refute this counterclaim. What is another solid argument that knocks down their position? 17

18 Restate your thesis in a new way. Conclusion Paragraph Summarize your 2-3 most important points. What are your BEST arguments that prove your thesis? Conclusion Close your paper with impact and style. Try one of these: Convince your reader you are right! Give a call to action! Remind the reader of the importance of this issue! 18

19 Claim Checklist o Is the claim debatable? o Do key words from the prompt appear in the claim? o Is your claim appropriate for the audience? o Is your claim appropriate for the purpose? o Is your claim a complete thought? o Is your claim specific? (Does it outline your main points?) o Have you made your claim debatable by excluding statements like I think and I believe? o Do you have evidence to support your claim? Evidence Checklist o Do you have sufficient evidence that supports the claim? o 2 or 3 pieces of evidence (depending on purpose) o Do you have relevant and reliable evidence that supports the claim? (May use one or more) o Statistics or accurate facts? o Reliable sources? o Expert Opinion? o Anecdotes or examples? o Is your evidence from a variety of expert sources when research based? o Is your evidence taken from throughout the text when it is a literary analysis? o Is your evidence cited correctly (in-text citations)? o Are your key terms defined for your audience? o Are your direct quotations introduced correctly? (May use one or more) o Do you use a variety of signal phrases? o Do you lead into your direct quote? o Are transitions used? o Is the name of the expert introduced? o Is the credibility of your expert established? Warrant Checklist o Do I use warrants? o Does my warrant strengthen, rather than simply summarize or restate, my claim(s) and evidence? o Does my warrant prove my claim? o Does my warrant establish the validity and strength of my evidence? o Does my warrant strengthen my argument overall? 19

20 Evidence Types: FEEDS Guided Notes Types of evidence to help you back your claim. Literacy 8 MLA Argument Paper F *this is something that a person can verify as. *often, these can be found easily from many. *these don t include. *it is usually okay to common facts. E *describe an event in your that proves the point *something you or someone who know has had experience with E *provide an example * for instance ; one way to ; for example *notice that I use examples CONSTANTLY in class to get an idea, skill, or point across to you students. You want to provide the same for your reader. D *using someone else s words *something an might say *use quotation marks (be sure to your source) S *a fact or piece of *usually a or number 20

21 FEEDS Scavenger Hunt Article Title: Type of elaboration # One example F Fact E Experience E Example D Direct Quote S Statistic 21

22 GAS CAP: Warranting & Adding Interest G What it means: Good Example (logical): Bad Example (fallacy): A What it means: Good Example (logical): Bad Example (fallacy): S What it means: Good Example (logical): Bad Example (fallacy): 22

23 C What it means: Good Example (logical): Bad Example (fallacy): A What it means: Good Example (logical): Bad Example (fallacy): P What it means: Good Example (logical): Bad Example (fallacy): o 23

24 Blank 24

25 Article Title: Type of elaboration # One example GAS CAP Scavenger Hunt G Generalization A Analogy S Sign C Causality A Authority P Principle 25

26 Your Paper: Do you have sufficient/ample evidence? Paragraph Record the FEEDS and GAS CAP elements you have already used, or can use, for your paper. Introduction Circle the DRAPES you have already used in this paragraph. FEEDS Body Paragraph #1 Circle the FEEDS you have already used in this paragraph. F E E D S 26

27 Body Paragraph #2 Circle the FEEDS you have already used in this paragraph. Your Paper: Do you have sufficient/ample evidence? (Continued) F E E D S Body Paragraph #3 Circle the FEEDS you have already used in this paragraph. F E E D S 27

28 Using the Persuasive Appeals Student Resource Purpose and Audience When crafting an argument, you must first consider your purpose and your audience. In other words, you must answer these questions: What group of people are you specifically addressing? What effect do you want to have on the audience? Based on the answers to these two questions, you will then prepare your argument in a way that best appeals to your target audience and convinces them to take whatever action you deem appropriate. Effective speakers and writers make use of three types of rhetorical appeals, or persuasive strategies, to support their claims and to respond to opposing arguments. These appeals, identified by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, are often referred to by the Greek words associated with them. Logical appeals (logos): The speaker or writer appeals to the audience s logic by constructing a well-reasoned argument. Some methods of creating a logical appeal include facts statistics research references to experts cause and effect Emotional appeals (pathos): The speaker or writer appeals to the audience s emotions. An emotional appeal evokes anger, laughter, sadness, fear, joy, pride, etc. in the reader or listener. Some methods of creating emotional appeals include connotative diction carefully-crafted syntax personal anecdotes Ethical appeals (ethos): The speaker or writer appeals to the audience s trust by establishing his credibility or trustworthiness as a writer or speaker. Some methods of creating an ethical appeal include stating qualifications for expertise using first person pronouns citing relevant authorities and allusions 1 English Using the Persuasive Appeals Creating Appeals While we often speak of the three types of appeals logos, pathos, and ethos as if they are separate and distinct from one another, it is actually very difficult to separate one from the others. An appeal is not a concrete device one that you can point to in the text. Instead, writers and speakers use various techniques, devices, or strategies to create appeals, and even those techniques, devices, and strategies do not fit neatly into categories. For example, a writer or speaker might use a particular word to indicate his specialized knowledge of a subject and thereby create an ethical appeal, but he might use another highlyconnotative word to create emotional appeal. Consider the following diagram, which shows some of the ways writers and speakers appeal to their readers and audiences: Copyright 2014 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at

29 Logical Appeals facts common sense cause/effect comparison/contrast statistics precedent research Emotional Appeals syntax details diction references to experts citing authority Ethical Appeals personal anecdote imagery sound devices figurative language connotative diction allusions humor celebrity endorsements stating qualifications or personal experience using first person pronouns using specialized language Copyright 2014 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at