Holt Chapter 1

p. 114 - 121

1.0 Students write coherent and focused texts that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned arguments. The writing demonstrates students’ awareness of the audience and purpose and progression through the stages of the writing process.

1.1 Demonstrates an understanding of the elements of discourse (e.g. purpose, speaker, audience, form) when completing persuasive writing assignments.

1.3 Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained, persuasive and sophisticated way and support them with precise and relevant examples.

1.4 Enhance meaning by employing rhetorical devices, including the extended use of parallelism, repetition, and analogy and the issuance of a call for action.

2.0 Students combine the rhetorical strategies of exposition and persuasion to produce texts.

Essential Question What are the paraphrased Writing Standards

for writing an editorial?

Activity – 1. Students are assigned to paraphrase one

standard independently. 2. Students collaborate in groups to refine

their paraphrased standard. 3. Groups share out. All students copy

paraphrased standards into Notebook.

Complete Standards Review (28 pts)

Holt p. 126 – 131 (Essay p. 129 = EC)

Essential Question –

What is an Editorial and what are the steps that go into writing an Editorial?

Editorial – A piece of persuasive writing that incites “people to think about controversial issues – topics about which people disagree- for the purpose of convincing readers that a particular stand on the issue is the correct one.” (Holt 5th Course, p. 114)

Pre Writing

Choose a Specific Issue ◦ Choose an issue that has the following criteria:

1. Narrow enough to be argued in a short editorial.

2. Each side can make a strong case for its position.

3. People have strong feelings abut the issue.

(Holt 5th Course, p. 114)

Activity

a. Brainstorm 5 - 10 issues that can be topics for an Editorial. Write them in your notebook.

Give it the title – Topics for an Editorial.

b. Collaborate with neighbors and add to your list. Our goal is 1 topic per student.

c. Choose your topic. Write it down. Begin to think about the details, reasons, arguments and evidence.

Analyze Your Audience

◦ Who are your readers?

◦ How much do your readers know?

◦ What are the concerns of readers who disagree with your position?

Activity – Briefly identify who you are writing to. Address the 3 questions under Analyze your Audience.

(Yes, it goes in your Notebook. )

Plan your Thesis

The thesis is your basic opinion on the issue.

For Example – ◦ The city’s new curfew law for teenagers should be

repealed.

Activity

a. Decide what position you will take on your chosen issue and write your thesis / opinion statement.

Steps to writing an Editorial (Continued)

Gather and Shape Support - Convince Me!

Back up your opinion statement (thesis) with the reasons for your opinion.

Appeal to the reader’s sense of 1. logic,

2. emotions,

3. ethical beliefs. Activity – Briefly write at least one reason to support

your thesis for each sense. (Logic, emotions, ethical beliefs)

Support your reasons with relevant evidence including – facts, statistics, examples, anecdotes and expert opinions.

Activity – Briefly write evidence for each of your three reasons.

Use Rhetorical Devices and examples to enhance your arguments and make your writing effective. (Holt 5th Course, p. 116)

Essential Question –

What are four rhetorical devices, their definitions and an example of each rhetorical device?

Steps to writing an Editorial (Continued)

Rhetorical Devices

1. Repetition - the repeated use of a word, phrase, or clause more than once for emphasis.

Example – The curfew law should be repealed – repealed immediately in fairness to the community, the police and the students.

2. Parallelism - the repetition of the same grammatical form to express equal, or parallel, ideas. A noun is paired with a noun, a phrase with a phrase, a clause with a clause, and so on.

Example – This week the student council had to cancel its annual charity banquet - not because of lack of interest, not because a shortage of funds, and not because of a failure to sign up enough enthusiastic volunteers.

3. Rhetorical Questions – questions that are not meant to be answered but are asked for effect.

Example – Should students who are out late because of

such events be jailed or fined? Should such school activities be dropped?

4. Argument by analogy – draws a parallel between

basically dissimilar events or situations.

Example – If the curfew law aims to reduce youth crime, it mistakenly targets the wrong hours. It’s much like shutting the corral gate after the horses have escaped.

Write at least 1 example of each rhetorical device to help prove your point on your chosen issue.

Essential Question

What is the structure of an Editorial?

Structure of an Editorial

Introduction ◦ Grab the reader’s attention perhaps by explaining

how the issue affects them.

◦ Give background information on the issue.

◦ Include a clear Thesis (opinion statement).

Body

Support your position with at least 3 reasons and evidence. (One paragraph per reason and it’s evidence = 3 paragraphs.)

Include one paragraph addressing the concerns of the opposing view and provide a counter argument.

Use rhetorical devices to shape your support.

Organize reasons and evidence on the basis of relative strength. (See Holt p. 116 “Organize your support” for clarification)

Conclusion

Restate your opinion. (This does not mean to write it again word for word.)

Consider providing a summary of your reasons.

Call readers to action by telling them what they can do to change the situation.

Plan out your Editorial by making an outline with basic information to be used. It should be typed on one page.

Please use basic MLA format – 1 inch margins, double space, size 11 or 12 font.

Due – Wednesday, September 11, 2012

Write an Editorial based on your outline. You may use this power point to go back and review what is needed.

The editorial must have an Introduction, at least 3 reasons (1 paragraph per reason), address the opposing view and offering a counter argument (1 paragraph), and a conclusion.

Papers must be typed, double spaced, size 11 or 12 font. Each paragraph must be indented.

See Holt p. 114 – 121 for additional help and a sample Editorial.

Assignment Due – Thursday, September 20, 2012

EUPHEMISM

: the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant;