Monday, December 14, 2015

Dear Students,

I am at the STLP Conference at MSU. I need you to follow these instructions and do your very best! Remember, your argument essay on the topic “Video Games: Harmful or Harmless?” is due this Friday, December 18th!

If you get stuck and cannot move forward on your essay, log onto Study Island and work on the assignments I left in the “Ms. Mort’s ELA” section of Study Island. This class should be quiet today as people need quiet to plan and write an essay. If you can’t be quiet, Mrs. Kissick will ask you all to go to Study Island and take the Probe #1 test located under my tab.

Be good! I will see you tomorrow! (Miss you already!)

Instructions:

  1. Get your argument essay folders.
  2. Make sure your four square contains the information that is in the sample below:

  1. Here is a sample of a completed four square on the topic “School Attendance”:

  1. Now it is time to write the introduction for your argument essay. These are the important

parts of a strong introduction:

A good introduction will let the reader know admit or recognize there is another side to the argument. Here are some example argument introductions:

Quote

Fine arts are important in the curriculum because of what they do for learning,” stated Patty Taylor, arts consultant for the California State Department of Education. In other words, the arts, especially music, should be part of every school’s curriculum at every grade level. Music makes students smarter, gives children something positive to do, and builds self-confidence. Most students don’t have a chance to learn music outside of school, and everyone deserves that opportunity.

Anecdote

You see it every day, especially in freeway traffic. A car is weaving back and forth, speeding up then slowing down, or suddenly stopping. No, it’s not a drunk driver. It’s a cell-phone driver. Cell phones are used everywhere, but on the road they are a dangerous distraction to drivers and should be prohibited.

Statistic

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 2,700 teen drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 died in 2010 and over 282,000 were injured. Despite their desire to want to get behind the wheel, teen drivers simply aren't ready to take on the responsibilities of driving yet.

  1. Rest of Essay

Now you need to write body paragraph #1, body paragraph #2, the counterclaim paragraph, and your conclusion. Use your notes from the 4 square.

  • If you think of a better way to organize your information, it is ok to change something on your rough draft. Just make sure your new information follows the format (transition, reason, how/why explanation, real life experience)
  • If you find a better quote or additional quotes for your reasons or rebuttal of the counterclaim, by all means add them! Just be sure to write down the bibliography source information.
  • Use the rubric in your folder to make sure you are meeting the requirements for a proficient argument.