I. Choosing topics/Approved/Workshop

II. HW1: ARGUMENTS

III. What does an argumentative paragraph look like?

Your newclassroom.com codes…

HW1: Come up with at least 6 possible arguments + 1 counter for your approved topic:

NAME: ______

HW: List of Potential Arguments

1) How many specific arguments can you come up with, for your exact thesis? ______At least 6?
At least 10 (for the final paper)?

Write as many as you can….at minimum list 6 arguments (at minimum 10 for final paper!) you would consider using for your approved paper topic (even if you don’t yet know if quotes/research exists for each) You can on the real paper use any/ discard any of the specific arguments below. Check the rubric for how many minimum arguments ARE REALLY REQUIRED for each paper type. For now, however, this is a commitment for the HW only.

2) Write thesis exactly as approved here:

______

is true because

argument 1: ______

and

argument 2: ______

and

argument 3: ______

and

argument 4: ______

and

argument 5: ______

and

argument 6: ______

and

argument 7: ______

and

argument 8: ______

and

argument 9: ______

and

argument 10: ______

if you have more than 10 arguments, great! Add to the list!

POSSIBLE OTHER SIDE ARGUMENT: ______

YOUR ATTACK ON THIS/COUNTERARGUMENT: ______

POSSIBLE OTHER SIDE ARGUMENT: ______

YOUR ATTACK ON THIS/COUNTERARGUMENT: ______

*YOU SHOULD have an idea of at least HALF of the subtopics before attempting a paper topic*

Example Thesis:

Every college student should be required to complete at least one semester participating in a team sport in order to graduate.

PRO / CON
) / )
) / )
) / )
) / )
) / )
) / )
) / )

I.ToTest if you have a good argument for your thesis, instead of a related-but-off-thesis topic sentence: For EACH argument

whereXXXXXXXXXXX = approved thesis,

where YYYYYY is specific argument #__,

PLUG in your thesis & argument

‘XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX is true because…YYYYYYYYY’

– does it make sense?

If so, you have an argument;

if NOT, you have an informative or off-thesis topic sentence

For example:

Every college student should be required to complete at least one semester participating in a team sport in order to graduate is true because ______

Sample: team sport participation will expose students to the real world way that teams at work interact, solve, and share responsibility on accomplishing tasks and assignments.

Sample: Team sports are another way for schools to fundraise from alumni

Sample: Team sports are fun to watch

II. CHOOSING ARGUMENTS from list of potential arguments

1)Always start your early research with at least 2 more than the minimum you need

2)Sometimes in early research you will find 2-5 new or better arguments

3)Rate/Put arguments in order of strongest or easiest to understand first

4)Choose/keep arguments that are STRONG as opposed to weak or common sense

5)Choose/keep arguments that have few easy counters by the other side

6)Keep arguments that have 3 or more good pieces of evidence/supporting quotations;

arguments that you cannot find good quotes/evidence may need to be abandoned or replaced

What about Counterarguments?

You need 1 counterargument argumentative paragraph for the 1st paper.

What to do:
1)Bring up the opponent/opposite side’s point/ counter to your side.

2) Attack it/ defend against it/ or show that it is faulty

CHOOSING GOOD ARGUMENTS: DEMO:
What arguments would be best to do for this sample thesis?

Put a star next to the usable/best 6 arguments, and an X to the ones that would not work for the thesis.

SAMPLE THESIS

1)image

2)image of beauty

3)image of beauty in media

4)women and the image of beauty in the media

5)women and skinniness as the image of beauty in the media

6)women pressured by skinniness as the image of beauty in the media

Women in the U.S. are pressured to be thin because it is the main criteria for being beautiful in the media [is true because]….

Topic Sentences/Specific arguments

1)The obsession of celebrities with skinniness gives women the perception that they need to be thin to be considered attractive

2)Curves have always been a sign of fertility and attractiveness

3)In the fashion industry, models must be extremely tall and skinny, to fit the prefitting setting of fashion designers who design for an ideal that 80% of mannequins can’t meet

4)With children's dolls, such as Barbie, women are almost hardwired from girlhood about the ideal body

5)Overweight women are now 34% of the American population

6)Iphone apps such as ‘fat alarm’ send you an email when you have run out of calories for the day

7)Television often presents plotlines where the thin woman wins happiness and the heavier girl must learn to settle.

8)Advertising feeds upon the weight control industry and does everything it can to manipulate women towards that industry’s goals

9)Image manipulation used universally by womens’ magazines makes sure that any identifiable woman of realistic weight in media appears 10-20 pounds lighter

10)Eating disorders such as anorexia claim over 2000 womens’ lives a year.

II. WHAT does an argumentative paragraph look like?

*Each content paragraph in an argumentative paper is TPEO or TPEOEO or TPEOEOEO

Topic Sentence: one sentence in EACH paragraph – what the paragraph is about or paper’s subtopic – in an argumentative paper: a specific argument under paper’s thesis.

Point: In your own words, how the topic sentence/subtopic/this paragraph is important to, argues for the paper’s thesis. ‘Point’ is necessary in paragraph to prevent lack of clarity or misinterpretation by audience different POV

Evidence or Example: one of TWO quotes or paraphrased details and expert knowledge from an outside source that supports your paragraph’s topic sentences. ALWAYS with a citation

Optional explanation of Evidence: in your own words, commentary or how the evidence you quoted is important or supports your topic sentence and/or your paper thesis. Not always required if your evidence (quote) is straightforward.

Sample ParagraphTPO1E1O2E2O1E3O3

The obsession of celebrities with skinniness gives women the perception that they should be thin to be considered attractive. Whether it is the influence of actors, singers or any other performer in the spotlight, they project an image of thin perfection that women try to emulate. That in itself is not the problem; the problem is that they are directly punished or rewarded as “beautiful” based on their weight: "Slimming and slim stars have dominated both the press coverage of beauty and desirability, engaging in and boasting of self-starving activities linked to shape and weight manipulation" (Wykes 104). After seeing their favorite stars slim down to nearly nothing, celebrity journalism then praises them for reaching a skeletal state.However, when they slip and eat:“Eating a Big Mac combo meal…she has so become a pig…how she still keeps that hot Josh Harnett…he must be a chubby chaser ” (105). . These celebrities also "exaggerate the cultural value of women as models of femininity…display, sexuality, beauty, youth, desirable…based on one marker - the slender body" (Noth 11). Slender becomes the sign of successful, lead, beautiful actresses; average to heavy weight is the casting call of the nag, outcast, uncontrolled, gluttonous, or background woman, or at best, the ‘best friend’ role.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPH SHOWING EACH PART AND ESPECIAL THE ‘E” of evidence/expert knowledge

Thesis: Adopting the aluminum bat instead of the wood bat in amateur baseball fundamentally changes the game.

YELLOW: T BLUE: P grey =E(vidence/xpert knowledge)

green: Optional comment

Safety issues on the playing field increase immensely when aluminum bats are present. In any competitive sport, no one wants anyone to get hurt. Unfortunately aluminum bats increase the risk in baseball. Teams across the country are beginning to return to the traditional wood bat; one of those teams is the Wellesley Raiders. Eric Winer, president of the Wellesley American Little League, said in the July issue of Greater Boston Magazine, “We had an incident last year…when one of our top pitchers, Billy Hughto, got struck by a line drive of a metal batted ball and was out for the season” (22). This incident easily helped Eric Winer make the decision to switch from aluminum to wood. Winer was not alone in making the safety choice: “The Millburn Mullvers tried aluminum bats, but quickly switched back after a line drive broke the hand of the first baseman despite gloves. This kind of line drive with wood bats had never led to an injury” (“Millburn Mullvers website”).

TERRIBLE / Generic/non-specific quote/NO USE OF SPECIFIC EVIDENCE (‘ F’ grade example paragraph) (don’t’ use ‘some’ or ‘one’ study – specifically identify:

One of the reasons for switching back to wood bats has to do with safety concerns. In any competitive sport, no one wants anyone to get hurt. “Some teams across the country are beginning to return to the traditional wood bat” (Adso 2). Because of safety issues and injuries, like hits to the head and broken hands. This has happened to Billy Hughto and others.

OKAY but plagiarism F because did not have citations (‘ ‘F’ in ENG102).
One of the reasons for switching back to wood bats has to do with safety concern. In any competitive sport, no one wants anyone to get hurt. Safety issues on the playing field increase immensely when aluminum bats are present. Teams across the country are beginning to return to the traditional wood bat; one of those teams is the Wellesley Raiders. “We had an incident last year…when one of our top pitchers, Billy Hughto, got struck by a line drive of a metal batted ball and was out for the season.” Also, “The Millburn Mullvers tried aluminum bats, but quickly switched back after a line drive broke the hand of the first baseman despite gloves. This kind of line drive with wood bats had never led to an injury.”
Good use of 2 different types of quotes from different sources. Inline means you say what source as part of sentence; regular citation appears at end of quote. (‘A’ example)

One of the reasons for switching back to wood bats has to do with safety concerns. In any competitive sport, no one wants anyone to get hurt. Safety issues on the playing field increase immensely when aluminum bats are present. Teams across the country are beginning to return to the traditional wood bat; one of those teams is the Wellesley Raiders. Eric Winer, president of the Wellesley American Little League, said in the July issue of Greater Boston Magazine, “We had an incident last year…when one of our top pitchers, Billy Hughto, got struck by a line drive of a metal batted ball and was out for the season.” This incident easily helped Eric Winer make the decision to switch from aluminum to wood. Winer was not alone in making the safety choice: “The Millburn Mullvers tried aluminum bats, but quickly switched back after a line drive broke the hand of the first baseman despite gloves. This kind of line drive with wood bats had never led to an injury” (“Millburn Mullvers website”).