English II
Spring Board Unit 2
Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms
Directions: Write out the definition of each word.
1. allusion
2. stereotype
3. artifact
4. empirical evidence
5. logical evidence
6. anecdotal evidence
7. fallacy
8. setting
9. sequence of events
10. point of view
11. theme
12. characters
13. memoir
14. dialogue tags
15. narrative pacing
16. persona
Name ___________________________
English II
Name ___________________________
Spring Board Unit 2
Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms
Directions – Use each of the following words in a sentence that clearly shows understanding of the
meaning of the word. Make sure to spell each word correctly in your sentences.
1. allusion
2. stereotype
3. artifact
4. empirical evidence
5. logical evidence
6. anecdotal evidence
7. fallacy
8. setting
9. sequence of events
10. point of view
11. theme
12. characters
13. memoir
14. dialogue tags
15. narrative pacing
16. persona
English II
Name ___________________________
Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.2 Images of Cultural Identity
Learning Target: Analyze poetry to identify imagery, structure, and technique.
“Where I’m From” pp. 92-93 by George Ella Lyon
1. List two images that Lyon uses to show where and what she is from.
2. What can you infer about the speaker’s culture from her diction and use of descriptive details?
3. What do you notice about the structure of the poem? What does each stanza represent?
4. Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a line of poetry. Give an example of
anaphora from Lyon’s poem.
Russell Fox
A Poem Modeled after “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyons
June 30, 2006
“Where The Poet Says I’m From”
I am from table football, from Coca-Cola and the Bible.
I am from Marietta ranch to Goshen doublewide trailer, to the unknown;
comfortable, cold, and the smell of spoiled food.
I am from Venus flytraps, roses, and a walking stick carved by Uncle Fred.
I am from cards at Grandma’s and alcoholism, from my mother, Mickey, my brother,
Bob, and my favorite aunt, Gayle, who ate my peas so I could go play.
I am from competitive nature and the value of education.
From “The Thinkers and the Doers” and “You’re not allowed to quit.”
I am from Christ, who came “to divide brother from brother,” and “make a man’s
enemies the members of his own house.”
I'm from Deer Park, Ireland, England, Germany, Chicken McNuggets, and LaRosa’s
Pizza.
From the time Mom allowed me to have a raccoon as a pet (I now have four poisondart frogs), and time I first skied down a snow hill, trying to keep up with my older
brother.
I am from the scrapbook my wife, Emily, put together for me, to the cookie jar on
our refrigerator, to DVD slideshows of our families as we grew. The photo albums
are many and current, pushing books aside on our shelves, as if I fear that someday
I will start to forget.
English II
Name ___________________________
Spring Board Unit 2
Creating Your Own “I Am From” Poem
Learning Target: Write an original poem reflecting cultural imagery.
1. Imagine that you were asked to bring in a shoebox filled with artifacts that represent aspects of
your culture and who you are as a person. List ten things you would bring in (you don’t have to
limit yourself to things that would actually fit in a box). Explain why each item is on your list.
2. Thinking about the items on your list, fill out the chart below with at least 5 items in each
column:
Things I Remember about my Life
Things I can still
Things I can still
Things I can still
Things I
Smells I
see in my mind
hear in my mind feel (touch)
remember the
remember
taste of
3. Using the George Ella Lyon poem, your list of artifacts, your sensory details chart above, and any
other example(s) I shared in class, write your own “I Am From” poem. In your poem, try to
make your memories relate to one another in a general way, and try to appeal to as many
senses as you can. You may use the following template if you wish:
I am from (three concrete images you remember from childhood).
I am from (three places that you remember that are important to you. Try to include details that
appeal to senses other than sight).
I am from (three flowers or images from nature that you relate to).
I am from (three or four people who are important to you, and possibly brief memories you have
with them).
I am from (two or three values or character traits that you were taught by the people above),
From (two or three quotes from the people you mentioned – preferably things you were taught).
I am from (the person who is most important to you, and what you remember most about him or
her).
I’m from (three or four places that reveal your ancestry or are important to you, and two foods you
grew up eating),
From (Two or three unique experiences you have had, especially if they taught you something).
I am from (three or four artifacts from your “box” above. Try to appeal to senses other than sight).
English II
Name ___________________________
Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.3 Cultural Narrative
Learning Target: Analyze a narrative and identify key narrative components.
From “Funny in Farsi” pp. 95-97 by Firoozeh Dumas
1. What do you notice about the sequence of events in this memoir?
2. How does Dumas signal shifts in time and location? Give an example.
3. What point of view is the story told from? How would it be different if it were told from a
different point of view?
4. How does the fact that the story is told from a child’s point of view affect the story? Give an
example of a passage that effectively demonstrates the child’s point of view.
5. What is the theme of this memoir?
6. Give three examples from the text that support your answer to number five, and explain how
each passage supports your thesis.
English II
Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.4 Author’s Stylebook: Dialogue
Learning Target: Analyze the narrative technique of dialogue.
Name --------------------------------------------
Excerpt from “Kaffir Boy” by Mark Mathabane pp. 99-101
1. The author uses dialogue to create the relationship between the mother and son. What details
in the story illustrate the culture of family and mother-son relationships?
2. List three rules for punctuating dialog that you notice in this selection.
3. One important element of good writing is to use specific nouns and verbs, rather than adjectives
and adverbs, whenever possible. List five specific verbs used in this selection.
4. Give an example of direct dialogue and an example of indirect dialogue from this selection.
5. Model writing the two methods of dialogue turning your indirect example from #4 into an
example of direct dialogue by using punctuation and dialogue tags. Then paraphrase your direct
dialogue example from #4 so that it is an example of indirect dialogue.
6. Using the excerpt from “Kaffir Boy” as inspiration, write a brief narrative that illustrates a scene
from your childhood. Be sure to:
a. Show the culture of your family in your narrative.
b. Provide a well-structured sequence of events.
c. Include both direct and indirect dialogue.
English II
Name -------------------------------------------Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.5 Author’s Stylebook: Pacing
Learning Target: Analyze the narrative elements writers use to create a sense of pacing in a narrative.
“Pick One” by David Matthews pp. 103-104
1. How does a writer slow the pacing of a narrative? What effect does this have on the reader?
2. How does a writer speed up the pacing of a narrative? What effect does this have on the
reader?
3. Think of a movie scene where an explosion happens, or a car runs off a cliff. At what pace do
these climactic events take place? Why?
4. How can you create the same effect you identified in #3 in a written narrative?
5. At what pace should the climax of a narrative be written, compared to the rest of the narrative?
Why?
6. Give an example from the essay where the pacing changes, and describe the effect this change
has on the reader.
7. Revise the narrative you wrote in Activity 2.4 incorporating what you learned about pacing in
this activity.
English II
Name -------------------------------------------Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.6 Author’s Stylebook: Description
Learning Target: Identify and evaluate the use of sensory details and figurative language.
Excerpt from “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” by Geeta Kothari pp. 106-107
1. Before reading the essay, think about how the food that you and your family eats reflects your
culture and your heritage. Are there items that show up every holiday or items that you turn to
for comfort? List two foods that your family typically eats, and then share how your culture or
heritage is reflected in those foods.
2. Give five examples of sensory details from the book including three that do not appeal to sight.
3. What do these descriptive details indicate about the author’s culture?
4. How would you describe the pacing of the essay? How does the pacing affect your perception
of the author and the situation?
5. In the passage a simple can of tuna becomes a stinking glob that represents a barrier between
cultures. Think of an artifact that could be found in your house that represents an aspect of your
culture. Describe the artifact in a way that shows something about your culture or heritage. Be
sure to:
a. Use vivid language and details to create imagery that appeals to as many different senses as
possible.
b. Consider the pacing of your description.
c. Vary sentence length and punctuation.
English II
Name -------------------------------------------Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.9 Telling a Story with Poetry
Learning Target: Analyze a poem for the author’s use of details, diction, and imagery to convey a cultural
perspective.
“Woman with Kite” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni p. 121
1. Give an example of how the poet uses description to create the setting.
2. Give an example of how the poet uses description to reveal something about the characters to
the reader.
3. List the sequence of events in the poem.
4. What does the reaction of the widows on the park bench reveal about the culture in which the
speaker lives?
“Grape Sherbet” by Rita Dove p. 122
1. Explain the perception of Memorial Day that the speaker had as a child.
2. Explain the perception of Memorial Day that the speaker has as an adult.
3. Why is her perception as an adult so much different from what her perception had been as a
child?
English II
Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.10 Struggling with Identity: Rethinking Persona
Name --------------------------------------------
Excerpt from The Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez pp. 124-126
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
List two allusions Rodriguez uses in his memoir.
What is the tone of this excerpt? Give two examples of diction that help to establish this tone.
Identify two forces that seem to be pulling Rodriguez in different directions, and explain how.
Give an example of vivid imagery from the memoir.
Do you think cultural identity is important to Rodriguez? Explain your reasoning.
How would Rodriguez define “success?” Would he consider himself a success?
Rodriguez says that he has argued “particularly against two government programs – affirmative
action and bilingual education. Pick one of the two programs and research to find out more
about it. Then explain why an immigrant such as Rodriguez, whom the program is intended to
help, might be opposed to it.
English II
Spring Board Unit 2
Embedded Assessment 2.1 Writing a Personal Narrative
Name --------------------------------------------
Assignment: Your assignment is to write a two-page (46 lines minimum) personal narrative that reveals
some element of your heritage or culture.
Steps:
1. As a class, brainstorm a list of experiences that are especially meaningful to you. Some examples
might be entering kindergarten or first grade, a memorable birthday, a memorable holiday, an
event involving a household pet, a first kiss, or a memorable event on an athletic field.
2. Individually, write out a list of more specific events from your own life that you remember well.
3. From your list, select one event that you have vivid memories of, and one in which you learned
something important, one that changed you as a person, or one that reveals something unique
about your heritage or culture. Freewrite about the event without worrying about grammar or
spelling, but including as many sensory details as possible.
Characteristics of the Personal Narrative
A.
B.
C.
D.
It focuses and reflects on a specific even in the writer’s life.
It shows the significance of the event, and may briefly explain it.
It leaves the reader with insight into the writer’s heritage or cultural perspective.
It is limited to a specific time frame, and develops this time frame fully with sensory details.
The target time frame for an effective personal narrative is one hour. Your time frame may
be slightly longer or shorter, but make sure every minute covered is essential to your
purpose.
E. It makes the event come alive through vivid description.
F. It maintains first-person point-of-view and consistent (usually past) tense.
4. Read the sample narrative about a person. As you read, listen for what you believe is the writer’s
purpose for writing.
A. The narrative tells the story of an event. What is the event?
B. What is significant about this event? Why is it important to the writer?
C. What does the reader learn about the writer’s heritage or culture through reading the
narrative?
D. How does the writer show the significance of the event?
E. List two sensory details from the narrative that reveal something about the writer.
F. How are the writer’s thoughts about the event different from when the event happened
(insights)?
Narrowing the Focus – Writing a Purpose Statement
5. I am writing about __________. After reading my personal narrative, my readers will understand
__________ (something that you learned, or something about your personal heritage or culture).
Using Specific Nouns and Verbs to Write Well
6. Take the following paragraph and rewrite it using specific details. Try to use few adjectives and
adverbs, and instead use specific nouns and verbs:
I went home. I ate a snack. I did my homework. I played a game.
7. Complete the following sensory details chart for the event you will describe in your narrative. Try
to list five to ten things in each category:
Sights
Smells
Tastes
Textures (touch)
Sounds
English II
Spring Board Unit 2
Embedded Assessment 2.1 Writing a Personal Narrative
Name --------------------------------------------
8. You may want to use the following outline for your personal narrative.
A. What is the event?
B. Where did the event take place?
C. Who was with you?
D. What happened? Describe it in detail, appealing to all five senses.
E. What happened that made the event exciting, scary, funny, interesting, memorable, or
revealing?
F. How did the experience end?
G. What were your thoughts/feelings about the event when it happened?
H. What did you learn, or how are your thoughts/feelings about the event different now?
Qualities of Effective Personal Narratives
A. Organization – usually chronological, but not necessarily. Make sure the order-of-events is
clear.
B. The significance of the event is clear to the reader before it is stated (if it is stated at all).
C. The writer’s thoughts and feelings at the time of the event are clear.
D. The setting is described thoroughly, with appeals to different senses.
E. The people involved are described vividly, with appeals to different senses.
F. The time frame for the narrative is around one hour.
9. Begin writing the rough draft of your personal narrative. Due date for the rough draft is ________
10. Use your peer review to edit your rough draft and type it. Make sure to turn it in by the due date.
As long as you turn the typed draft in on time, “final” drafts are not final until you say they are
complete or the end of the quarter deadline comes.
English II
Spring Board Unit 2
Embedded Assessment 2.1 Writing a Personal Narrative
Peer Review Form
Name of Reviewer ___________________________
Whose memoir are you reviewing? __________________________
Directions: Exchange rough drafts with a classmate, and fill out the following peer review form. Do not
ask the writer for answers, and give honest, sincere feedback. The peer review form will be collected for
a grade, so make sure to answer every question.
1. How old was the writer when the event took place? (Note: It is not absolutely necessary for the
writer to include his/her exact age, but the reader should be able to estimate it based on
context clues. _________________________________________________________________
2. What was positive about the event, and what was negative? __________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. What did the writer learn, how did he/she change, or what did you learn about the writer? ___
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Give an example of good dialogue from the narrative, or suggest where dialogue is needed. ___
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. What were the writer’s thoughts/feelings about the event when it happened? What are the
writer’s thoughts/feelings about the event now? (They should be different). ________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Give an example of effective description from the narrative, or suggest where more description is
needed. _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
7. Write one question that you have about the event after reading the narrative that is not
answered in the narrative, or point out a part that is not clear. ___________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. Give at least one suggestion on how the narrative could be improved. _____________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
9. What is the strongest/best part of the narrative, and why? ______________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
10. Find five spelling/grammar errors in the rough draft, and show how they should be corrected.
A. ____________________________________________________________________________
B. ____________________________________________________________________________
C. ____________________________________________________________________________
D. ____________________________________________________________________________
E. ____________________________________________________________________________
English II
Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.13 Justice and Culture
Name --------------------------------------------
“Background Information on Michael Fay Controversy” p. 141
1. If a news story were written on this event by a reporter who thought that the punishment was
justified, list two words or phrases that you would expect to find in the story, and explain your
reasoning.
2. If a news story were written on this event by a reporter who thought that the punishment was
unjustified, list two words or phrases that you would expect to find in the story, and explain
your reasoning.
3. Do you think the punishment of caning was justified in this case? Explain your reasoning.
4. Regardless of how you answered #3, do you think it was appropriate for an American president
to get involved in trying to convince the government of Singapore to reduce Fay’s sentence?
Explain your reasoning.
“Time to Assert American Values” from The New York Times editorial page pp. 142-143
5. What is the strongest part of the argument the writer makes in this editorial? Explain your
reasoning.
6. Identify the hook in this editorial and write it out.
7. Identify the point where the writer states the opposing viewpoint.
8. How does the culture of the writer affect his perspective on the incident?
“Rough Justice” by Alejandro Reyes pp.143-145
9. According to Reyes, what is the major difference between the values of Western culture and the
values of Eastern culture?
10. From either essay, give an example of each of the three types of evidence:
A. empirical evidence –
B. logical evidence –
C. anecdotal evidence –
11. Read through the five common logical fallacies on page 146. Find an example of any two logical
fallacies in either of the two pieces on the Michael Fay incident.
English II
Name -------------------------------------------Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.14 Taking a Stand on Justice
Learning Target: Identify author’s purpose and analyze the argument presented.
1. Define “civil disobedience.”
2. Read the list of quotes about civil disobedience on page 147. Choose one of the quotes and
explain what it means.
3. Do you think there is a current law in America that is unjust, and that you would be willing to
disobey in order to do the right thing? If so, what is it, and how could you disobey it? What
might you accomplish through disobedience? What might the consequences of disobedience
be, and would they be worth it?
4. Read “About the Author” p. 147 to learn about Mohandas Gandhi. Then read the excerpt from
“On Civil Disobedience” on page 148. Who is Gandhi’s audience? Give evidence from the text to
support your answer.
5. How would Gandhi advise you to respond to an unjust law? Support your answer with the text.
6. What do you think Gandhi’s purpose was for writing this text?
7. Is civil disobedience a moral responsibility of a citizen? If you were to write a persuasive essay
on this topic, write a thesis statement that would begin this essay.
8. List one counterclaim that someone who disagrees with your position in #7 might make.
9. How would you refute the counterclaim made in #8?
English II
Name -------------------------------------------Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.15 Taking a Stand on Legal Issues
Learning Target: Analyze the use of rhetorical appeals in argument.
“On Women’s Right to Vote” by Susan B. Anthony pp.151-152
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Define “logos,” “ethos,” and “pathos.”
What is Susan B. Anthony’s claim?
What evidence does Anthony use to support her claim?
What type of rhetorical appeals (from #1) does Anthony make? Give examples.
It is said that most persuasive texts should rely mostly on logos and ethos, but that, occasionally,
pathos can be used. Do you agree with this statement? Give an example of a situation where
pathos could be effective in persuasion.
English II
Name -------------------------------------------Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.16 Taking a Stand Against Hunger
Learning Target: Identify an author’s purpose and analyze the argument.
“School’s Out for Summer” by Anna Quindlen pp. 157-159
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Identify the hook in Quindlen’s essay.
Identify the main claim that Quindlen makes in her essay.
Identify one piece of evidence that Quindlen uses to support her claim.
Identify one concession made in the essay.
How does Quindlen refute the concession made in #4?
Identify Quindlen’s call to action.
Give an example of Quindlen’s use of logos, pathos, or ethos.
Quindlen claims that childhood hunger is an issue of justice. Do you agree with this claim?
Explain your answer.
9. Give an example of one of Quindlen’s arguments and label it as logical, empirical, or anecdotal
and discuss the effectiveness of the argument.
10. Identify one logical fallacy in the essay.
English II
Name -------------------------------------------Spring Board Unit 2
Activity 2.16 (Supplemental) Whose Job is it to Feed Your Child?
Learning Target: Identify an author’s purpose and analyze the argument.
“America Has Dependency and Poverty of Spirit” by Walter Williams (handout)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Identify the claim Williams makes in his essay.
Identify one piece of evidence Williams uses to support his claim.
Identify one concession Williams makes in his essay.
How does Williams refute the concession made in #3?
What conclusion does Williams come to about the “state of dependency” in America?
Give an example of William’s use of logos, ethos, or pathos.
Williams claims that the racial discrimination is not the cause of poverty among blacks in
America today. Do you agree with this claim? Explain your answer.
8. Give an example of one of Williams’ arguments and label it as logical, empirical, or anecdotal,
and discuss the effectiveness of the argument.
9. Identify one logical fallacy in Williams’ essay.
10. Which essay on poverty do you find more convincing, Quindlen’s essay “School’s Out for
Summer” or Williams’ essay “America Has Dependency and Poverty of Spirit?” Explain your
reasoning.
Williams: America has dependency and poverty of the spirit
Posted: February 16, 2014 - 11:59pm | Updated: February 17, 2014 - 1:18am
By Walter Williams
There is no material poverty in the U.S. Here are a few facts about people whom the Census Bureau
labels as poor.
Dr. Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield, in their study “Understanding Poverty in the United States:
Surprising Facts About America’s Poor,” report 80 percent of poor households have air conditioning;
nearly three-quarters have a car or truck. Two-thirds have cable or satellite TV. Half have one or more
computers. Forty-two percent own their homes. Poor Americans have more living space than the typical
non-poor person in Sweden, France or the U.K.
What we have in our nation are dependency and poverty of the spirit, with people making unwise
choices and leading pathological lives aided and abetted by the welfare state. The Census Bureau pegs
the poverty rate among blacks at 35 percent and among whites at 13 percent.
The illegitimacy rate among blacks is 72 percent, and among whites it’s 30 percent. A statistic one
doesn’t hear much about is the poverty rate among black married families has been in the single digits
for more than two decades, currently at 8 percent. For married white families, it’s 5 percent.
Now the politically incorrect questions: Whose fault is it to have children without the benefit of
marriage and risk a life of dependency? Do people have free will, or are they governed by instincts?
There may be some pinhead sociologists who blame the weak black family structure on racial
discrimination.
But why was the black illegitimacy rate only 14 percent in 1940, and why, as Dr. Thomas Sowell reports,
do we find census data “going back a hundred years, when blacks were just one generation out of
slavery ... showed that a slightly higher percentage of black adults had married than white adults. This
fact remained true in every census from 1890 to 1940”? Is anyone willing to advance the argument that
the reason the illegitimacy rate among blacks was lower and marriage rates higher in earlier periods was
there was less racial discrimination and greater opportunity?
No one can blame a person if he starts out in life poor, because how one starts out is not his fault. If he
stays poor, he is to blame because it is his fault. Avoiding long-term poverty is not rocket science.
First, graduate from high school. Second, get married before you have children, and stay married. Third,
work at any kind of job, even one that starts out paying the minimum wage.
And finally, avoid engaging in criminal behavior.
It turns out a married couple, each earning the minimum wage, would earn an annual combined income
of $30,000. The Census Bureau poverty line for a family of two is $15,500, and for a family of four, it’s
$23,000. By the way, no adult who starts out earning the minimum wage does so for very long. Since
President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty, the nation has spent about $18 trillion at the
federal, state and local levels of government on programs justified by the “need” to deal with some
aspect of poverty.
In a column of mine in 1995, I pointed out that at that time, the nation had spent $5.4 trillion on the
War on Poverty, and with that princely sum, “you could purchase every U.S. factory, all manufacturing
equipment, and every office building. With what’s left over, one could buy every airline, trucking
company and our commercial maritime fleet. If you’re still in the shopping mood, you could also buy
every television, radio and power company, plus every retail and wholesale store in the entire nation.”
Today’s total of $18 trillion spent on poverty means you could purchase everything produced in our
country each year and then some. There’s very little guts in the political arena to address the basic
causes of poverty. To do so risks being labeled as racist, sexist, uncaring and insensitive. That means
today’s dependency is likely to become permanent.
WALTER E. WILLIAMS is a professor of economics at George Mason University. His column is distributed
by Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
English II
Name -------------------------------------------Spring Board Unit 2
Embedded Assessment 2.2 Creating an Argument (Two Page Persuasive Essay)
Assignment
Your assignment is to create a two-page (minimum) original persuasive essay. You will choose a
position, target audience, and effective organizational strategy to convey your argument.
Planning
1. Look at the list of contemporary issues that has been distributed to you, and pick four or five
statements that you feel strongly about, either because you agree or disagree with them.
2. As your classmates choose topics, mark them off of your list. No two students may argue the
same position on the same topic. When your turn comes, I strongly suggest that you choose a
topic, and not “pass.” Passing will result in fewer choices next time around.
3. Once you have decided on your topic, compose your thesis statement. You may use the
suggested topic statement as is, or you may revise it.
4. Make a list of three points you will make in your argument.
5. Write out one point that someone who holds an opinion opposite yours might make, and how
you will refute it.
6. Identify the types of sources you will need to use in order to make your argument fair, balanced,
and accurate. You must use at least 3 sources.
Researching
1. You will have one day to research in the media center or lab. Use your time wisely. First, find a
minimum of three sources of reliable information on your topic. Make sure these sources are
written by authorities in the field. Your sources must also be objective, or balanced by sources
written by experts on the other side of the issue.
2. Organize your sources on a properly formatted MLA style Works Cited page. Consult the
handout: How to Format a Paper and Document Correctly in MLA Style or use the following links
to access websites that will help you create a properly formatted page:
easybib.com
bibme.com
Purdue OWL (online writing lab) https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
3. Once your sources are selected, begin taking notes or highlighting printed passages from your
sources. Select information that supports your thesis, as well as at least one main
counterargument made by someone who disagrees with you. Decide how you will refute your
opponent’s argument.
Outlining
1. Use the template (handout) to organize your argument or create an outline of your own.
English II
Name -------------------------------------------Spring Board Unit 2
Embedded Assessment 2.2 Creating an Argument (Two Page Persuasive Essay)
Outline
I. Title of Essay (Identify issue and your position) _____________________________________
II. Claim (Write out your thesis statement: __________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
III. Evidence: Point #1 ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
A. Explanation of point #1 (How does it support your claim?) ____________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
IV. Evidence: Point #2 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
A. Explanation of point #2 _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
V. Concession(s) (Acknowledge counterclaim(s) made by people who disagree with you – use a quote) _
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
A. Refutation (Explain why the counterclaim is not valid, or point out any logical fallacies it
Contains) ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
VI. Evidence: Point #3 (strongest evidence) _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
A. Explanation of Point 3 __________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
VII. Conclusion (May include Call to Action) _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Drafting
1.
Compose your argument. Examine and consider your choices in terms of syntax. Consider
changes that might make your arguments more effective.
2. As you write your rough draft, make sure to use parenthetical citations to cite any information
that came from your sources, whether you are using direct quotes or paraphrasing.
3. Complete your rough draft by this due date: _______________
Peer Review/Revising
1. Exchange papers with at least one classmate and make constructive comments on one another’s
papers. Fill out the peer review sheet.
English II
Mr. Fox
Persuasive Essay
Peer Review
Speech Writer:____________________________
Peer Reviewer:_____________________________
Editor’s Instructions:
Step One: Read the Essay!
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Read with a pen/pencil in your hand that’s easy to see (red, green, etc.; NOT the writer’s color).
Comment and mark ON THE ESSAY as you read—positive and negative, grammar and spelling mistakes
(even if you’re not sure yourself of what’s correct), questions you have, things you feel are really strong
about the essay, things you feel need work, the thoughts that strike you as you read. Underline, circle,
draw arrows, make comments.
Do NOT turn to the author for any explanations or comments! WRITE them to him/her on the essay.
That way, your comment will be more permanent.
If you can’t read something, WRITE that on the essay.
Step Two: Respond to These Points:
1. Does the writer’s TOPIC have two definite sides? Is it possible for reasonable people to argue both sides of the
issue? Is the topic interesting? Comment on the writer’s topic here.
2. Write the THESIS of the essay here. (You don’t have to quote it; just state it as you understand it. This will tell
the author if s/he was actually properly understood.)
3. Comment on how LOGICAL you feel the argument in this essay is. Identify any logical fallacies:
4. Comment on the EMOTIONAL response the essay brings to you, or the passion shown by the writer:
5. Comment on the ETHICAL appeals or WRITER’s CREDIBILITY:
6. Comment on the USE OF LANGUAGE in the essay:
7. Comment on the GRAMMAR and SPELLING in the essay:
8. Comment on the FORM, whether the paragraphs work as paragraphs (staying on one point and developing it well)
to help the argument and organization of the essay. Also check the length of the paper. Minimum length is two
full typed pages (26 lines). If the rough draft is handwritten, it should be at least four full pages. The final draft
must be typed.
9. Identify where the author acknowledges the counterargument against his or her point. Then explain how the
writer refutes the counterargument.
10. Check the writer’s Works Cited page for accuracy. Check to make sure the writer uses parenthetical citations
correctly throughout the paper. Comment on the writer’s use of citations.
11. Write a final comment—at least a few sentences—to the writer: