Argumentative Essay Assignment Sheet 2017 5v6n4z

U.S. Literature and Composition: Issue Analysis/Documented Argumentative Essay Overview: Over the course of the next few weeks, you will have the opportunity to research a social issue in America, examine the complexity of this issue as more than a pro/con debate, and ultimately take a stance on this issue and argue for a particular solution and/or viewpoint. You will begin by selecting an issue on which to focus, completing research on both sides to understand all aspects of this issue, and completing a graphic organizer that documents your research and demonstrates the complexity of your topic. At that point, you will be using this information to write a documented, argumentative essay that will create a convincing, reasonable, and wellresearched argument for a specific audience who is concerned about the issue of your choice. Issue Proposal: Before you begin this assignment, you will need to complete the issue proposal form (attached). This needs to be completed by the end of the period on Thursday, March 2 nd— your teacher must approve your topic before you begin the Issue Analysis. Issue Analysis: Purposes for this Analysis: To convince your readers that the issue you are examining is more complicated than a pro/con debate; to compel your audience to think further about an issue that they may only understand superficially; to prepare you for the final argumentative essay in which you will take a stance on this issue and argue for a particular solution and/or viewpoint. Assignment: Once your topic has been approved, you will begin researching your issue. This assignment has two parts: the first part is your research and the second part is your graphic organizer. You will need to find the following facts in your research in order to complete the graphic organizer (attached):  How this issue is defined/addressed by your various reliable sources  Why it is important for your audience to understand the complexity of this issue.  Show that your issue is complex by describing the general approaches or perspectives taken by writers addressing the issue. Cite sources to your analysis. Maintain the focus and unity of the discussion by providing clear connections among the parts. You must use a minimum of 3 credible sources (no Wikipedia!) Part 1-Research Notes: You will take clear, handwritten research notes over your topic. You will use these notes to complete the graphic organizer. The notes will be turned-in with your graphic organizer and a correctly formatted MLA Works Cited page. Part 2-Graphic Organizer: see attached worksheet. Due Date: The Issue Analysis (research notes and graphic organizer) is due by the end of the period on Thursday, March 9th. Argumentative Essay: Overview: In this essay, you will create a convincing, reasonable, and well-researched argument for a specific audience who is concerned about an issue of your choice. In order for you to do this effectively, it is necessary for you to find research so that you are familiar with all sides of the argument and can sufficiently your point of view (this is what you accomplished in your Issue Analysis). For this paper, you must take a clear and unmistakable stand about your issue, as it is not possible to effectively argue your side if you don’t have a clear point. Then, you must collect data to your stance. You will likely need to do more research in order to establish: (1) the history and background of the issue, (2) the groups involved (those who present arguments and those affected by the issue), and the (3) various points

of view which are held on this issue. An effective argumentative essay will exhibit a complex understanding of all the points of view held on your issue; a one-sided argument that refuses to acknowledge the validity of other points of view will convince no one. Audience: You will choose a specific audience for your argument. Keep in mind that your choice of audience will affect your tone, word choice, presentation of research, and key points. The audience you choose must be specific (not just an audience of teenagers). You will choose a specific person, group/organization, magazine, newspaper, etc. that would be interested in hearing your argument. To better understand this audience/context, you will complete the Audience Analysis Sheet prior to drafting your argument. Due date: Your final paper will be due at on Monday, April 3rd!! Essay Requirements:  Your essay must be correctly MLA formatted (font, margins, headers, etc)  Your essay must be at least 1,000 words  You must cite at least 3 credible sources in your paper.  You must document your sources using correct MLA format.  You must include a correctly-formatted MLA Works Cited page  Completed Audience Analysis  You will also turn-in all drafts/workshops in class on Monday, April 3rd. Timeline Tuesday, February 28th

Thursday, March 2nd Monday, March 6thTuesday, March 7th Thursday, March 9thFriday, March 10th

Tuesday, March 21st (Thurs, March 23 SAT Prep: Reading Portions)

Friday, March 24th Monday, March 27th

Tuesday, March 28 th Thursday, March 30th Friday, March 31st Monday, April 3rd

Discuss research/argumentative writing Introduce assignment Begin Issue Proposal—after approval on your topic, begin working on your research for your Issue Analysis Complete Issue Proposal & get teacher approval Work on Issue Analysis research after approval of your topic. Work day: Research for Issue Analysis (research notes, graphic organizer, and Works Cited page) Issue Analysis/works cited page due by end of period on Thursday, March 9th. Work days: Continue research, draft argumentative essay Audience Analysis due by end of period on Friday, March 10th. You will need a printed draft of your essay for Tuesday, March 21st. WORKSHOP #1 - DUE: draft of essay – have a printed copy of your typed, complete essay ready to use—minimum full 3 pages. Failure to bring your essay to class OR not having a completed draft will result in 10% being deducted from your final grade. Work day: Revise your essay based on Finish revising essay/print a copy AND WORKSHOP #2 - DUE: revised draft of essay – have a printed copy of your typed, REVISED essay ready to use—minimum full 3 pages. Failure to bring your essay to class OR not having a completed second draft will result in 10% being deducted from your final grade. Work day: Revise your essay based on MLA Workshop on Thursday, March 30th (You will need your revised draft and Works Cited page) Final revisions to your essay Essay due! Include all drafts **Make sure your Works Cited page is the final page of your submitted

essay**

Issue Proposal

Name _____________________ Period______

Overview: To complete this assignment, you will select a publicly-debated issue in America that you’ve become familiar with through your research, personal experience, media, etc. You will choose one issue to research. The issue you select should be complex— more than two sides to the debate. For instance, the issue of how to reduce teenage pregnancy is probably a more advantageous topic than the abortion debate, since sides tend to polarize around pro-life and pro-choice positions in the abortion discussion. Ideas about solving the teenage pregnancy problem, on the other hand, are varied and numerous, including (but not limited to) those who believe in the value of sex education, those who advocate strict family and abstinence training, and those who argue for wide and free distribution of contraceptives. , this is an initial proposal. Your ideas and interests may change as you continue researching. Check with me before switching to a new topic. Your issue proposal is due by the end of the period on Thursday, March 2nd and must be approved by your teacher before you continue researching.

(1) Thoroughly (more than 1 or 2 words) explain what debatable issue you will be researching.

(2) Create a tentative research question to help clarify a specific focus for your topic and its investigation. The research question should be narrow and debatable. It should also lend itself to complicated responses (more than simply pro/con). For instance, how can we reduce teenage pregnancy in America today? Or, how can our society use alternative resources for energy production?

(3) Briefly describe who (what groups of people or organizations) is currently debating this issue, and discuss what their general concerns are (as much as you know at this point). For instance: people who are interested in issues surrounding teenage pregnancy include parents, teens, teachers/s, doctors/nurses, and religious organizations. Each of these groups may have differing opinions and even people within each of these groups may differ from one another.

(4) Explain why you chose to write about this issue, and why you believe it is an important issue for your class and instructor to know more about.

Part 2: Issue Analysis

Name _____________________ Per.______

Graphic Organizer In the oval at the center of the page, please describe your debatable issue and your current stance on this issue (this may change.) In each of the wedges (you may create more wedges if your topic lends itself to more groups) 1) describe the group (who/organization), 2) their perspective on this issue, and 3) why they think/believe this. Issue Analysis (handwritten notes and this graphic organizer plus a works cited page are due by end of period on Thursday, March 9th.

Name ________________________________________ Period______

Audience Analysis Overview: This assignment serves as prewriting for your essay by providing the opportunity to analyze the audience and context for your argument. Understanding your audience is important since you need to know who your readers are before you can effectively convince them to consider your arguments. Examining your context is equally important because your argument will only be taken seriously or be considered for publication if it meets context expectations. Due date: Friday, March 10th by the end of the period. Your answers to the following questions should be thorough and complete. _____________________________________________________________ Part I: Purpose 1. What will you argue (what is your debatable social issue)? What is your current position on this social issue?

2. What do you hope to accomplish with the argument? What might you reasonably hope to achieve with this audience? For instance, you might hope to convince a school board to revise the high school curriculum in an effort to prevent teen pregnancy. Be as specific as possible.

3. Write the main claim for your argument; this is a rough draft of your thesis statement.

Part II: Audience Analysis 1. Who will your target audience be? Define them specifically in of age, gender, economic status, social class, education, and so forth.

2. Why did you choose this audience?

3. What can you expect your readers to know already about your issue? What will they want or need to know? What are their typical attitudes or viewpoints toward your issue? How are their views similar to your own? How do they differ?

4. What social and cultural factors might for the similarities and differences in the readers of this publication and you? How might your own social and cultural background for perspective?