Unit One: |
Introduction to Rhetoric
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Unit Two: |
Understanding Analysis |
Unit Three: |
Understanding Argument |
Unit Four: |
Understanding the Synthesis Essay
Introduce the Synthesis Essay (End semester 1) – Students will write their first synthesis-style essay as a part of the Semester One finals week. This piece will be used formatively to inform instruction during the early part of Unit Four: Understanding the Synthesis Essay.
Understanding the Synthesis Essay (Semester 2/ Quarter Three) - Students will master the synthesis essay by working with a variety of text and non-text based sources. Students will learn and utilize the Six Moves Toward Success model outline by David Jolliffe. Learning Activity One: Students will analyze their semester one synthesis essay for alignment with the basic argument structure they learned in unit three. Students are familiar with and use the terms claim, data, and warrant as the three major components of any argument. In this process, they should begin to realize that the argument or evaluative synthesis essay shares these same components; through a simple highlighting process students will recognize and set goals around the larger skills of organization, use of source material, elaboration / commentary, as well as smaller skills such as integration and framing of quotes. Learning Activity Two: Students will work with a topic of the teacher’s choice, investigating sources provided by the teacher. They will move through a structured investigative process where they examine and test multiple points of view surrounding the chosen topic.
Learning Activity Three: Writing the Synthesis Essay - Students will read about a contemporary issue from a set of given resources, two of which will be visual text: graphs, pictures, or cartoons. In addition, students will view the site “Images as Political Tools” http://www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld/episodes/persuasion/. Students will then create an argument using three-four of the given resources to support their argument. Final Assessment: Students will address a topic of their own choice. For this step, students will read widely from a contemporary columnist of choice. Other components of the assignment will ask them to illustrate their annotation and analytic skills. Students will choose an issue addressed by their chosen columnist and will seek out multiple additional sources that create conversation around the topic chosen. In a timed writing situation, each student will write the third synthesis essay. At teacher discretion, students may be asked to peer edit and revise these essays. |