Process 3
Freewriting Activities The following activities are designed to help you generate ideas for your Argument paper. Please complete these activities before (or while) you draft your paper.
- Read for examples and ideas. Read one of the essays listed on Process 3 Readings.
- Consider the
models.
- Make a "Goodyear
blimp" brainstorm. Decide whether you are going to make each article into a
one or two-paragraph analysis or whether you are going to take each point on the chart as
a paragraph (or two). Then outline which articles use which points on your "blimp
outline". The 'blimp" is just an oval shape you draw around your title or topic.
- Send a freewrite email
message. Once you've selected a topic and a set of article to analyze for sturcture,
send a message to the class at WEBCT, in which you tell us: how your article search is
going, how you decided on a topic, which model you are using for the analysis
(point-by-point or article-by-article).
- How to Develop your Thesis Statement. Use the steps below to develop your thesis from any point that interest you.
What is a thesis statement? Well, is is a set of claims and a support.
(Data) Jane is a citizen of
the United States.
(Warrant) The Bill of Rights protects every citizen's
rights.
(Conclusion) Since Jane is a citizen of the US, the Bill of Rights protects
her
rights.
OK--let's look at the above.
Some point interests you and this will be your data.
Some more examples of interesting points of data:
1) Energy brownouts are occurring more frequently this year in California
than last year.
2) The rate of smoking among young people from 15 to 25 is declining.
Warrants are indirect supports that lead you to a conclusion.
1) The deregulated companies in California do not wish to build power
stations that decrease profits.
2) Health Groups and the Department of Health have placed more ads on
TV in the last few years that show how smoking destroys health.
- How to LOCATE your
Thesis Statment. After you have a thesis
you must interest your readers by telling them where you stand among
other positions. Cite any one of the source writers by name and by page.
This is important. Readers want to know that you have read what others
are saying!
THESIS: "I believe that cities need the revenues from suburbs
to help fund school, police, and roads."
- LOCATING your claim
comes in the next sentence or nearby:
While Jane Brown thinks we should incorporate villages to
limit tax burdens (45), I believe that we should keep
cities viable with suburban revenues because the effects
of dying cities cannot fail to impact life in the suburbs.
- CONCLUSIONS use the warrant
mentioned earlier to decide something
about the data.
Example conclusions using the data and warrants above:
1) Because profits have more influence than service to the public, the
deregulated companies in California have not been keeping up with
energy demand by building up the power grid.
2) Since they have seen the public service ads, young people have become
aware of the dangers of smoking and have changed their behavior.
After completing the above activities, draft your essay!