Paper 3: Argumentative Essay
The paper: The purpose of this paper is to analyze an idea and to argue one side of that idea. You want to describe the position you take, not just express approval for or against it.
This paper is worth 35 points.
Due Dates:
Rough draft 11/5
Final draft 11/22
Requirements:
• This paper will be 7-9 pages long,
• Use formal/professional language – no I, me, us, we
• It will have at least 6 sources
• MLA formatting and citations (Works cited required)
Instructions:
Choose a topic from the list on page 2.
Find sources that discuss the topic from a variety of angles.
Write an argumentative essay that is one of these three types:
Evaluative Causal Proposal/Position
Your paper must have:
• A logical organization of material
• Introductory paragraph(s) that states the issue
• The use of rhetorical tools (logic, ethics, emotion, time)
• Demonstration of the rhetorical situation (exigence, audience, constraints)
• Inclusion of sources – at least 6 [quotes, paraphrases, summaries, in-text cites]
• Clear conclusion
• Works cited in MLA style
As you write this essay, you will want to show how something can be done, when/why something is right at a specific age/time, or what it takes to learn/teach something according to a specific methodology.
List of Topics
What is the right age to learn to play a musical instrument? (Choose a specific instrument, talk about the method, techniques, reasons for, etc.)
When is a person ready to learn a sport? (Choose 1 sport to discuss)
How can reading or math be taught? (Choose a method, like See and Say, phonics, etc. or a specific type of math – development of algebra skills, for example)
What is a great method for managing money? (Find a model and explain what makes it work, how it compares to alternative methods)
Should electronics become obsolete? How could that be prevented?
What are necessary life skills to know at the start of college? (Create a list, organize skills in major/minor groups, show how they are developed, etc.)
What is the value of competition?
What is the value of travel?
What value is there in non-traditional learning methods?
[Choose one non-traditional style (online school, apprenticeships, year-round school, etc.) and explain/demonstrate its value]
How can a method of transportation become relevant after it is obsolete? [Find an example, demonstrate how it can/has become relevant again]
What is the safest yet most useful way to hold school during a pandemic?
How to get your paper started:
• Consider your position. Make a list of good reasons.
• What background do you have in this area, that gives you some “Velcro” for analyzing the idea? (Personal experience is nice, but is hard to cite. Think of sources you have read/accessed, like books, a coach, teacher, magazine articles, etc.)
• Look for more sources. Popular sources are good, but you want a couple of scholarly sources, too.
• What do the experts say about this idea? What disagreements do they have and why?
• Consider your fuller position, with the research info you have now.
Writing the Paper
Explain the position of your paper.
What is your opinion? (Put it in third person, i.e. “The best age to start children in music is X. At this age, children can…”)
Then build the paper from there-
Choose 3 reasons to support your position
Back up the reasons with sources – 1 per reason AT LEAST
Explain how each source supports the reason
Show what objections others may have [“Some experts, like Jude Smith of Big College, says that children should only start learning to play after age 13 because…”]
Explain why your position is still valid
Conclude
Restate the thesis
Give the reasons (in short)
Wrap it up
Support your Research!
As you write your paper, you need to use sources to help you analyze the position of your paper. Cite those sources in the body of the paper, when you cite a unique fact that is not well known. For example, if you say that Newton discovered principles of gravity, this is well understood. No in-text cite is needed.
But: if you mention that Newton may have started his work with gravity while at home during a health pandemic, this is not as well known. You will want to include an in-text cite (“7 Fascinating Facts about Sir Isaac Newton”) to credit the source.
Here are more source-citing tips:
Paraphrase: restate the information in your own words, using about the same amount of space as was used in the original.
Summarize: condense a source in your own words. This should be about 1/3 as long as the original.
Quote: using quotation marks, copy a sentence or short paragraph from your source to illustrate a point you are trying to make.
If there is a graph or chart with great information, explain it to the reader. Example:
Reed and Malloy demonstrate this with a chart in the article, “My Car at Work” on page 14. Here, they demonstrate that the hardest wear and tear on patrol cars comes after a collision. Fifty percent of all collisions result in repair bills, they state, and another 12 percent of collisions total the cars.
If you include a graph or other illustration in your paper, label it with brackets and the words Figure 1 (or Figure 2 or 3, based on how many illustrations you add).
Example:
[Figure 1]
Rubric for Paper 3 Argumentative Essay
These are the guidelines by which your final draft of the paper will be graded. Make sure that your paper is free of typographical errors, misspellings, and grammar and punctuation problems. The more editing errors there are, the harder it is for someone to read your paper and understand your point.
A Paper:
• Describes your topic clearly
• Convinces the reader that you did thorough research (good in-text citations are key)
• Demonstrates good analytical and explanatory skills
• Paper structure is clearly organized.
• Grammar, usage and formatting are excellent – no changes.
B Paper:
• Talks about the topic
• Shows the reader that you did some research, but leaves the impression that it could have been more thorough
• Demonstrates some analytical/explanatory skill in consideration of your topic
• Paper is not as clearly organized as it could be
• Grammar, usage and formatting are okay – some changes needed.
C Paper:
• Is unclear about the topic – weak topic refining
• Shows minimal research – letter of the law but no further
• Shows poor analytical/explanatory skills – sources are weakly related to the argument topic
• Paper poorly organized
• Grammar, usage and formatting need work.
F Paper:
• Topic is hard to identify or is nonexistent
• Has extremely weak sources (or none)
• No analysis of sources to argument topic, little explanation of topic
• Paper is generally disorganized – unclear composition structure
• Grammar, usage and formatting are not acceptable.
Idea Sheet: Due Oct. 22 on Brightspace
[Copy and paste this template onto your own document to submit it.]
Look over the topic sheet included with your Paper 3 instruction packet.
Select one of the topics for your analytical essay, and do some research on your topic. Complete this sheet and hand it in during your conference.
Find at least three sources that you will use for your argumentative essay and list them on this sheet.
Topic for my essay:
Three sources I will be using, including Title, Author, Publication, 1-sentence Summary of the Article and/or Website: