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Welcome, Lions!
KEY SKILLS:
The skills in this unit cover a huge amount of rhetorical territory most of which we have already seen in previous units. Now's the time to review semester 1, add in what we can, and meanwhile push ourselves to incorporate as much as we can into our process vis a vis reading and composing. The headings are the BIG IDEAS while the key skills are the selection of skills most pertinent to this unit, Unit, 4, The Power of Nature. The questions help you generate ideas useful for analyzing the texts and writing commentary in your essays.
RHETORICAL SITUATION
1.A: Identify and describe components of the rhetorical situation: the exigence, audience, writer, purpose, context, and message.
Who or what is the writer, audience, message, purpose, and context that comprise this rhetorical situation?
What provoked or inspired the writer to develop this text?
What is the writer’s purpose for developing this text?
How does the writer consider the rhetorical situation when crafting their message?
What perspectives on the subject might the audience have due to their shared and/or individual beliefs, values, needs, and backgrounds?
How do the writer’s choices in the text reflect both the constraints and the available means of persuasion within the context?
How do the writer’s rhetorical choices in the introduction and/or conclusion not only reflect their purpose and context but also address the intended audience’s needs and perspective on the subject?
2.A: Write introductions and conclusions appropriate to the purpose and context of the rhetorical situation.
What are the components of your rhetorical situation?
What are the particular circumstances of the context in which you write, and how do these circumstances inform your writing choices?
What are your audience’s knowledge, beliefs, values, and perspective regarding the subject?
What is your relationship with the audience, and how do you want the audience to perceive you?
What is the relationship between your introduction and conclusion and your thesis?
Will presenting your thesis in the introduction or conclusion more effectively accomplish your purposes?
When writing an introduction to an argument, which rhetorical choices might you make to orient, engage, and/or focus the audience?
What are the boundaries placed on the writing choices you can make in your context?
When writing a conclusion to an argument, which rhetorical choices might you make to engage and/or focus the audience?
What should your introduction and conclusion accomplish?
CLAIMS & EVIDENCE
3.B: Identify and describe the overarching thesis of an argument, and any indication it provides the argument’s structure.
KEY QS:
What is the writer’s thesis (i.e., the main, overarching claim they seek to defend or prove by using reasoning supported by evidence)?
Is the writer’s thesis explicitly stated in the argument, or is it implicit?
How does the writer’s thesis reflect their position and perspective on the subject?
How does the writer’s syntactical and word choices in their thesis reflect their rhetorical situation and the scope of their argument?
How does the writer’s thesis preview their argument’s line of reasoning?
Where in the argument does the writer present their thesis, and why might they have chosen this particular placement?
4.B: Write a thesis statement that requires proof or defense and that may preview the structure of the argument.
What is your perspective on the subject?
How do you consider your perspective on the subject and narrow ideas to establish a position on the subject?
How can you consider your perspective and position on a subject to develop a thesis (i.e., the main, overarching claim you seek to defend or prove by using reasoning supported by evidence)?
How do you develop a thesis of appropriate scope for the rhetorical situation and avoid oversimplifying complex subjects?
What syntactical and word choices might you make to develop a thesis statement?
How might you preview your argument’s line of reasoning in your thesis statement?
Where might you strategically present your thesis statement in your argument?
How might you revise your thesis statement in light of new evidence?
REASONING & ORGANIZATION:
5.C: Recognize and explain the use of methods of development to accomplish a purpose.
KQs:
Which method(s) of development does the writer select to develop their ideas?
How and why does the writer select and use a particular method of development to advance their purpose?
What is the relationship between the method of development a writer uses and their line of reasoning?
How does the writer organize ideas when using a particular method of Development?
6.C: Use appropriate methods of development to advance an argument.
KQs:
Considering your line of reasoning, which methods of development might you use to develop your ideas and advance your purposes?
How do you organize your ideas when using particular methods of development?
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