This week, we will focus on "considering the opposition." In other words, most students seem to support raising the minimum wage. But, why do some people oppose raising the minimum wage? In all persuasive essays, it's important to address the opposition. Being able to understand and refute the opposition makes your argument stronger by showing that you've considered opposing viewpoints and are presenting a balanced opinion.
This week's objectives are:
Understand the importance of considering the opposition
Summarize the argument made by those that oppose raising the minimum wage
Write effective topic sentences
Considering the Opposition
Get started by reading this short article on the importance of considering the opposition.
Notice how the author says, "showing how your way of seeing things is better reveals you, the author, as a thoughtful, reasonable, thorough individual." In other words, imagine if you were in an argument and your opponent just ignored everything you said. If they ignore what you say, isn't it likely that you will also ignore what they say. Therefore, considering the opposition is an important part of a persuasive essay because it shows that you are thoughtful, reasonable, and respectful.
In addition, considering the opposition also helps make your own argument stronger. In proving another argument wrong, you will learn how to make your own argument better.
"Your paper becomes strong by taking on the strength of the opposition."
So this week, you should focus your energy on learning about why people oppose raising the minimum wage. But instead of finding your own article, we will all read the same article. Click here to access this week's article that discusses why some economists oppose raising the minimum wage. You will see in the shared Google Doc below that you will need to find your own article for one of the questions, too.
Then, in your writing assignment, you will be asked to summarize their argument and develop a "counter-argument' to prove them wrong!
#SentenceStarters
In your assignment (click here to access the shared Doc), I want you to practice developing complete sentences using "sentence starters". A sentence starter is a simple way of using the question to start your response. In other words, writers often struggle to figure out "how to start" an essay. But, the question itself can be used to develop the first part of your sentence.
For Example
Question: What is your favorite animal?
Answer: "My favorite animal is..."
Notice how the question itself can be restated as a response? This is a very simple and effective way to get started with a written response. Now this is obviously kind of a weird question, but let's try it in the context of one of your questions for this week's assignment.
First, please explain what it means to “consider the opposition”. You should also discuss why it’s important to do so. You can start your response by saying, “Considering the opposition means to...”
Notice how saying, "Considering the opposition means to..." is just a restatement of the question, "What does it mean to consider the opposition?" Look for the #SentenceStarter for ideas on how to get started with your response.
Your assignment will be graded as follows (and is due by 12pm on Wednesday, September 17th):
Tip: Many students have been graded down the past few modules because they either didn't read the question or check the grading rubric. So before you submit the assignment, make sure you check that you've answered each question and that you've included each item in the grading rubric.