Op-ed assignment (06)

ENG3UI Summative Activities May 2006 Ms Rice 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS have guided our study throughout the year:

Essential question for course overall –

What role does language play in the way humans relate to one another?

Questions for this year’s units:

Unit 1 – Find Your Voice – How do speakers and writers use different means to create their voices?

Unit 2 – Power and the Art of Discourse – How do speakers and writers use language to shape and manipulate opinions of others?

Unit 3 – Touchstones of Poetry – How has our language evolved over time? How are language and people’s ideas reflected in literature over time?

Unit 4 – Literature and the “Real World” – How does literature reflect people’s relationships in personal and political spheres?

Summative Question: What is a “citizen rhetor”? How can you demonstrate that you are one?

In the Summative Activities, you will demonstrate that you:

• • have established your own voice

  • can use it to shape the opinions of your readers

  • are able to evaluate the voices and ideas of others

  • are able to develop your own opinions about issues that matter to you

Using the materials you have gathered in your journals during the year, you will formulate your own essential questions that will help you narrow down your ideas and raw data to a single issue that interests you and that demonstrates how some aspect of either 1984 or Handmaid’s Tale is reflected in the “real world”. You will then synthesize your sources and develop your own opinion about that issue.

Summative products:

• • journal / portfolio of collected source materials (ungraded – for reference only)

  • annotated Works Cited list of selected sources

  • “newspaper” that includes:

    • • 2-3 informational materials representing a range of sources & data

      • one visual source (e.g.: chart, graph or cartoon)

      • one opinion piece from a suitable source

      • a periodical-style opinion piece written by you that refutes or qualifies the position taken by the published opinion piece, using and making direct reference to the collected material listed above

Evaluation

Your final products (“newspaper” and annotated Works Cited list) will be evaluated based on the following general criteria (see rubric for more details):

Knowledge/Understanding:

Op/Ed piece shows a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the issue

Thinking/Inquiry:

Material collection and annotation demonstrate careful selection and evaluation of sources

Arguments are supported by thorough logic, reasoning, and evidence

Rhetorical choices enhance writing

Communication:

Diction is rich, varied, and mature

Ideas progress forcefully in an organized way

Writing employs a voice appropriate to purpose

Application:

Mechanics are polished

Bibliographic format and citation style are correct

Summative work policy:

All preparatory work and writing will be done in class time. A timeline is provided below to outline the approximate expected progress throughout the summative period.

Missed classes will be made up during set after-school times. It is your responsibility to notify me of anticipated conflicts and to attend the make-up sessions. Times for make-up sessions will be posted on the course page on Blackboard.

All work will be submitted for evaluation at the end of the summative period, regardless of stage of completion. If incomplete, work will be evaluated as-is.