Social Issue Research & Argument

Essential Goal: To study and weigh the sometimes conicting perspectives on a social issue in order to develop an informed stance and to write a well-structured essay that convinces readers of writer's stance, cites the research sources used, and states and refutes the counter-argument. As you begin this unit, you might start by thinking in terms of the "Big 6": 1) What is the task, and what information is needed? 2) What are possible sources of information, and which would be best? 3) Where are those sources? Access them! 4) Read/watch/listen, and extract relevant information. (Take notes only on relevant, useful info.) 5) Organize information and present (write essay). 6) Judge your result against the rubric, and assess the efciency of your process. Note Taking: You must take notes from the information sources you nd that have useful, relevant information. You will turn your notes in along with your essay, and they must be in a consistent format. I highly recommend digital note cards (as I demonstrated in class; template shared in Google Docs which you can copy and rename for your own use), but you may take notes on index cards if you prefer. I will not accept or give more than minimal credit (1 out of 5) for notes that are essentially unorganized lists of bullet points. If digital notes are your chosen format, please name the le "Core ## - Social Issues Notes - Full Name", substituting your core class (Core 12, for example) and your name. Notes taken non-digitally must be turned it with your nal essay packet in a secure form (note cards in ziplock baggies stapled to back of packet, for example). Plagiarism & Citations: It is crucial that you avoid plagiarism; to do so, you need to understand that plagiarism is more than cutting/pasting someone elses work. It includes using someone elses ideas or work, even if youve phrased it in your own words, without giving credit to that person. Students committing deliberate plagiarism will receive a zero for the entire essay and will be asked to do a new essay on a new topic in order to earn half credit! Here are several tips that will help you avoid plagiarism: 1) Dont have your information source open when you actually take the notes; this will force you to write information in your own words. 2) When using your notes to draft, revise, rewrite, and edit your essay, include a citation at the end of the sentence where you used someone elses information. Better to be safe than sorry. 3) Dont write notes from more than once source on a note card. 4) Dont write notes about different reasons or topics on a note card, even if those notes come from the same information source (book, website, etc).

Criteria Research & Annotated Bibliography: 10% -notes are paraphrased and reect student's understanding; not copied or cut/pasted -direct quotes are clearly and exactly copied and use quotation marks -notes are extracted from multiple sources, and source is clear on note card / notes -annotated bibliography is correctly formatted (MLA) and includes root URLs, not just "Web." -annotations consist of two short paragraphs in order: 1) summary; and 2) credibility assessment. Process: 10% -detailed pre-write planning (detailed outline) -signicant volume of writing (multiple drafts or work showing rewriting, revision, and editing) -all work turned in (planning, drafts, revisions, peer feedback) Content: 30% -creative title -lead that grabs reader's attention -introduction effectively introduces a serious, debatable topic and culminates in a clear position -develops 2-3 arguments in support of the position -uses various types of evidence (facts, statistics, expert opinions, examples, stories) and avoids relying on writer's personal opinions or conclusions as evidence -identies and refutes a counter-argument Organization: 20% -clearly organized -variety of sentence structures -uses transitions effectively between ideas as well as between pieces of evidence Mechanics: 20% -correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation -complete sentences (no fragments or run-on sentences) -commas properly used after introductory phrases/clauses -commas properly used with coordinating conjunctions when writing compound sentences Citations & Quotations: 5% -quotations and quoted text are properly introduced and punctuated, including the use of quotation marks -citations are included in the text of the essay to acknowledge the use of researched information in your writing ("in-text citations") Format: 5% -nal draft of essay is shared correctly in Google Docs, including proper le name (Core ## - Social Issues Essay - Full Name) -12 point font (Helvetica, Arial, Courier, or Times Roman), black ink, single spacing -1 inch margins on left, right, top, and bottom; title centered at top of page -no "name heading" in upper right unless submitted on paper