Unit 1 – Research, Summary, and Evaluation

Friday, January 17 – Research Questions

• Begin the class period by asking if there are any questions regarding discussion or the
class in general.
• Discuss the qualifications of a good research question. Ask students what they think
makes a good research question. Try to lead students to the following questions:
o Is it specific and focused enough? – Does it focus on a single problem or issue?
Can it be answered thoroughly?
o Is it complex enough? – Does it require synthesis and analysis of ideas and
sources prior to the creation of an answer?
o Is it arguable? – Is it open to debate rather than accepted as fact?
o Is it researchable? – Will you be able to find sources?
o Is it feasible? – Can the question be answered within the timeframe and
constraints of a 5-7 page paper?
o Is it relevant? – Does it pertain to your chosen field or society?
• Create a list with students of the qualifications that they think are important. It can
include any or all of the questions above or any other qualifications that the students
think are important.
• Group activity
o Split into groups of 3-4
o Go to the site https://www.midway.edu/student-life/student-
resources/library/research-tools/top-100-research-paper-topics/
o As a group, pick 2 questions on the list from different categories
o Work together to try and answer each of the questions from the list (qualification
list will be on the projector) for both research questions
o Decide as a group which question is better and why
• If time allows, have students share their results with the class. If needed, the results can
be turned in on Canvas, or the activity can be finished the following class period.

Wednesday, January 22 – Reading Academically

• Begin the class period by asking if there are any questions regarding the class in general.
• Then discuss questions about the strategies from the reading assignment (“Developing a
Repertoire of Reading Strategies”)
o Ask students which strategy they found the most interesting? The most
confusing? The most useful?
• Group Activity
o Split into groups of 3-4
o Assign each group one of the strategies from the reading
o Give students a short excerpt (1-2 pages) from an academic text
 o Have each group use their strategy to read the passage
o Have each group write out an evaluation of the strategy
▪ Did it help in understanding the text?
▪ What are the strengths/weaknesses of the strategy?
▪ What types of texts might the strategy be most useful for?
• If time allows, have students share their results with the class. If needed, the results can
be turned in on Canvas, or the activity can be finished the following class period.

Unit 2 – Academic Arguments

Friday, February 21 – Formulating a Thesis

• Begin the class period by asking if there are any questions regarding the reading
assignment (“Thesis Statements”) or the class in general.
• Then have students discuss the question: What is the difference between a claim and a
thesis?
• Together as group, decide on a claim to work with. If students cannot or do not want to
come up with a claim on their own, they can choose one of the following:
o Pizza is better than broccoli.
o Disney+ is better than Netflix. (or vice versa)
o Parking on campus should be free.
• Once the class has decided on a claim, have students work in groups to come up with a
thesis for the claim. They should make sure that they are trying to answer all of the
questions from the “How do I know if my thesis is strong?” section from the assigned
reading.
• Have each group share their thesis and write them all on the chalkboard.
• Then, have all students vote on whether or not each thesis is strong and discuss
possibilities for improvement.

Unit 3 – Writing in Genre

Friday, April 3 – Poetic Writing

• Begin the class period by asking if there are any questions regarding the reading
assignment (“Poetic Copywriting…Elevate to Great”) or the class in general.
• Discuss the three recommendations from the reading: figurative language (metaphor,
simile, and personification), description (using the 5 senses), and narrative (who, what,
where, when, why). If needed, use the following discussion questions:
 o Which of these three methods do you think is the most effective? Why?
o What is the point of poetic writing?
o Can poetic writing create an effective argument?
• Split the class into three groups and assign each one of the recommendations.
• Then, have each group try to find an example of their method in the second assigned
reading “Joyas Voladoras.”
• Have each group share with the class which example they chose and how they think it is
working within the piece as a whole.
• If time allows, discuss “Joyas Voladoras” further with the following possible discussion
questions:
o What possible argument could this piece be making?
o What is the piece really about? (No, it is not about hummingbirds or whales.)
o How is the figurative language working in the piece?
o Doyle writes in a very distinct style. In this, in particular, he varies between
extremely short and extremely long sentences. Why do you think he does that?
Does it put emphasis on particular images? Which ones?
o Does any possible argument get lost in the poetic language or is it strengthened by
it?

Unit 4 – Alternative Ways to Argue

Friday, April 17 – Script Writing

• Begin the class period by asking if there are any questions regarding the class in general.
• Discuss how a script might be considered an argument. Have students consider the
following questions:
o How might the argument be made? By a specific character? By the scene or story
as a whole? How would each of these look?
o How might scene headings, set descriptions, or action cues be used to help the
argument? Or is the main point the dialogue? Why?
o Who might the audience of the argument be and how might that affect how the
script develops? A specific character in the script? The general characters in the
scene? The audience of the performance?
• Considering the previous discussion, talk about the assigned reading (“The Stronger”).
o What argument does the script make?
o Who makes the argument?
o Who is the argument meant for?
o Is it effective? Why or why not?
• If time allows, have students attempt to rewrite the script (or part of it) with Miss Y
talking and Mrs. X staying silent. This assignment can be shared with the class or turned
in on Canvas.