The Role of Physical Education In Schools
Essay # 3: Critical Response to a Topic with Two Sources [200 points] ASSIGNMENT: In Essay #2, you analyzed the rhetorical strategies of an article we’d read for class. In Essay #3 you will use some of the rhetorical strategies we have discussed to construct a focused, well-reasoned, and developed response to one of the topics listed below. This essay should present and argue your point, rather than summarize the ideas of another writer. However, in support of your argument, your essay will integrate one of the sources/articles we have read from our course textbook and two other articles or sources that you have found [through our library database or an approved news source] that I’ve approved as a reputable source of information (reputable sources do not include Wikipedia, Sparknotes, Cliffnotes, Blogs, etc) ❖ Once you’ve decided on your topic and the article from our text that you will reference, you
should begin answering the following questions: A. What argumentative techniques will you use to convince your reader? Techniques may
include rational appeals [cause and effect, logical connections, established facts from credible authorities], emotional appeals [experiences referenced in an objective and well-balanced tone], and reasonable evidence [illustrations, examples, compare and contrast].
B. What warrants (unstated but assumed beliefs or principles) exist between the claims you are making and the supporting evidence?
C. Evidence: is the evidence you provide typical and representative, relevant, specific and detailed, accurate and reliable, and sufficient?
D. Do you acknowledge, present, and respectfully deal with opposing viewpoints?
❖ Pay close attention to the following elements as you build your argument and revise your essay:
1. Language: what words and sentence structures are you using to convince a reader of your main point? Is you argument rational, clear, and well-supported?
2. Structure: What is your plan for presenting your argument? Will you use definition, classification and division, or comparison and contrast to organize the essay?
➔ ABOVE ALL, make sure you are aware of your essay’s “rhetorical situation” or context: your
identity, the audience, and the context [in this case, an academic audience] for your argument.
***Remember to introduce your sources by their full name and title the first time you mention them; for example: In the essay “Turning the Page on Disaster,” Edwidge Danticat provides insight into ....” etc. Following your first full mention of the source, you may refer to it by the author’s last name. For example, as “Danticat’s article.”
***Avoid “drop-in quotations”! NO sentence in your essay should begin with quotation marks—every quotation that appears in your essay must be introduced. For example: Smith also writes that “………..” Ramirez challenges/counters this idea in her analysis when she states “…………”
***You must also include a Works Cited page, in correct MLA format, with your final essay uploaded to Moodle, or expect to lose points.
AUDIENCE/TONE: Your audience for this essay is a well-informed academic audience. Establish an engaging tone in your first paragraph, but avoid casual language and do not use wording like “I believe” or “I think” that will put your objectivity into question. Write your essay in formal English, from a third-person point of view, and limit your use of first person singular (I/my) or second person (you/your).
FORMAT: Your essay of from 1000-1200 words will be in correct MLA format. See your Freshman Composition Course Packet for representative examples. EVALUATION: In evaluating your essay, I will be focusing on content, organization, development, details, and word choice, as well as on your choice and correct integration/use of sources, the argumentative strategies we will be discussing in class, and the points I have listed above.