Argumentative Writing: Native American Mascots Assignment

Argumentative Writing: Write an editorial about the use of Native American Mascots in Sports

Objectives:

-Understand what role Indian mascots play in the world of high school, college, and professional sports.

-Outline the debate about Indian mascots by focusing on the American Indian community's objections to their use as well as the defense of mascot use within the world of sports.

-Choose and side and construct an effective argument about the use of Native American mascots

Prioritized Standards:

ELAGSE11-12W1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

 ELAGSE11-12RI2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text. 

ELAGSE11-12RI6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text. 

About this Activity

An editorial is an article that presents the newspaper's opinion on an issue. For this assignment you will be thinking about and responding to an important current issue: the use of Native Americans as sports teams mascots. You will read and evaluate various sources on the topic.

The Issue

Native Americans as Mascots: Recently debated by school districts, collegiate athletic associations and professional sports franchises, the debate over the use of Native Americans as mascots has resulted in the replacement of some of these mascots with alternative symbols. Critics of Native American mascots claim that the representations are stereotypical, disrespectful and even degrading. Those who wish to maintain the mascots for their teams claim that the Native American motif glorifies the bravery and endurance of the Native American people.

Your Task:

Read and evaluate various sources on the topic. Using the sources, write a well-developed editorial for or against a national bill banning the use of Native American imagery for mascots of all athletic teams. Before taking a position it is important that you consider a variety of viewpoints. You have been provided with source materials related to this issue. Read and watch these materials and use the information contained in them to choose and support the position you take in your essay. Submit your pre-writing chart and your final draft to Edgenuity. Your final editorial should be roughly 500 words.

Example Editorial: The Dangers of the Selfie, Courier Editorial Staff, Sept. 20, 2015 The Courier:

All too frequently, common sense takes a holiday with a cellphone in hand. According to the National Safety Council, an estimated 1.6 million accidents occur annually as distracted drivers text. The University of North Texas Health Science Center has determined 16,141 deaths occurred as a result of texting while driving. Those are frightening statistics for anyone on the road who could become the victim of such wanton negligence. But the dangers in the digital divide don’t stop there. In this Age of Internet Narcissism, dozens of deaths annually have been attributed to selfies — selfportraits using cellphones often taken in unusual circumstances. A North Carolina driver was killed when she crashed into a truck while posting a selfie of herself singing Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.”

A pilot in Colorado lost control of his Cessna 150, killing himself and his passenger. A Puerto Rican musician died while taking a selfie on a motorcycle. A Polish couple crossed a safety barrier and fell off a cliff in Portugal while taking a selfie as their children watched. Several instances of “death by selfie” occurred while the photographer inadvertently pulled the trigger of a loaded gun in the other hand. Selfie sticks also figure in the carnage. One person was killed when he was struck by lightning. Another died after climbing atop a train when his selfie stick touched a high-voltage wire. Russia announced a public campaign against selfies in dangerous situations after 10 reported deaths and 100 injuries this year. An official stated, “We would like to remind the citizens that the chase for ‘likes’ in social networks can lead to the road of death.”

In Denver, officials closed a public park in late August after incidents involving individuals taking selfies with bears. That echoed an action at Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, where a “bear bulletin” was issued to dissuade tourists from taking selfies with the animals alongside the road. Earlier in the summer, rangers in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming felt compelled to distribute pamphlets with an image of a man being gored and flung into the air by a bison. The animals, they noted, are “wild, unpredictable, and dangerous.” They also weigh 3,500 pounds and have been clocked at 30 mph. Three aborted Yellowstone selfies with bison could have added a new meaning to “photo bomb.” A 43-year-old Mississippi woman and her daughter were within 6 yards of a bison for their photo op when nature reared its ugly head. According to a park service Sample Editorials statement, “They heard the bison’s footsteps moving toward them and started to run, but the bison caught the mother on the right side, lifted her up and tossed her with its head.” She suffered only minor injuries. Other selfie-related incidents involved a 16-yearold Taiwanese girl and a 62-year-old Australian man being gored by bison. In San Diego — in an extraordinarily stupid and expensive instance of a selfie — a man picked up a rattlesnake from the brush for his photo documentation. The snake gashed his arm. It took the anti-venom stock at two hospitals to save him. The bill was $153,161.25, including $83,341.25 for pharmacy costs. While squirrels on the Wartburg College campus are legendary for their friendliness, a selfie with the rodents can pose a risk. A Maine teenager in Florida to check out a college campus saw a squirrel sitting on a handrail in a park and took a selfie. The flash from the cellphone scared the squirrel, which climbed under his shirt and hung onto his back. “I threw myself on the ground, and that scared him off,” said Brian Genest, whose mother captured the incident on Instagram. An estimated one million selfies are taken daily.

Time Magazine has even ranked the Top Selfie Spots in the world — Makati City and Pasig, the Philippines at No. 1, followed by Manhattan, Miami and Orange County, Calif. Obviously, the vast majority of selfies aren’t hazardous to health — until the obsession becomes too adventurous. While the list of selfie-related accidents may seem stranger than fiction, the tragedy is that basic precautions to maintain life and limb were ignored in pursuit of a photo.

Part 1: The Organizer

Topic Sentence (What is your stance on the issue):
Reason #1 (provide evidence from a source):	Interpretation (explain how your evidence supports your stance): 1. 2.
Reason #2 (provide evidence from a source):	Interpretation (explain how your evidence supports your stance): 1. 2.
Reason #3 (provide evidence from a source):	Interpretation (explain how your evidence supports your stance): 1. 2.
Counter Argument (what arguments can be made in opposition to your point):	Rebuttal (write a statement challenging the counterargument):

Part 2: The Editorial

Four Types of Editorials Will: 1.  Explain or interpret : Editors often use these editorials to explain the way the newspaper covered a sensitive or controversial subject. School newspapers may explain new school rules or a particular student-body effort like a food drive. 2.  Criticize:  These editorials constructively criticize actions, decisions or situations while providing solutions to the problem identified. Immediate purpose is to get readers to see the problem, not the solution. 3.  Persuade:  Editorials of persuasion aim to immediately see the solution, not the problem. From the first paragraph, readers will be encouraged to take a specific, positive action. Political endorsements are good examples of editorials of persuasion. 4.  Praise:  These editorials commend people and organizations for something done well. They are not as common as the other three.

Editorials have: 1. Introduction, body and conclusion like other news stories 2. Opinions from the opposing viewpoint that refute directly the same issues the writer addresses 3. The opinions of the writer delivered in a professional manner. Good editorials engage issues, not personalities and refrain from name-calling or other petty tactics of persuasion. 4. Alternative solutions to the problem or issue being criticized. Anyone can gripe about a problem, but a good editorial should take a pro-active approach to making the situation better by using constructive criticism and giving solutions. 4. A solid and concise conclusion that powerfully summarizes the writer's opinion. Give it some punch.

Your editorial should be about 500 words. Be sure to label your evidence form the articles using MLA style parenthetical citations. Write your editorial, and upload your final document to Edgenuity:

The Rubric

Point value	4- Mastery	3- Proficient	2-Developing	1- Needs Continuing Guidance
Topic Sentence	Very well developed topic sentence. It engages the reader and creates interest. It clearly states the topic being argued and takes a stand.	The topic sentence is fairly well developed. But it is not very engaging or creative..	The topic sentence states the topic being argued, but it may not take a clear stand.	The topic sentence does not state what is being argued, and there is no clear stand taken.
Supporting Details	Reasons for the argument are clearly stated, and there are enough details to support the argument effectively and thoroughly. Concrete and specific examples are presented that effectively support and strengthen the argument.	Reasons for the argument are stated and there are enough details and examples to support the argument adequately and logically.	Reasons for the argument are stated, but there are few concrete and specific details or examples to support the argument adequately or logically.	Reasons for the argument are not stated, or there are obvious fallacies that contradict the details and examples. Perhaps the argument is an unsupported rant.
Organization	Thoughtful, logical progression of supporting examples; Mature transitions between ideas.	Details are arranged in a logical progression; appropriate transitions.	Acceptable arrangement of examples; transitions may be weak.	No discernible pattern of organization; Unrelated details; no transitions.
Completion of the Organizer	Organizer is complete, with a topic sentence, well-developed reasons and interpretations, and an effective counter-claim.	Organizer is missing 1-2 elements. Elements may be missing development.	Organizer is missing 13-4 elements. Elements may be missing development.	Organizer is missing several elements and has little to no development.
Mechanics and Form	Consistent standard English usage, spelling, and punctuation. No errors.	Some errors, but none major, in usage, spelling, or punctuation. (1-2)	A few errors in usage, spelling, or punctuation (3-4)	Distracting errors in usage, spelling, or punctuation

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__________Total Score/100