Thesis Statement, Outline, and Essay

Essay 3: Toulmin Model Argument about the Environment

Instructions

In Module/Week 8, you will write a 1200-word (4–5-page) essay using the Toulmin Model argument in response to one of the following prompts:

· What specific action(s) should Christians take regarding the environment and its preservation or restoration?

As you have done before, be sure to follow the Writing Processes guidelines: gather all of your information, plan the direction of your essay, and organize your ideas by developing a 1-page thesis statement and outline for your essay. Format the thesis statement and the outline in a single Word document using current MLA, APA, or Turabian style (whichever corresponds to your degree program). Draft your essay and submit your thesis, outline, and draft by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 7 for instructor feedback.

For this assignment, be sure to:

· Follow the appropriate formatting style for your degree program (MLA, APA, or Turabian).

· Use at least 5 external sources (including relevant readings in your textbook and/or any other sources you might find).

· Use a combination of quotes, summaries, and paraphrases.

· Use signal phrases and proper in-text citations.

· Include a References/Works Cited page, which lists all sources you used, including any images. Note: Any images you might use in your essay to support your argument must not take up more than 1/3 of a page (with 1" margins), and they will not count in the total page count for the assignment.

· Conduct your own research. Some website resources are listed in the Reading and Study folder; however, they are just a start.

· Use the Grading Rubric, Thesis, Outline, and Draft suggestions from your instructor, and Proofreading Checklist (provided below) to revise your essay.

· Include your thesis statement and outline on a separate page at the end of the document.

· Type your degree program and which style of writing you are using (MLA, APA, or Turabian) on the Title Page and in the “Submission Title” field of the SafeAssign link in the module so that your instructor can grade your essay accordingly.

Be sure to cite fully all quotations, summaries, paraphrases, and images. If you fail to give credit for outside material, it will be regarded as plagiarism and will result in a "0" on your essay and possibly course failure.

Please Note: This assignment must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday of Module/Week 8 and must include a title page, essay itself, a works cited/references page of any primary or secondary texts cited in the essay, followed by the thesis/outline page. 

*******EXAMPLE OF TOULMIN*********

When preparing your Toulmin argument, you must follow the specific framework for the argument. See the information below. Your outline must follow this structure. Do not forget your rebuttal.     

When writing your thesis and outline, look at the following information:

 Step 1: Choose a topic and identify your audience.

 *Audience: Who are they? What do they believe? What do we have in common? What differences do we have? What motivates them? What is the best appeal to use (ethos, pathos, logos)?

 Step 2: Identify your claim. (Decide what you want to argue about the topic. It needs to be debatable)

 Types of Arguments to consider:

 Factual:  Is it true?  Actual facts

 Definition: What is it?  Classify/Define

 Cause/Effects: Why did it occur?  What are the long term results?

 Values Based: Moral vs. immoral? Productive vs. unproductive?

 Action Based: What needs to be done?  Who can fix it and how?

 Step 3: Turn your claim into a clear thesis statement.

 Constructing a Toulmin Argument Outline

 Step 4: Create an outline (include each of the following supported by your research)

 

•        Claim: Thesis statement (the viewpoint that you want your audience to accept)

 

•        Support: Give reasons why your audience should believe what you have to say about the topic.

 

•        Warrant: Reach a common ground with your audience.

 

•        Backing: Evidence to convince your audience that you share common ground (warrant).

 

•        Rebuttal: Consider possible opposing viewpoints and explain why your claim is better. Your rebuttal should be a full paragraph. 

 

•        Qualifier: Decide whether it is appropriate to use qualifiers (some, many, often, if, better) or absolute terms (all, always, never, best).

So, your thesis/outline page will look like this (you can actually copy and paste this into a word document and fill in the blanks if you wish. Your Toulmin argument must include all of these parts):

Claim: Thesis statement ______________________________

Support: __________________________________________

Warrant: __________________________________________

Backing: ___________________________________________

Qualifier: ___________________________________________ (Don't get stressed out about the qualifiers. Just try to think ahead about what you will be discussing in your paper and which qualifiers you will be using.)

Rebuttal:___________________________________________

Proofreading Checklist

Part 1:

Read through your paper and check the appropriate boxes on the chart below. If any area of your paper needs revision, make sure you correct it before submitting your final essay. One of the best ways to proofread your writing is to read it backward to forward, sentence-by-sentence. This helps you to see words and ideas you may have missed. Another very successful tool for proofreading is to read your work out loud to someone else. Students often think that handing their paper to someone and asking them to read it is the same thing, but it isn’t. Instead, ask them to listen while you read your own words. You will immediately hear what you missed or want to improve in your writing.

Feature	Successful	Needs Revision
	x
1. Clearly shows my opinion
2. Tells a story that reflects my opinion
3. Contains pathos (emotional) appeals
4. Contains ethos (values/belief) appeals
5. Contains logos (factual) appeals
6. Title reflects my issue and opinion
7. Contains appropriate header for my discipline (APA or Turabian)
8. If using APA, contains properly formatted title and abstract pages
9. Double-spaced
10. Margins are 1 inch wide on all sides
11. Font is New Times Roman, 12 pt.
12. References/Works Cited page includes all sources used for this essay
13. Spellchecked

Part 2:

When you are satisfied with the quality of your essay, post it to Blackboard via the SafeAssign link for grading. Do not forget to write your degree program and whether you are using MLA, APA, or Turabian on the Title Page and in the “Submission Title” field when submitting your paper.