Slides for Day 18 in EWRT 1A

1. CREM EWRT 1A
Day 18
Penultimate!

2. Agenda / Participation
 Kahoot quiz
 Integrating quotes from nonfiction
 Review P4
 Outline for P4
 Counterarguments
 Alternative Solutions
 Homework for Monday
 Participation for today:
 One point for participation in full
discussion. Limit 3.
 Kahoot points from your team.

3. Kahoot: The End of EWRT
 Get into teams—up to FOUR people
in a team.
 Someone on your team must have a
smart phone or laptop.
 You will need a good view of the
projection screen at the front.
 Everyone on your team will receive
the (adjusted) points your team
scores as participation.
 https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/7623d2
a1-9008-48fb-b3e5-55dcc939a0b7
 You should go to: http://kahoot.it

4. Integrating quotes from non-fiction
 Before the quote, you need to state
the author’s full name.
 You should include the title of the
book and you should summarize the
book in a few words.
 Ex.: Rebecca Solnit’s book Hope in
the Dark offers a guide to political
action for discouraged activists or
people who want to make change.
 You will need to provide context for
the quote. Books are long and each
chapter talks about many different
things.
 Ex.: In Hope in the Dark, Rebecca
Solnit offers a guide for keeping hope
alive in a dark world. As an example,
she discusses her own interactions
with ranchers when she was an
environmental activist in Nevada.
According to Solnit…
 Before the quote, you need to state
the author’s full name.
 You do NOT need to include the title
of the article, but if you don’t, you
should summarize the article in a
few words.
 Ex.: Mario Lopez, in an article about
the effects of rising sea levels on
Florida, says that...
 You may also need to provide
context for the quote. What
specifically is the author talking
about? How did they come to this
conclusion?
 Ex.: Jane Chen interviewed multiple
high school teachers for an article
about bullying. She claims that most
teachers…
IF IT’S A BOOK IF IT’S AN ARTICLE
ALL OF THIS
NEEDS TO
HAPPEN BEFORE
THE ACTUAL
QUOTE!

5. Essay #4: Proposing a Solution:
Assignment: Write an essay from five to seven pages in
length, that addresses the topic below. Use a minimum of
three credible sources to support your argument.
Prompt: Write an essay proposing a solution to a well-
defined problem that people in our area, our country, or our
world are facing today. This problem should be a general
problem, which means that it should affect more than just
you or people you know. You will want to make sure your
problem is appropriately narrowed so that you can describe
it and propose a reasonable solution in such a short paper.
Address your proposal to an audience of people who may
be able to contribute to solving the problem.
Calendar
• The peer revision will take place
during our finals meeting in
Week 12: Monday, March 26, 9:30
AM.
• Essay #4 will be due via Canvas
on Tuesday, March 27, by 5 PM.

6. Putting it together: Organizing your essay
 Your outline/essay organization will of course reflect your own
writing situation. While you already have a working plan, you
should not hesitate to change it as necessary while drafting and
revising. For instance, you might find it more effective to hold
back on presenting your own solution until you have discussed
alternative but unacceptable solutions. Or you might find a
better way to order the reasons for adopting your proposal. The
purpose of an outline or essay plan is to identify the basic
features of your proposal and to help you organize the pieces
effectively, not to lock you into a particular structure.

7. With your purpose and goals in mind, organize
an essay plan that includes the following:
1. a clear statement of the problem (A complete discussion of the
problem goes before your thesis statement).
2. your thesis statement, announcing the proposed solution and
forecasting your reasons for it
3. your argument for the solution, giving reasons and support
4. anticipation of counterargument(s) and a response to objections
readers might have about the proposed solution
5. your evaluation of alternative solution(s)

8. Here is a possible outline for a proposal. Yours may differ in
order, but it should include all of these parts:
I. Presentation of the problem (This is likely multiple paragraphs).
A. Its existence
B. Its seriousness
C. Its causes
D. Consequences of failing to solve the problem
II. Description of the proposed solution (Your thesis)
III. Reasons and support for the solution (This is likely multiple
paragraphs).
A. How or why will your solution solve the problem
B. How or why it is possible
IV. List of steps for implementing the solution
V. Counterargument
A. Acknowledgment of objection(s)
B. Accommodation or refutation of objection(s)
VI. Consideration of alternative solution(s) and its/their disadvantages.
VII.Conclusion
A. Restatement of the proposed solution and its advantages
B. A warning about the failure to solve the problem
C. A call to action

9. Planning a
Counterargument

10. Anticipate Objections.
Remember, you write a counterargument that addresses objections readers might
have to your solution. Write a few sentences responding to the following objections
you think are most likely.
 We can’t afford your solution.
 Your solution would take too long to implement or to show results.
 People would not accept your solution, or they would not participate in it.
 Too few would benefit from your solution.
 You would benefit personally from your solution.
 We already tried your solution, with unsatisfactory results.
Share some with the class!

11. Consider Alternative Solutions
This requires thinking!
Remember, ultimately, you are going to show why your solution is better
than these alternatives!

12. Considering Alternative Solutions
List two or three alternative solutions.
You may have discovered these alternatives while you were looking for a good
solution. You may have found alternative solutions when you did your research.
You do not have to list every solution that has been mentioned, but you should
include the most popular or serious alternatives.
If you include only obviously weak solutions in your argument, your credibility will
be harmed and you could be accused of committing the straw man fallacy,
which involves directing your argument against an alternative that nobody takes
seriously anyway.

13. Developing your evaluation of alternative solutions
Write a paragraph for each alternative solution you think you should include in your
argument. Describe the alternative solution fairly, quoting supporters if possible. Then
work out the reasons you believe the alternative solution won’t work.
 The alternative solution would not be feasible,
 The alternative solution would not solve the problem,
 The alternative solution would not be approved,
 The alternative solution would be hard to implement, or
 The alternative solution would be too costly, disruptive, or time-consuming to put
into effect.
Share some with the class!

14. Plan Follow-Up Research. Make notes about the kinds of information you
think would help make your counterargument
convincing for your readers and where you
think you can find this information.

15. Homework for Monday
 Remember: We meet here on
Monday at 9:30 AM.
 Bring two copies (one can be
electronic) of a FULL DRAFT (at
least four polished pages) of your
Paper 4.
 IF you bring a hard copy (and an
electronic copy) of a full draft, you
will receive 20 participation
points.