Reading the Assignment

• As you read the assignments, make note of the type of writing you are required to complete, the sources you may need to describe and discuss in your writing, and the audience for your writing.

• Choose one prompt.

Analyzing the Assignment

• Complete a Do/What chart for the prompt you have chosen to help clarify directions. To create a “Do/What Chart,” draw a T-graph in your notes, labeling the left side “Do” and the right side “What.” Then list verbs from the prompt in the “Do” column and the objects of those verbs in the “What” column.

Do/What Chart Do What write essay detailing your perspective on the

value of life consider the texts, social and monetary values,

and suffering assume an intelligent audience think about the different texts you’ve read include metaphors, stories, interviews,

and/or criteria make choices about the presentation of your

ideas

Taking a Stance • Revisit the chart you made while reading the texts. Pay

particular attention to the column that asks about your opinion of each text’s claims. This will help you determine where your ideas fit within the “conversation” about valuing life that takes place in the texts we read. Fill in these blanks as a way of determining your own position.

• “I agree most with the ideas in ________ because _________.”

• “I agree least with the ideas in ________ because

_________.”

Formulating a Working Thesis • Your essay’s thesis is the primary claim that you will

be making about valuing life. There are several attributes of claims that form the basis of successful essays. A good claim is:• Clear: Your reader should easily understand your essay’s claim

because it answers the prompt and is one sentence.• Compelling: The claim should be interesting to your reader and

should make the reader want to read your entire paper. • Complex: A claim that is too simple will not engage your reader

and won’t contribute significantly to the “conversation” about the topic. • Contestable: Any claim that no one would disagree with is

unlikely to be of interest to your reader.

• Write your working thesis now.

Generating Evidence to Support your Claims • Many of the activities you have completed so far have prepared

you for your final writing task. To help you construct and support your claims for this essay, be sure to revisit your classwork and the chart to identify evidence you can use. As you review the evidence you’ve already generated consider the following questions:

1. How closely does this piece of evidence relate to the claim it is supposed to support? Is there another piece of evidence that could support your point better?

2. Is this piece of evidence a fact or an opinion? 3. If it is an opinion, what makes the opinion credible? 4. What makes this evidence persuasive?

Choose 5 pieces of evidence to use in your writing and evaluate them based on these criteria. Write

down the quotations or paraphrases in your classwork.

Getting Ready to Write

Brainstorm or outline your ideas on these topics:• What personal experiences have you had that

inform your stance on this topic? What observations and/or insights from outside reading or other sources can you add to the evidence you generated from the reading selections in this module?

Fill out the prereading worksheet to solidify your ideas.

Composing a First Draft • Every writer’s process for crafting a paper’s first

draft is unique. Some prefer to write an entire paper at a single sitting; others carefully plan the paper with outlines or maps prior to writing. The importance of a paper’s first draft is that it provides an opportunity for you to shape your ideas into a coherent, written form. Make sure to include correct citations and at least three they say/I say templates.

Your first draft is due _____________.

Peer revising• You will end up trading your essay four times.

• Each person you trade with will grade your paper on a different portion of the CHS writing rubric looking at: your introduction, your organization, your evidence, and your conclusion.

• We will go over each portion of the rubric before you trade, grade, and discuss.

• Use the feedback you received from your partners to improve your essay.

Your second typed draft is due _____________.

Editing with a Partner• You are no longer looking at content and

structure. You are just looking for spelling and grammar errors as well as awkward wording.

• You will trade papers with someone and read their paper to them out loud.

• You will mark anything that sounds “weird” and discuss what sounded “off” with your partner.

• You will also hear your paper read to you.

Editing for Grammar• With a blank sheet of paper, cover up your entire

writing except for the last sentence. Read this sentence and correct it for grammar or spelling or for tone.

• Move your paper up and uncover the second-to-last sentence and repeat the process.

• Work your way through your entire writing.

Your final typed draft is due _______________.