Tracing an Argument
What is a claim?
A claim is an author's position or what he or she believes.
Claims must be supported by ____.
Sufficient and relevant evidence
Text 1: I'll never forget the day that Apollo 11 landed on the moon. It was July 20, 1969, and I had just turned 12. Although it took place late on a Sunday night our time, my parents let me stay up past my bedtime to join the millions of people watching Neil Armstrong take the first step on the moon's surface.
Text 2: At 10:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time on Sunday, July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set food on the surface of the moon. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin followed Armstrong onto the lunar surface 20 minutes later. These historic events were broadcast from the moon's surface and watched by perhaps the largest television audience ever - approximately half a billion people around the world.
The author of text 2 would BEST agree with which statement from text 1?
A. It was unforgettable.
B. It was worth staying up past your bedtime to watch.
C. the moon landing had millions of viewers
C
List as many mediums of communication as you can - the ways stories are passed on or ways information is shared with an audience. i.e. newspapers, Fox News
TV, internet, radio, newspapers, magazines, novels, brochures, youtube videos, social media, Tik Tok, forums and blogs, etc.
Provide the word that matches the following definition:
directly related to
relevant
What does it mean to trace an argument?
To follow the argument by identifying the claim and the evidence used to support it.
What does it mean to evaluate a claim?
to judge the quality of the argument
Text 1: I'll never forget the day that Apollo 11 landed on the moon. It was July 20, 1969, and I had just turned 12. Although it took place late on a Sunday night our time, my parents let me stay up past my bedtime to join the millions of people watching Neil Armstrong take the first step on the moon's surface.
Text 2: At 10:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time on Sunday, July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set food on the surface of the moon. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin followed Armstrong onto the lunar surface 20 minutes later. These historic events were broadcast from the moon's surface and watched by perhaps the largest television audience ever - approximately half a billion people around the world.
How are the two texts similar? How are they different?
They both address the same topic but one provides a personal experience while the other informs the readers.
What are the differences between reading a speech and watching/listening to a speech?
Reading a speech - can be reread, details can be evaluated, take as much time as you need reading
Watching/listening to a speech - can see the speaker's expressions and gestures, hear the speaker's emotions, notice which words and ideas are emphasized, hear the rhythm of the words, and see/hear how other people may be reacting to the words
Provide the word that matches the following definition:
enough support
sufficient
There are few greater pleasures in life than exploring outdoors. Whether hiking on the Appalachian Trail or simply taking a walk around one's neighborhood, fresh air always makes a person feel alive. Consequently, too much time spent indoors, locked in front of a screen, makes life seem drab and two-dimensional.
What is the author's position?
A. Outdoor adventure is more important than family.
B. Going outdoors is one of life's great pleasures.
C. Staying outside makes life dull and boring.
D. It is better to hike along trails than to walk around the block.
B. Going outdoors is one of life's great pleasures.
Which of the following sentences/paragraphs expresses sound reasoning in support of freshly squeezed orange juice?
A. People who do not drink freshly squeezed orange juice are ignorant of its beneficial health properties.
B. Gia Salami, a U.S. woman's soccer player, only drinks freshly squeezed orange juice. She says it gives her the energy necessary to be at her athletic best.
C. Freshly squeezed orange juice is better than prepackaged cartons because it contains more nutrients and fiber-filled skin.
D. Americans should only drink freshly squeezed orange juice because many people in the world do not have access to fresh citrus fruits.
C. This claim is supported by the relevant and specific fact that freshly squeezed orange juice contains more nutrients.
Text 1: Born to Fly by Ann Randall
Amelia Earhart didn't always dream of becoming an aviator. While she had seen airplanes growing up, it wasn't until her early twenties that she realized she was born to fly. When Earhart was 20 years old, she and a friend attended a stunt-flying contest. Their fun ended, however, when one of the planes came zooming toward them. In spite of the danger, Earhart stood firm, displaying the same fearlessness that she would continue to show all her life. This encounter proved to be a sign of things to come: just a few years later, Earhart found herself flying inside an airplane.
On December 28, 1920, pilot Frank Hawks changed Earhart's life by taking her on her first plane ride. It was then that she knew she was meant to be in the air. Earhart attended her first flying lesson just five days later, and by 1922, she was already setting records: She became the first woman to fly to an altitude of 14,000 feet. Over the next 15 years, Earhart would continue to make her mark on the record books time and time again, proving that flying was truly in her blood.
Text 2: Earhart on Equality by Brian Vargas
As a famous female aviator, Amelia Earhart did much to advance equality for women. In 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, and she spent the rest of her life fearlessly flying farther, faster. Earhart was first to fly many long, dangerous routes, and she encouraged other women to fly. She championed women in the sciences as a guest professor at Purdue University. She said, "Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others."
Both biographies contain some of the same facts, but the authors use them differently. How does this help convey different messages about Amelia Earhart?
The first text shows what motivated her to become a famous aviator.
The second shows how her accomplishments have helped all women.
Choose two types of media and compare/contrast them.
Questions to consider: Who uses it, what is its purpose, how does it work, what types of content does it contain, what are some benefits and drawbacks.
Answers will vary.
Provide the phrase that matches the following definition:
what the author thinks, feels, or believes about a topic
author's point of view
What evidence supports the claim that the buffalo was important to Native American spiritual life?
Select all that are true.
A. On nights and special holidays, native tribal people sang songs and danced in praise of bison.
B. Plains tribes followed the distant thunder of countless hooves through spring, summer, and autumn.
C. Bears lumbered through woods and across green hills.
D. No figure is used more to represent Native Americans.
A & D These both describe ways in which tribes showed their reverence for the regal buffalo.
Which of the following pieces of evidence could the author include to strengthen the argument that human activities are the major cause of global warming?
A. Some of the changes caused by global warming can be beneficial over the short run, such as a longer growing season in some regions and a longer shipping season on the Great Lakes.
B. Climate change is already affecting the American people in far-reaching ways.
C. Cities in the United States are no longer as prepared for natural disasters caused by global warming. Bridges have fallen out of shape, levees blocking flood waters are old and worn out, and emergency response equipment is out of date.
D. Global warming over the last 50 years is primarily caused by people burning coal, oil, and gas, which adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, creating a greenhouse effect that warms the climate.
D. This fact supports the argument that human behavior has caused global warming.
Text 1: Born to Fly by Ann Randall
Amelia Earhart didn't always dream of becoming an aviator. While she had seen airplanes growing up, it wasn't until her early twenties that she realized she was born to fly. When Earhart was 20 years old, she and a friend attended a stunt-flying contest. Their fun ended, however, when one of the planes came zooming toward them. In spite of the danger, Earhart stood firm, displaying the same fearlessness that she would continue to show all her life. This encounter proved to be a sign of things to come: just a few years later, Earhart found herself flying inside an airplane.
On December 28, 1920, pilot Frank Hawks changed Earhart's life by taking her on her first plane ride. It was then that she knew she was meant to be in the air. Earhart attended her first flying lesson just five days later, and by 1922, she was already setting records: She became the first woman to fly to an altitude of 14,000 feet. Over the next 15 years, Earhart would continue to make her mark on the record books time and time again, proving that flying was truly in her blood.
Text 2: Earhart on Equality by Brian Vargas
As a famous female aviator, Amelia Earhart did much to advance equality for women. In 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, and she spent the rest of her life fearlessly flying farther, faster. Earhart was first to fly many long, dangerous routes, and she encouraged other women to fly. She championed women in the sciences as a guest professor at Purdue University. She said, "Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others."
Which piece(s) of evidence is discussed only by the author of Text 1: Born to Fly?
- First airplane ride in 1920
-Flying lessons 5 days later
-Female altitude record
Read the text:But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too...
In one word, describe President Kennedy's attitude toward going to the moon.
determined
Provide the word that matches the following definition:
the main reason that an author creates a piece of writing
author's purpose
What evidence supports the claim that buffalo played an important practical role in Native American life?
Check all that are true.
A. Natives cured buffalo hide for blankets, carved dishes out of bones, and filled dried organs with water.
B. When Native hunters took down a buffalo, the tribe gave thanks before cutting up the creature.
C. A graphic breakdown of Native buffalo applications looks like the periodic table of elements.
D. Native tales, though, still tell of a day when the buffalo will return.
A & C These are both examples of how native people used buffalo bodies.
Read the following passage.
Equal pay is a family issue. Women make up nearly half of the U.S. labor force, and they are increasingly taking on the role of breadwinner within their families. More women are also working in positions and fields that have been traditionally occupied by men. When women are not paid fairly, not only do they suffer, but so do their families. Despite passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which requires that men and women in the same work place be given equal pay for equal work, the "gender gap" in pay persists. Full-time female workers’ earnings are only about 77 percent of their male counterparts’ earnings. The pay gap is even greater for African American and Latina women. For every dollar earned by a Caucasian man, African American women earn 64 cents, and Latina women earn 56 cents. Decades of research shows that no matter how you evaluate the data, there remains a pay gap—even after factoring in the kind of work people do or qualifications such as education and experience. And, there is good evidence that discrimination contributes to the persistent pay disparity between men and women. In other words, pay discrimination is a real and persistent problem that continues to shortchange American women and their families.
-From "Equal Pay" by whitehouse.gov
Which piece of evidence is not relevant to the author's argument?
A. For every dollar earned by a Caucasian man, African American women earn 64 cents, and Latina women earn 56 cents.
B. Full-time female workers’ earnings are only about 77 percent of their male counterparts’ earnings.
C. Women make up nearly half of the U.S. labor force, and they are increasingly taking on the role of breadwinner within their families.
D. none of the above
D. none of the above
All three of these facts are related to the author's argument that equal pay for women is a serious issue.
Read the following two passages.
Text 1: Though smoking rates have dropped, the number of people living with lung cancer in the U.S. has not changed in the past thirty years. That's because fewer people are dying of lung cancer today than 30 years ago. With more people living longer with the disease, it makes sense that the prevalence rate has not changed.
Text 2: The lung cancer rate in the U.S. has not dropped in the past 30 years. This is alarming. Despite advances in health care and prevention, more than 400,000 people in the U.S. currently have lung cancer.
How do these two authors emphasize or interpret the facts differently?
Both authors mention the fact that the lung cancer rate in the U.S. has not dropped in 30 years. The first author interprets this fact to mean that more people with lung cancer are living longer, thus raising the prevalence rate. In contrast, the second author thinks that the unchanging lung cancer rate in the U.S. is problematic.
Read the text: But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too...
Watch the video starting at 0:33.
What techniques did Kennedy use to add meaning to his words?
He raises his voice, uses his hands, looks at his audience, speaks with enthusiasm, and he repeated the same phrase several times.
Provide the word that matches the following definition:
the combined use of several media, such as still images, animation, video footage, audio, special effects, or printed text, to communicate ideas or information
multimedia