ENGLISH 4 : MODULE 04 : LESSON 08 INTRO: PUBLISHING YOUR ARGUMENT
Introduction
“The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.”
E.B. White
Smiling businesswoman in busy office
© 2013 Comstock/Thinkstock
At this point you have a finished first draft, but you aren’t done yet. In this lesson, you will have the opportunity to enhance and fine-tune your argument. Your end product will clearly and persuasively present your position.
Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
revise the first draft of your argument
use editing techniques to polish writing for a final draft
create a visual representation of your argument
Refining Your Draft
Now that you have completed the prewriting and draft portions of the writing process, it’s time for revision and editing. Recall that revision and editing are not the same, although they are connected through their purpose of improving your draft.
Revision = make improvements to your message and how you wrote it
Editing = correct the conventions: spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation
Start Revising
To shape your first draft into a clear argument, you need to revise it. To start revising, read through what you have written to see if you have:
VOICE
Established and maintained a voice that explains your claim to the audience appropriately. Remember, you are trying to persuade them to see things from your point of view, so your voice must be confident and well-informed.
WORD CHOSE
Included domain-specific and precise words related to your topic to demonstrate your knowledge of both sides of the issue. Use the same domain-specific words you noticed in the credible sources you located during your research. Precise words will help you clarify your position.
ORGANIZATION. AND IDEAS
Incorporated supporting facts from credible sources to support your claim and address the counterclaims.
Used properly formatted in-text citations for each quotation or paraphrase.
Employed subordinating clauses and transition words to create a clear progression of ideas throughout your argument.
Use a variety of sentences to keep your writing interesting for your reader.
SENTENCE FLUENCY
Revision Checklist—Ideas and Organization
Revision Checklists
To identify areas for improvement in your writing, print your first draft now. As you reread your draft, ask the questions on the revision checklists in this lesson. Print each checklist and revise your argument as you go.
These questions highlight areas where you can improve the development of ideas and the organization in your argument. Reread your article, asking yourself questions from the Revision Checklist Part A . If your answer to any of the questions is “No,” stop and spend some time addressing that area in your argument.
Make revisions on a new copy of your draft. Save it with a modified file name. Do not erase or overwrite your first draft. The assessment for this lesson requires your first draft and your final draft.
Revision Checklist—Word and Sentence Fluency
Continue your revision by examining your word choices. Ask yourself questions from the Revision Checklist Part B to identify any areas where your word choice can be improved. If your answer to any of the questions is “No,” stop and spend some time addressing that area in your argument.
Make revisions on a new copy of your draft. Save it with a modified file name. Do not erase or overwrite your first draft. The assessment for this lesson requires your first draft and your final draft.
Editing Checklist
Presenting Your Argument
The same information is presented in each row of this table. Which has more impact? Which delivers information faster?
Americans consume about 130 pounds of sugar every year. In 1822, the average American consumed 45 grams of sugar every five days. That is equivalent to one of today’s 12-ounce sodas. In 2012, Americans consumed 765 grams of sugar every five days. That is 17 times the amount of sugar consumed in 1822.
©2013 www.OnlineNursingPrograms.com
The average American consumes 3 pounds of sugar each week or 3,550 pounds in an entire lifetime. That’s about 1,767,900 Skittles or enough sugar to fill an industrialized dumpster.
©2013 www.OnlineNursingPrograms.com
You have spent time developing a research-based argument and condensing your points into their most precise and persuasive form. Academically, that is exactly what you were asked to do. Someone looking for a comprehensive commentary on the issue would find that in your written argument. What if you only had 30 seconds to engage your audience, make an impression, and share your point of view?
Make an Impact
Infographics are an excellent way to communicate information quickly. The final task in your argument writing process is to summarize your position and research visually in an original infographic.
There are several Web 2.0 infographic creators available. A quick internet search will generate a list of available resources. You can also use the data tools in your word processing program to create graphs to represent your supporting evidence.
Requirements for Your Infographic
Statement of your claim
At least two pieces of supporting evidence displayed graphically
A creative combination of text and images
A list of sources used to gather data
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, you have used revision and editing techniques to polish your argument. Now it is time to complete the final step of the writing process: publishing your writing. In this instance, publishing means you will submit your final draft and your infographic to your instructor.
Assessment Instructions
Consider posting your infographic on social media to spark a conversation with your friends.
To prepare your argument for your instructor, do the following:
Open your highlighted first draft and your final draft.
Open the Publishing Your Argument worksheet and complete the required tasks.
Your argument and infographic will be evaluated according to the Publishing Your Argument rubric.
Assignment
Complete the tasks and reading for this lesson.
Complete the self-checks in this lesson.
In the Assessments area, submit your argument and infographic for 04.08 Publishing Your Argument.
Part A: Reflection
Step 1: Compare your first draft and your final draft.
Step 2: Select the paragraph with the most revisions and edits between the first and final drafts.
Step 3: Follow the instructions in the boxes below.
Box 1
Copy and paste the paragraph you selected in Step 2 from your first draft.
Box 2
Copy and paste the same paragraph from your final draft. Highlight the changes you made in pink.
Box 3
Reflection: Discuss in at least five sentences the changes you made and why the final draft of the paragraph is an improvement over the first draft.
Part B: Argument
Paste the entire final draft of your argument here.
Part C: Infographic
Paste your infographic here.
Part A: Reflection
Step 1: Compare your first draft and your final draft.
Step 2: Select the paragraph with the most revisions and edits between the first and final drafts.
Step 3: Follow the instructions in the boxes below.
Box 1
Copy and paste the paragraph you selected in Step 2 from your first draft.
Box 2
Copy and paste the same paragraph from your final draft. Highlight the changes you made in pink.
Box 3
Reflection: Discuss in at least five sentences the changes you made and why the final draft of the paragraph is an improvement over the first draft.
Part B: Argument
Paste the entire final draft of your argument here.
Part C: Infographic
Paste your infographic here.
The next step in the writing process is editing, which focuses on the proper use of conventions. Look at your revised draft to check for errors in formatting, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Use the questions from the Editing Checklist
Are parenthetical citations used correctly?
Are signaling phrases and parenthetical citations used to recognize sources?
Is the Works Cited page formatted properly?
Is there a Works Cited entry for each source consulted?
Are all proper nouns capitalized?
Have you used the spelling and grammar check feature in your word processing program to detect errors?
Are any homonyms, such as “their” and “there” or “your” and “you’re,” misused?
Have you maintained the same verb tense in each paragraph?
as a guide through the editing process. If your answer to any of the questions is “No,” stop and spend some time addressing that area in your argument.
Edit your revised draft and save it as a final draft. Do not erase or overwrite your first draft. The assessment for this lesson requires your first draft and your final draft.
Publishing Your Argument Worksheet
Save Print
Part A: Reflection
Step 1: Compare your first draft and your final draft.
Step 2: Select the paragraph with the most revisions and edits between the first and final drafts.
Step 3: Follow the instructions in the boxes below.
Box 1
Copy and paste the paragraph you selected in Step 2 from your first draft.
Box 2
Copy and paste the same paragraph from your final draft. Highlight the changes you made in pink.
Box 3
Reflection: Discuss in at least five sentences the changes you made and why the final draft of the paragraph is an improvement over the first draft.
Part B: Argument
Paste the entire final draft of your argument here.
Part C: Infographic
Paste your infographic here.
Check out this video to see run-on sentences in action and learn how to fix them.
Image preview for”which delivers information faster?”
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