| Background: Throughout English 110, we've been working to think critically about the structures and ideologies that surround us. We've examined the true impact of the popular entertainment we often take for granted. We've investigated the actual value of higher education, an institution we are all deeply invested in. Now we turn toward perhaps the most brutal—and often overlooked—[it’s on people’s mind right now but it’s little understood]fact of life in the contemporary U.S. A few people at the top of society have become extraordinarily rich, while the wealth of others has steadily declined. Since the 1980s, inequality has increased, the middle class has shrunk, and the poor have ever-fewer resources to rely on. The cornerstone of the American Dream is that regardless of where we start out in life, we can work our way toward prosperity. But for many, this dream seems to be withering away. These are facts we may be aware of, but in this upcoming unit, we will work to push that awareness further. Focusing on how exactly this state of affairs affects us individually and collectively 9maybe include the bit in the slide on schema about how we’re not doing this, we are doing that) |
| Main Task: Write an essay that makes a claim about the effects of inequality in the United States and persuades the reader this claim is valid. To support your position, employ strong argumentation strategies and synthesize ideas from three texts as well as details from the "class profile" assignment you or a classmate completes. |
Focus Questions: Your essay should address one of the following. It may also address more than one in a unified argument.
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| Evidence: Four quotations are required. Quote and correctly cite resources from this unit at least four times in this essay. Your quoted or paraphrased sources should include, at minimum, the following: 1) An assigned reading; 2) A second, different assigned reading; 3) A third assigned reading or a source you've found independently (an article, video, etc.); 4) The "class profile" you complete or information from another student's profile. *Other very useful forms of evidence include your own observations and experiences as well as ideas generated in class discussion and group work. |
| Essay Three Goals: These goals will be incorporated into the grading criteria for the essay. 1. The introduction engages and prepares the reader, establishing the context or general debate you are entering into. 2. The thesis clearly communicates your contribution to that debate, providing a clear, compelling argument and previewing the support for that argument. 3. The essay synthesizes the ideas of published authors, as well as a student-generated “class profile,” in order to successfully prove the claim made in the thesis. 4. All of the proof paragraphs have a clear connection to the thesis, creating a unified essay. 5. Each of the proof paragraphs has a topic sentence that previews the content of the paragraph and evidence that proves the claim made in the topic sentence. Each proof paragraph also includes analysis of the evidence and an explanation of how the evidence proves the point made in the topic sentence. (Effective use of the P.I.E strategy.) 6. The essay engages and refutes a position that opposes your own. 7. The conclusion answers the question, “so what?” It explains the “big picture” implications of your argument. 8. The essay is carefully proofread and edited. It is mostly free of grammatical and mechanical errors, and employs the sentence writing and editing strategies covered in class. 9. The essay demonstrates your thorough understanding of at least three published texts. 10. The essay uses MLA-style in-text citations and a Works Cited page. 11. The essay integrates at least four quotations with rhetorical effectiveness. 12. The essay is original, creative, and thoughtful, demonstrating the critical reading and thinking skills practiced throughout the unit. It effectively persuades the reader. |