please see attachment
ENG 106: Composition II | Learning Unit 8: Activity |
Brainstorming Activity: Persuasive Essay
Instructions: Throughout the first seven weeks of this term, you’ve already gathered a great deal of research and acquired a significant amount of knowledge that should help you develop the second essay. However, you’ll need to take the time to go back through your research to decide how it fits (or doesn’t) into the Persuasive Essay. The more time you take now to assess your existing research’s appropriateness for the second essay, the easier research and drafting tasks will be as you move into the drafting process.
Use the sources and knowledge you acquired while writing the first essay to complete this brainstorming assignment and develop material for the second essay by answering each of the questions below. Eventually, your outline and draft will likely be heavily based on this brainstorming activity if you complete it thoroughly and thoughtfully.
Be sure you have read, listened to, and completed all the other materials and assignments (in LU07 and LU08) introducing and explaining the Persuasive Essay before attempting to complete this prewriting activity. Also remember that, as explained in the “Preparing to Write the Persuasive Essay” lecture, you may end up addressing more counterarguments than this brainstorming sheet allows room for. If that’s the case, adjust your brainstorming process accordingly.
When you have finished this brainstorming assignment, upload it to the appropriate submission area in MyHills.
Brainstorming Questions
1A. List the primary objection opponents (researchers, experts, academics) might make to your thesis’ claim:
1B. List key research or logic they might use to back up their objection:
1C: Explain how you would respond to the opposition’s first claim, making sure to list research to support each of your points:
a. Point of Concession (instances when it might be true or valid)?
b. Rebuttal (ways the claim is untrue, illogical, or incomplete):
2A. List a second objection opponents (researchers, experts, academics) might make to your thesis’ claim:
2B. List key research or logic they might use to back up their objection:
2C: Explain how you would respond to the opposition’s second claim, making sure to list research to support each of your points:
a. Point of Concession (instances when it might be true or valid)?
b. Rebuttal (ways the claim is untrue, illogical, or incomplete):
3A. List a third objection opponents (researchers, experts, academics) might make to your thesis’ claim:
3B. List key research or logic they might use to back up their objection:
3C: Explain how you would respond to the opposition’s second claim, making sure to list research to support each of your points:
a. Point of Concession (instances when it might be true or valid)?
b. Rebuttal (ways the claim is untrue, illogical, or incomplete):
4A. Outside of the reasons and research you’ve already used to rebut the opposition’s counterarguments, list another reason you have to support your thesis.
4B. List the research (studies, facts, statistics, expert testimony, historical accounts, etc.) that will support your claim.
4C. List potential objections or questions opponents or even open-minded readers might bring up as they read your argument. Then, for each one, explain how you might strengthen the argument so that readers aren’t left with these questions or objections.
5A. Outside of the reasons and research you’ve already used to rebut the opposition’s counterarguments, list another reason you have to support your thesis.
5B. List the research (studies, facts, statistics, expert testimony, historical accounts, etc.) that will support your claim.
5C. List potential objections or questions opponents or even open-minded readers might bring up as they read your argument. Then, for each one, explain how you might strengthen the argument so that readers aren’t left with these questions or objections.
6A. Outside of the reasons and research you’ve already used to rebut the opposition’s counterarguments, list another reason you have to support your thesis.
6B. List the research (studies, facts, statistics, expert testimony, historical accounts, etc.) that will support your claim.
6C. List potential objections or questions opponents or even open-minded readers might bring up as they read your argument. Then, for each one, explain how you might strengthen the argument so that readers aren’t left with these questions or objections.
7. Looking over the material for Questions 1A – 6C in this assignment, which points do you believe are currently strong enough and contain sufficient research support to convince the audience? Why?
8. Looking over the material you’ve brainstormed for Questions 1A—6C, which points do you believe you need to find more research to support and what types of research might you look for to convince the audience of each of those week points? Explain.
© Kara Beary and Indian Hills Community College
Page 1 of 5
