Argument First Draft Review
Lesson Materials: For the student-facing pedagogical materials needed to teach today’s class, please open the following page: Argument First Draft Review Lesson Materials.
Lesson Objectives: 1. Understand salient features of an outline; 2. Prepare to employ outlining as a tool to organize content and articulate a thesis statement along with its support; 3. Understand the most important criteria of an argumentative essay in terms of organization, content, and rhetorical awareness
Sequence of activities: 1. Outline Review for Organization, Content, and Rhetorical Awareness; 2. Peer Review; 3. Revision
Activities:
- Outline Review for Organization, Content, and Rhetorical Awareness (50 min): Go through one student outline and comment on its various features to show the class how to revise theirs. For example, comment on the quality of the hook and make suggestions on how to strengthen it. Be sure to comment on the thesis statement and make sure it states a position and provides guidance on the main points for subsequent body paragraphs. Make sure that each paragraph has strong topic sentences and appropriate evidence from reliable sources.
2. Peer Review (50 minutes): Provide students with time to review the draft review handout in the student-facing course website. Students follow the peer review protocol, commenting on one another’s first drafts, and giving most of their attention to content, rhetorical awareness, and global organization and coherence.
3. Revision Time (50 minutes): The remainder of class time is spent making revisions and addressing peers’ notes to strengthen one’s outline.