Venn Diagram for Public Argument

It may help you to narrow your argument by making a Venn Diagram. For example, I made a simple one below using Gabi Dodson's example. Let's say that she wants to write an article in Freestyle Magazine addressed to snowboarders, arguing that a particular ski area should be reserved for skiers. The area where the three circles intersect is her argument.

SIGN-UPs for next week

==>>Here is the link to the sign-up sheet for next week's in-class presentations (M,W) and group conferences (T,TH). These are opportunities for you to get feedback about your public argument. 

You must sign up for a presentation or a conference; preference for in-class presentations will be given to student projects that are visual in nature. 

(Visual) in-class presentations take the form of a "lightning talk." Depending on how many students sign up, you will have three-five minutes to describe your project and show a few slides/clips/visuals (or show the whole thing if it fits into that time frame). Your classmates will fill out a feedback form to give you, or if there is enough time you can answer questions. This is especially appropriate if your public argument is mainly visual: a powerpoint, a video, a website, a blog, a poster. 

One-hour group conferences will meet at my office in a conference room, with me and 2-3 other students. You will each have approximately 15 minutes to talk about your project and get feedback. This is especially appropriate if your public argument is a written one (speech, article, letter to a public official) and you want feedback on your writing. If you want feedback on your writing, bring 3-4 printed copies of your public argument to the conference. 

For Friday

We will be having workshop time in class on Friday. Bring the latest version of your project to class. 

Emotion word chart; action verbs chart

Dear Students: This came across my Facebook feed and I thought you might find it helpful. Below it is a chart of action verbs that you might also find useful. 

http://lifehacker.com/find-the-perfect-word-for-your-feelings-with-this-vocab-1653013241

Here is another chart of action verbs that you may also find useful when writing your rhetorical analysis of your public speech project.