ARGUMENTATION RETIRED PROMPT

PRACTICEApplication of Skills

andPreparation for Success

PLANNINGWHY? HOW?

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-timer/

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPSPERIOD 1

Erin, Matt Sarah, Brinda Jenna, Rhea Derek, Emilie Zelenka, Morgan Cameron, Michael

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Guru, Katie Kate, Angela Eric, Emily Gina, Lauren, Nancy Bhargavi, Aaron Alex, Evan

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPSPERIOD 4

Brian, Ryan Palak, Lindsey Mark, Dan Rucha, Justin Koryn, Sai Megan, Nihmo

Jenna, Roshan Reilly, Hanna Brit, Lauren Hyo In, Sarah Grace, Ben Radhe, Melissa Trevor, Alice

PROMPT POSSIBILITIES What is the prompt question asking

you to DO? What are the OPTIONS available to

the student in terms of answering the question?

What HINTS/DIRECTIONS are provided by the College Board toward comprehending the Sanders’ passage?

What should a student do NEXT in terms of preparing to tackle this prompt question?

THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE COMES FROM “THE COMMON LIFE,” A 1994 ESSAY BY THE AMERICAN WRITER SCOTT RUSSELL SANDERS. READ THE PASSAGE CAREFULLY AND THEN WRITE AN ESSAY THAT DEFENDS, CHALLENGES, OR QUALIFIES SANDERS’ IDEAS ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY IN THE UNITED STATES. USE SPECIFIC EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT YOUR POSITION.

UNDERSTANDING ARGUMENTWhat is the CENTRAL ARGUMENT of the Sanders’ passage? State the central argument in your

own words.Identify specific WORDS, PHRASES, or LINES from the passage that led you to your conclusion pertaining to central argument.

A woman who recently moved from Los Angeles to Bloomington [Indiana] told me that she would not be able to stay here long, because she was already beginning to recognize people in the grocery stores, on the sidewalks, in the library. Being surrounded by familiar faces made her nervous, after years in a city where she could range about anonymously. Every traveler knows the sense of liberation that comes from journeying to a place where nobody expects anything of you. Everyone who has gone to college know the exhilaration of slipping away from the watchful eyes of Mom and Dad. We all need seasons of withdrawal from responsibility. But if we make a career of being unaccountable, we have lost something essential to our humanity, and we may well become a burden or a threat to those around us. A community can support a number of people who are just passing through, or who care about no one’s needs but their own; the greater the proportion of such people, however, the more vulnerable the community, until eventually it breaks down…Taking part in the common life means dwelling in a web of relationships, the many threads tugging at you while also holding you upright.

DID YOU MENTION SOMETHING LIKE…The varied benefits of communal

relationships…The causal relationship between

human connections and survival, innovation, progress, and success…

The societal responsibilities inherent to living in a country like the United States…

ANSWER THE QUESTIONCompose a THESIS STATEMENT that answers the prompt question.If you have 5 minutes to write

an introduction paragraph, 2 ½ of those minutes should be spent composing this most important sentence.

RETURN TO YOUR PLANWhere would you go from here?Brainstorm TWO PIECES of

support for the essay you are planning. One piece from the Berne’s essay and one piece from anything else.

In addition to identifying the support, explain how you would USE it to prove your thesis statement true.

SUPPLEMENTAL PREPARATION Review student samples and

College Board commentaryWrite this essay!Review Outliers work and feedbackStudy Varied Forms of Support

packet and additional notes/handouts on writing

Organize supportGet a good night’s rest