Wednesday, March 13, 2013

In-Class Argument Exercise...


Topic: Chickens
What is it you want to prove? That chickens aren’t good to eat
Audience: Coyotes

Why should they care about this?
à Although they heard that chickens taste good, eating chickens could kill them

Reasons they should agree (the “because” statements):
à Because: they could get bird flu
à Because: feathers can get stuck in their throats
à Because: chicken bones could poke holes in their stomachs

Reasons they might not agree (Possible objections they might raise):
à No, because: bird flu doesn’t affect dogs
à No, because: they’ll just spit the feathers out
à No, because: “I’ve eaten plenty of chickens & it hasn’t happened to me”

Answers to their possible objections:
à True, however: bird flu has been known to cross species
à Well yes, but: feathers will make your mouth very dry
à True, however: fatter chickens have bigger bones (easier to choke on)

What support can you give for each argument?
à Chicken bones are one of the leading causes of death in dogs
à There are no coyote vaccinations for bird flu.
à Chicken composition is 30% feathers, so the likelihood of them choking on feathers is high


Arguments For My Paper:

What is it you want to change about K-12 Education?
à In regards to tenured teachers in the “Rubber Room”, take the money spent on letting them sit around and use it to re-teach them. If they don’t want to do it, fire them.
Audience: Parents, community members and educators

Why should they care about this?
à Because America’s youth deserves to have the best education possible, and that requires teachers who try and who actually want to be there.



What will they, their children, or “society in general” gain or lose?
à The children will gain a proper education, and society will benefit from their knowledge (stronger workforce)

Reasons they should agree (the “because” statements):
à Because: Regarding teachers in the Rubber Room, the money spent on them could be put to better use
à Because: Kids will learn better from teachers who care about teaching (not only education-wise, but also regarding values and work ethic)
à Because: If the teachers aren’t just lazy or indifferent, and they actually just need help learning how to be more effective, this could solve the problem.

Reasons they might not agree (Possible objections they might raise):
à No, because: the teachers earned that tenured position and it would be unfair to take it away
à No, because: the kids are resilient. It’s not like they won’t be educated, they’ll just get a new teacher (substitute).
à No, because: if the teachers went through school already and aren’t successful, why send them back?

Answers to their possible objections:
à True, however: they should have to earn the right to keep their tenure.
à Well, yes, but: what lesson does that teach the children? That it’s okay to not do your job and that no one really cares about their education.
à Not in this case, because: it clearly didn’t work the first time. Maybe they need to focus more on classroom management or finding a way to connect with their students.

What support can you give for each argument?
à The cost of paying teachers to sit in the Rubber Room all day could buy textbooks, supplies, or support for schools in need of more money.
à A child’s biggest influences are their parents, teachers, and friends. If their teachers act indifferent and are rewarded for bad behavior, the kids could accept the behavior and possibly adapt the same values when they reach adulthood.
à It could give the teachers the opportunity to improve (if they want to). If not, they’re free to pursue another career path.










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