Page 1
1
Name____________________________________________________________ Period ____________
Tap vs. Bottled Water Reading selection for this module:
“Bottled Water Matters.” Bottled Water Reporter: 23, C4. International Bottled Water Association, Febuary/March 2011. Web. 30 Septeber 2011. http://bottledwater.org/content/455/bottled-water-reporter Fox, et al. “The Story of Bottled Water.” The Story of Stuff Project/Bottled Water. 22 March 2010. Web Video. 30 September 2011. Free Range Studios. http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/ Leonard, A. “Footnoted and Annotated Script.” The Story of Bottled Water. 2 August 2011. Free Range Studios. Web. 20 September 2011. http://storyofstuff.org/pdfs/storyofbottledwater_footnoted_script.pdf United Nations. Economic Social Council. General Comment No. 15, The Right to Water: Geneva: 29 November 2002. Web. 30 Sept 2011. http://www.unhchr.ch/tbsdoc.nsf/0/a5458d1d1bbd713fc256cc400389e94/$FILE/G0340229.pdf
READING RHETORICALLY
Pre-Reading
ACTIVITY 1: Getting Ready to Read—Thinking Actively about the Topic
Raise your hand if…
1. …you prefer drinking tap water?
Record the number of your classmates who prefer TAP water: ________________
2. … you prefer drinking bottled water?
Record the number of your classmates who prefer BOTTLED water: ________________
ACTIVITY 2: Introducing Key Concepts—Thinking about the Topic
READ each statement. Check if you believe the statement is TRUE or FALSE.
TRUE FALSE
1. Bottled water tastes better than tap water.
2. Bottled water is safer than tap water.
3. Plastic bottles are recyclable.
4. Bottled water is a convenient, easy way to drink water.
5. Bottled water is a cheap enough source of clean water.
ACTIVITY 3: Naming Key Concepts: The Debate between Bottled vs. Tap Water is a
Social Issue.
Each opinion in Activity 2 represents key issues important to the debate about bottled vs. tap.
Page 2
2
Re-read the statements. List the important/defining /loaded words from the following statements:
1. Bottled water tastes better than tap water.
2. Bottled water is safer than tap water.
3. Plastic bottles are recyclable.
4. Bottled water is a convenient, easy way to drink water.
5. Bottled water is a cheap source of clean water.
ACTIVITY 4: Clarifying Terms—Social vs. Individual
DEFINE:
1) Social: (Part of Speech______________)
________________________________________________________________________
2) Individual: (Part of Speech______________)
________________________________________________________________________
Examples:
Individual: It is easier to buy a bottle of water when thirsty than having to carry water from home.
Social: Empty Plastic bottles are polluting our oceans, creating islands of waste that spans miles and
invades sea life and habitats.
Compare Social and Individual Issues—Table
SOCIAL INDIVIDUAL
Page 3
3
ACTIVITY 5: Linking Everyday Language and Academic Language
What is the precise vocabulary that calls attention to the key issues? Look back at Activity 3.
Everyday Language Academic Language
ACTIVITY 6: Be Heard! Take a Stand.
Imagine: “A new policy has been written that says every classroom will provide drinking water for
students.”
MARK YOUR BALLOT—Vote for your drinking water preference!
Choices are:
A. Install a Drinking Fountain that uses Tap Water
B. Install a Bottled Water Dispenser
C. Provide Individual Plastic Bottles of Water
Votes Tally:
A ________
B ________
C ________
Page 4
4
ACTIVITY 7: Surveying the Text—Preview, Predict, and Prepare
1. “The Story of Bottled Water” could have been titled “Bottled Water”. What changes when you
add the word “Story” to the title?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. The word script can mean handwriting, a speech, or the document for a play or a movie. How is
script used here in the transcript of the video?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Look at the illustration. What does it say about what type of story this will be?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Read the quote: “This story is typical of what happens when you test bottled water against tap
water.” In this sentence, test is not a noun; it is a verb and water is the object of the verb.
What does it mean to test one type of water against another type?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. What do you predict is the subject of the article? Write down your prediction about what it will
be discussing in the article.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 5
5
ACTIVITY 8: Assessing Key Vocabulary
DIRECTIONS:
Read each quote from the text.
Using context clues, choose the best meaning for the underlined vocabulary word or phrase.
Then, explain in your own words it’s meaning.
1. REGULATED:
“Is it cleaner? Sometimes, sometimes not: in many ways, bottled water is less regulated than tap.”
(A) In this quote, regulated means having a regular and uniform shape.
(B) In this quote, regulated means controlled by rules or laws.
Explain in your own words the meaning of regulated:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. MATERIALS ECONOMY:
“Yet people in the U.S. buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week. That’s enough to
circle the globe more than 5 times. How did this come to be? Well, it all goes back to how our
materials economy works and one of its key drivers, which is known as manufactured demand.”
(A) In this quote, materials economy means a system of buying, selling and managing
money based on the value and use of raw materials, like oil, water, and trees.
(B) In this quote, materials economy means fake or paper money, like in the board game
Monopoly.
Explain in your own words the meaning of materials economy:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 6
6
3. MANUFACTURED DEMAND:
“Yet people in the U.S. buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week. That’s enough to
circle the globe more than 5 times. How did this come to be? Well, it all goes back to how our
materials economy works and one of its key drivers, which is known as manufactured demand.”
(A) In this quote, manufactured demand means anything that is made and then bought.
(B) In this quote, manufactured demand means a made-up demand, made-up by or
manufactured by advertisers to convince people to buy something they want buy may not
really need.
Explain in your own words the meaning of manufactured demand:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. FRINGE PRODUCT:
“So how do you get people to buy this fringe product? Simple: You manufacture demand.”
(A) In this quote, fringe product means something with a decorative tassel.
(B) In this quote, fringe product means something for sale that is different or
unconventional.
Explain in your own words the meaning of fringe product:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 7
7
5. RELEGATED:
“ ‘When we’re done,’ one top water exec said, ‘tap water will be relegated to showers and washing
dishes.’ ”
(A) In this quote, relegated means demoted or devalued.
(B) In this quote, relegated means to follow rules.
Explain in your own words the meaning of relegated:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. PRODUCT’S LIFE CYCLE:
“They’re trashing the environment all along the product’s life cycle. Exactly how is that
environmentally responsible?”
(A) In this quote, product’s life cycle means the time period for the life of a bottle from its
production to its decomposition.
(B) In this quote, product’s life cycle means the time period between when a bottle is
produced and when it is purchased.
Explain in your own words the meaning of product’s life cycle:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 8
8
ACTIVITY 9: Making Predictions and Asking Questions
Rewrite each of the following statements in the form of a question. Answer each question with a
YES, NO, or I DON’T KNOW. What do you know or what do you need to learn in order to
persuade someone to agree with you?
Bottled water is safer to drink than tap water.
Write your
question:_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Answer your question with a YES, NO, or I DON’T KNOW: ________________________________
What do you know or what do you need to learn in order to persuade someone to agree with you? _____________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Water bottles can be completely recycled and are safe for the environment.
Write your
question:_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Answer your question with a YES, NO, or I DON’T KNOW: ________________________________
What do you know or what do you need to learn in order to persuade someone to agree with you? _____________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Everyone can afford clean drinking water.
Write your question:____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Answer your question with a YES, NO, or I DON’T KNOW: ________________________________
What do you know or what do you need to learn in order to persuade someone to agree with you? _____________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Page 9
9
READING RHETORICALLY
Reading
ACTIVITY 10: Watch “The Story of Bottled Water”
Response to the Film:
1. Which of your predictions turned out to be true?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. What was surprising or interesting?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
ACTIVITY 11: Reading the Text—“The Story of Bottled Water”
Now, read the script for “The Story of Bottled Water”.
Page 10
10
ACTIVITY 12: Close Look at Language—Vocabulary Self-Assessment
Review the vocabulary from “The Story of Bottled Water” and note how well you understand the
meaning of each word or phrase by checking the appropriate box.
“The Story of Bottled
Water” Vocabulary (¶#)
Definition
Know
it Well
Have
an Idea
Don’t Know
It
Pristine (¶1)
Campaign (¶2)
Regulate (¶5)
Sustainable (¶6)
Consumer Demand (¶6)
Manufactured Demand (¶7)
Designer Product (¶9)
Relegated (¶10)
Environmentally Responsible (¶12)
Product’s Life Cycle (¶13)
Landfill (¶14)
Downcycle (¶15)
Page 11
11
ACTIVITY 13: Re-read the Text—Knowing what you know
Your initial position may have changed after watching the film and reading the script. You may now
be opposed to bottled water for social reasons, even if you may prefer it for personal reasons.
What about the article persuaded you?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
If you changed your position, can you explain why?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Is the author’s position clear in the film?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Is the purpose for producing this film clear? What does it intend to teach the audience?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Who is the intended audience of the film?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Working in pairs…
Write a one sentence summary of the film that states: who, what, when, and why.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 12
12
ACTIVITY 14: Analyzing Stylistic Choices—Strategic Marking and Annotating the Text
In your third reading of the script, you will be ore critical of the text by noting the stylistic features.
Leonard wants her audience to respond in a specific manner; to do so, she employs three main
rhetorical devices in her argument.
First, she tells stories to make her points more personal and appealing.
Second, she asks questions to engage the viewer/reader and involve them in the argument.
Third, she makes strong points that she repeats over and over in the article.
Find the stylistic features of Leonard’s writing that work to persuade her audience:
*
Telling Stories
?
Asking Questions
!
Repetition of Points
Telling Stories:
1. Re-read “The Story of Bottled Water”.
2. Mark the beginning and end of each story with an *.
3. Complete the sentence: “This section (# 1, 2, or 3) is the story of ___________________.”
1.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 13
13
Asking Questions:
1. Write a question mark ? in the script’s margin beside each question that is posed to the
audience.
2. How do you think the author wishes you will answer? YES? NO? I DON’T KNOW BUT
TELL ME MORE?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Does Leonard ever ask a question and then answer it? _____________________________
4. If she does, draw and arrow from the question and then circle the answer.
Repetition of Parts:
Leonard addresses four main parts repeatedly throughout: affordability, health, taste, and
environmental responsibility.
1. Highlight text that helps to explain each part.
Affordability
Health
Taste
Environmental Responsibility
2. Find at least 3 quotes that explain each point.
Affordability
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 14
14
Health
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Taste
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Environmental Responsibility
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 15
15
3. Summarize each of the four points:
Affordability
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Health
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 16
16
Taste
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Environmental Responsibility
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 17
17
READING RHETORICALLY
Post-Reading
ACTIVITY 15: SUMMARY GUIDE for Annie Leonard’s, “The Story of Bottled Water” A summary of an article or essay helps someone who has not read an article to be able to understand its major parts and main ideas. A summary is not a review of the article where you state your opinion. Use the SUMMARY GUIDE to help you become familiar with the language used in SUMMARY writing, the elements of the article to include, and how to connect the different ideas of the article into your summary. With this practice, you will write effective summaries without using the guide. It is important to read carefully.
Summary Guide Parts and Structure of the Guided Summary:
SENTENCES:
1) Name the author, title of the article, topic, and author’s purpose of the article.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2) Retell the beginning by listing the three points in the campaign for bottled water.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3) State if and how the bottled water company was successful with their ad campaign.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4) State a possible problem associated with bottled water.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5) State three points positive support of tap over bottled water.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
6) Construct a concluding statement presenting Annie Leonard’s point of view.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Page 18
18
Summary Frame:
Sentence 1
The central focus of ________________________________’s article, ______________________
____________________, is a story about how bottled water _____________________________
____________________________________________________________________________ .
Sentence 2
___________________________ begins by stating that if advertising companies could persuade
people to believe tap water _________________________, _____________________________,
and ______________________, then more people would chose to drink ____________________.
Sentence 3
The ad campaign for the bottled water company was _____________________, because people
now believe ___________________________________________________________________ .
Sentence 4
According to ____________________________, the bottled water companies may not have told
the truth that bottled water _______________________________________________________.
Sentence 5
Tap water may be better than bottled water in that ______________________________________,
_________________________________________, and ________________________________.
Sentence 6
In conclusion, __________________________, believes tap water may be ___________________
____________________________________________________________________________ .
Page 19
19
Getting Ready to Write
Now that you understand your assignment, here are some steps to take before you begin a
SUMMARY.
1) Review the work you have already completed.
2) Look at your notes and record important information you may want to add to your
SUMMARY.
3) Paraphrase the article in your own words.
Composing a Draft
Reviewing the notes that you have made in the previous activity, the following steps will help you to
begin to write a draft of your SUMMARY GUIDE.
Working with one part of the summary at a time, review the information you have gathered in
previous activities:
1) Name the author, title of the article, topic, and author’s purpose of the article.
2) Retell the beginning by listing the three points in the campaign for bottled water.
3) State if and how the bottled water company was successful with their ad campaign.
4) State a possible problem associated with bottled water.
5) State three points positive support of tap over bottled water.
6) Construct a concluding statement presenting Annie Leonard’s point of view.
Write a draft of your summary. As you write a draft, remember that you may use the SUMMARY
GUIDE as it is, or you may expand on it. Be sure to include all of the major elements of Colvin’s
article, which are detailed in the 6 elements above.
Page 20
20
ACTIVITY 15 Summary Draft
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 21
21
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 22
22
ACTIVITY 16: Preliminary Analysis of Text What do you see when looking at Bottledwatermatters.com?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ACTIVITY 17: Thinking Critically About Author’s Purpose 1. Who wrote the information at Bottledwatermatters.com? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. What do we know about the author or authors? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. Does the author seem trustworthy? Explain your answer. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. What doe the authors claim that bottled water is? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Is the writing serious or funny? Explain your answer. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 6. Does the writing make you laugh, feel sad or angry? Why? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
Page 23
23
ACTIVITY 18: Thinking Critically—Reader’ Response Re-read the section. Choose one of the claims about bottled water you find believable. Copy it down. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Rewrite the claim in your own words. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Is there a claim you find hard to believe? Record it here. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
Why is this claim hard to believe?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
Page 24
24
ACTIVITY 19: Using Logic, Emotion, and Expertise to Craft Powerful Statements
1. Read the assigned sentence from the UNITED NATIONS introduction to “the right to water”.
2. unPAC the article (Paraphrase, Annotate, Connect):
a. PARAPHRASE: restate the sentence using everyday words ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
b. ANNOTATE: underline words you believe are key to understanding the sentence
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
c. CONNECT: What is the purpose of the sentence? Why does it matter?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
3. Questions for discussion: a. Is this an emotional or logical statement? Why?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
b. Are there counterarguments or claims? Why? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
c. Do you agree with the statement ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
Page 25
25
ACTIVITY 20: Connecting Reading to Writing—Staged Rehearsal
Return to the chart in Activity 19. Use your notes and add a believable and hard to believe claim for Annie
Leonard and for the United Nations statement on “the right to water”.
Text Believable Claim Hard to Believe
Bottledwatermatters.com
“The Story of Bottled Water”
United Nations “right to water”
Page 26
26
ACTIVITY 21: Quick Write
Reassess your position on the original question, “Which do you prefer: Bottled or Tap water?”
You will have 15 minutes to write a response to the question and explain your choice.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 27
27
ACTIVITY 22: Reading the Assignment
A new school district policy was written that state that “Every classroom will have drinking water provided
for all students. Students must vote on their drinking water preference.”
Choices are:
1. Drinking Fountain that uses Tap Water
2. Bottled Water Dispenser
3. Individual Plastic Bottles of Water
The school board is asking that all students write a letter stating and supporting their choice of drinking water
for the classroom. After the letters are read, they will make their decision.
ASSIGNMENT: Write a letter to the School Board explaining your preferred choice for drinking water.
Your letter will be evaluated on the following criteria:
Response to the topic: BOTTLED vs. TAP WATER
Understanding the Topic
Organization and Development of Ideas
Production of a Formal Letter, Free from Errors
ACTIVITY 23: Getting Ready to Write
Main Issues Rank in Order of Importance
Environmental Responsibility
Health and Safety
Affordability
Convenience
Consumer Preference
Page 28
28
Find quotes from the three texts that support your position.
Main Issue Quote Who says it and where?
In your own words…
Possible Vocabulary
Example: ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
“Each year, making the plastic water bottles used in the U.S. takes enough energy to fuel a million cars.”
Annie Leonard Paragraph 14 “The Story of Bottled Water”
Leonard states that the bottled water industry of wasting oil and energy to make plastic water bottles that could instead be used to fuel millions of cars a year.
Material Economy Sustainable
Page 29
29
ACTIVITY 24: Organizing and Composing a Draft
Letter Writing Guide
DATE ___________________________
Dear Corona-Norco Unified School District:
We appreciate your offer to supply all students with ____________________________________________.
I propose that the best form of drinking water is ______________________________________________.
I believe ____________________________________ is better than ______________________________
because ______________________________________________________________________________
and _________________________________________________________________________________.
According to __________________________________________, bottled water ____________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________.
This matters to me because _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________.
In the text _____________________________________written by ______________________________,
water is better _________________________________________________________________________.
(Catchy slogan)_________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________.
In conclusion, __________________ water is the best choice. Thank you for your time in considering this
matter.
Sincerely,
(your signature)
your name
Page 30
30
ACTIVITY 25: Critiquing and Revising the Draft
Student Self-Assessment
What do you think on a SCALE of 1 to 5?
Letter begins with a clear description of the topic.
1 2 3 4 5
description of the topic: __________________________________________________________
Letter begins with a clear description of the position.
1 2 3 4 5
description of the position: ________________________________________________________
The writer addresses claims and counterarguments.
1 2 3 4 5
description of the counterargument: _________________________________________________
The writer persuasively concludes the letter
1 2 3 4 5
Conclusion: Why does this topic matter?______________________________________________
What am I confident I am doing well?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
What vocabulary words make me sound like an expert?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
What support do I need to include?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Page 31
31
ACTIVITY 26: Editing the Draft
Ask your partner to read your letter out loud. If your partner pauses, circle the place they stumble. It may be
a spelling error or other grammar error you need to fix.
Ask your partner if the letter is convincing? Will the school board agree with you?
Do the same for your partner.
ACTIVITY 27: Final Draft of the Letter
Now, write a final draft of your letter.
Be sure to include the following:
Date
Salutation
Opening with purpose of letter
Opening with position statement
Concluding statement in close
Body paragraph contains supporting reasons
Reasons are ordered and convincing
Demonstrates an understanding of the topic
Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
