Online English Writing

Review

Last week:

• learned about analogies (metaphors and similes)
• rewrote 2nd or 3rd draft of Syria video summary
• started analysis of dog adoption advertisement #2
• started assignment #3: analyze the analogy and argument in a story (Life is …)
• started assignment #4: analyze the analogy and argument in a poem (and movie clip)

This Week

• complete writing assignments 1-4
• start new kind of analysis: critical thinking

Critical Thinking Lesson

Overview

This lesson expands the work we have done so far. Since the mid term exam, we have completed four writing exercises that ask students to find and describe the argument in a video, an advertisement, a speech and a poem.

Along the way, we have learned about the structure of an argument (claim plus premise) and a sentence pattern of arguments (i.e. ____ because ____). We have also looked at metaphors and similes as as tool for writing style and a way to express arguments (i.e. life is not a journey).

Now we are going to use one more thinking and writing skill: critical thinking.

Critical thinking is a special kind of thinking. It means analyse and evaluate.

We need to find an argument and then ask questions about it. Is it right or wrong? We might ask questions about the premise, or ask if we have all of the information needed to make a conclusion.

Critical Thinking Activity #5

Here is the video lesson for the critical thinking activity. That’s the point of this critical thinking exercise:

1. watch the video
2. summarize the argument in the video
3. think about the information that is needed to make that argument
4. ask the question: is it true (evaluate)
5. ask questions about missing information
6. then evaluate the argument