(from the Florida Department of Education website)
It’s no secret that sometimes great discoveries come as a result of really big mistakes. But are they always worth the problems they cause? Sometimes the mistakes lead to greatness, and sometimes they lead to disaster. Are mistakes key to making discoveries?
Manage your time carefully so that you can
- read the passages;
- plan your essay;
- write your essay; and
- revise and edit your essay.
Be sure to
- include a claim;
- address counterclaims;
- use evidence from multiple sources; and
- avoid overly relying on one source.
Your written response should be in the form of a multiparagraph essay. Remember to spend time reading, planning, writing, revising, and editing.
Type your answer in the space provided.
****
Strategies
2. Read the accompanying texts carefully. As you read, highlight those sections of the text that relate to the task that you highlighted in the prompt--Are mistakes key to making discoveries? Write an essay in which you take a position on whether or not mistakes are a key part of discovery.
3. As you read the accompanying texts you should be mentally deciding your point of view on the issue. You should highlight anything in the texts that has to do with mistakes being key to making discoveries, and ignore any extraneous/extra information. Argumentative essays require you to provide examples/facts (as all essays do) to support your point of view. The texts will provide information that you can cite, but they will also discuss things that have nothing to do with your task/the prompt. As you highlight, ask yourself: What is my position on this topic and which parts of the text would be good support for that opinion?
4. Carefully pick out only those facts/examples that support the thesis of your essay (your opinion). When responding to an argumentative prompt it is tempting to include much of the information in the passage set, but if you did so, you would not be answering the prompt. Instead, you would be writing a summary of the texts. The most important thing for you to keep in mind is that you must determine which pieces of information are directly related to the prompt and your opinion. You are not writing a summary.
5. After you read each paragraph in the accompanying texts, restate in your head the paragraph's main idea. Also ask yourself: What is the author's purpose in this paragraph? What point(s) is he/she trying to make? Which of these points directly relate to my thesis--my task (the key ideas in the prompt)? And which points are irrelevant? By considering main idea and purpose in each paragraph, you are engaging in a thinking process that will help you write the essay. In this case, considering main idea and purpose will help focus your thoughts on whether or not mistakes are a key part of discovery.
6. Remember that all essays should demonstrate that you are a good critical thinker. The word essay derives from a French word that means "to try" or "to attempt." The French author Montaigne (1533-1592) was the first writer to use the term essay. For him, an essay was an attempt to put his thoughts into writing. In an argumentative essay your voice and critical thinking are especially important. Write with confidence in your opinion and support your opinion with evidence (quoted words and phrases) from the texts. Elaborate on why the evidence (quotes) you have chosen support your thesis/opinion. Be sure not to digress. Stick to the facts/information in the texts, and show evidence of your thinking--I like to think of essay writing as "putting your mind on the page."
8. For this argumentative prompt you are also required to address counterclaims. Counterclaims are claims that negate or disagree with your thesis/claim. In other words, you must think about what points someone who disagrees with you would bring up to go against your point of view. Then, in your essay, you should address the counterclaims/points so that your thesis/claim sounds more convincing. You want to win your argument. Since the prompt asks you to address counterclaims, you should mention and argue against at least two points that your opposition brings up. Make your counterclaims obvious! The rubric requires counterclaims, which is plural, so include two (do not waste time by including additional counterclaims). For this essay, find claims/arguments to counter in the accompanying texts. Present the opposing argument, then write why you disagree. (Remember to attribute/cite the article where you found the counterclaim.) You want to win your argument. State your opinion with confidence and support it.
9. As you write this argumentative essay, remember you should definitively and clearly discuss your thoughts on the issue (this is different from writing an informational essay, which is not about your opinion). An argumentative essay is all about your point of view on the topic. Check again to be sure your opinion/thesis is clearly stated in the opening paragraph. As you write the body of your essay you should ask yourself, "Am I sure that the quotes I am including directly relate to my task in this essay and support my point of view?"
Click on the link below for important information on writing an argumentative essay:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/03/
****
Strategies
1. Read the prompt carefully. Highlight key words and phrases.
2. Read the accompanying texts carefully. As you read, highlight those sections of the text that relate to the task that you highlighted in the prompt--Are mistakes key to making discoveries? Write an essay in which you take a position on whether or not mistakes are a key part of discovery.
3. As you read the accompanying texts you should be mentally deciding your point of view on the issue. You should highlight anything in the texts that has to do with mistakes being key to making discoveries, and ignore any extraneous/extra information. Argumentative essays require you to provide examples/facts (as all essays do) to support your point of view. The texts will provide information that you can cite, but they will also discuss things that have nothing to do with your task/the prompt. As you highlight, ask yourself: What is my position on this topic and which parts of the text would be good support for that opinion?
4. Carefully pick out only those facts/examples that support the thesis of your essay (your opinion). When responding to an argumentative prompt it is tempting to include much of the information in the passage set, but if you did so, you would not be answering the prompt. Instead, you would be writing a summary of the texts. The most important thing for you to keep in mind is that you must determine which pieces of information are directly related to the prompt and your opinion. You are not writing a summary.
5. After you read each paragraph in the accompanying texts, restate in your head the paragraph's main idea. Also ask yourself: What is the author's purpose in this paragraph? What point(s) is he/she trying to make? Which of these points directly relate to my thesis--my task (the key ideas in the prompt)? And which points are irrelevant? By considering main idea and purpose in each paragraph, you are engaging in a thinking process that will help you write the essay. In this case, considering main idea and purpose will help focus your thoughts on whether or not mistakes are a key part of discovery.
6. Remember that all essays should demonstrate that you are a good critical thinker. The word essay derives from a French word that means "to try" or "to attempt." The French author Montaigne (1533-1592) was the first writer to use the term essay. For him, an essay was an attempt to put his thoughts into writing. In an argumentative essay your voice and critical thinking are especially important. Write with confidence in your opinion and support your opinion with evidence (quoted words and phrases) from the texts. Elaborate on why the evidence (quotes) you have chosen support your thesis/opinion. Be sure not to digress. Stick to the facts/information in the texts, and show evidence of your thinking--I like to think of essay writing as "putting your mind on the page."
7. Once you have finished reading and highlighting the texts, begin writing. Your opening paragraph need not be long. Have an interesting hook or lead. Follow this with a strong thesis statement based on the prompt. Then write a transition sentence to begin the body of your essay. Your body paragraphs are the most important part of the essay. They should be well organized with specific references to the texts (use parenthetical citations). Be sure to include information from each text and not to focus solely on one (follow the directions which state to include information from all the passages in your essay). Provide plenty of examples (words and phrases from the text) to support your thesis/opinion. Be sure not to just copy entire sentences. Read the information and then use your own voice in the writing process. Your voice is very important in every essay that you write.
8. For this argumentative prompt you are also required to address counterclaims. Counterclaims are claims that negate or disagree with your thesis/claim. In other words, you must think about what points someone who disagrees with you would bring up to go against your point of view. Then, in your essay, you should address the counterclaims/points so that your thesis/claim sounds more convincing. You want to win your argument. Since the prompt asks you to address counterclaims, you should mention and argue against at least two points that your opposition brings up. Make your counterclaims obvious! The rubric requires counterclaims, which is plural, so include two (do not waste time by including additional counterclaims). For this essay, find claims/arguments to counter in the accompanying texts. Present the opposing argument, then write why you disagree. (Remember to attribute/cite the article where you found the counterclaim.) You want to win your argument. State your opinion with confidence and support it.
9. As you write this argumentative essay, remember you should definitively and clearly discuss your thoughts on the issue (this is different from writing an informational essay, which is not about your opinion). An argumentative essay is all about your point of view on the topic. Check again to be sure your opinion/thesis is clearly stated in the opening paragraph. As you write the body of your essay you should ask yourself, "Am I sure that the quotes I am including directly relate to my task in this essay and support my point of view?"
Click on the link below for important information on writing an argumentative essay:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/03/
