Full Description
High-school writing prompts often ask students to provide overly simplified responses to complicated issues, but a person's stance in the real world can rarely, if ever, be reduced to "agree or disagree." Arguments are complex, with more than two points of view and a range of evidence to consider; however, writing classes don't always embrace that complexity. Real Writing: Modernizing the Old School Essay contends that engaging fully with complex texts and difficult, nuanced arguments helps students become better thinkers and writers, more fully prepared for life both in and after high school.
By offering students current texts to read and issues to discuss, teachers introduce their students to more complex arguments. Real Writing: Modernizing the Old School Essay recognizes the value of various types of texts, but the need for contemporary readings in our literature and composition classes is important for relevancy related to student engagement, the Common Core State Standards, and participation in our democratic society. This book shares curricular moves to engage students in reading and writing authentic arguments.
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Living Essay: Reading Contemporary Essays
Chapter 2: Exploring the Complex Gray Area
Chapter 3: Civic Engagement and Responsible Argument in Digital Environments
Chapter 4: Exploring Argument from Multimodal Sources
Chapter 5: Creative Writing as Argument
Chapter 6: The Real Work
References
About the Authors
Index
