Research Questions and Topic Refinement

I wasn't able to make it when we went over this topic, but I will go off of my own knowledge.  For me it is very hard to decide a topic, because it has to be a good one that you and others have interest in, or you won't be able to write a whole paper.  So an effective way to choose a topic is to do something you have interest in, and ask others if they have interest as well.  But first you should write down all the different topics you have interest in, then ask people about each of them and use the process of elimination.  I still have only a vague idea of what I want to do. This causes me too much stress.

Summary VS. Analysis

Like we talked about in class, a summary is a condensed version of a paper, such as what happened and what was included.  This can be effective in outlining the main points of a paper, and getting the most out of something by in a way quizzing yourself on what the paper was about.  An analysis is when you take a paper apart, bit by bit, and think about what different tools were used and how effective they were and what way they were effective.  This can help you find out what is effective, so that you can apply it to your writing as well.

Peer Review

Peer review is a really great tool to get your work evaluated  by other students.  For me it was very effective when we did it with the opinion editorial.  Mainly because it gave me ideas on how others interpreted the assignment.  A lot of the time I get confused because I don't know how I am supposed to go about writing a paper, like what format etc.  But after seeing other students assignments I am better able to gauge how to write a paper and what is expected.  It is also very helpful to receive feedback from others.  I was able to gain a lot of good insight on what I needed to change in my paper.  I would be happy if we could do peer review more often. 

Ethos

Ethos is one of the three most important elements in writing an effective rhetorical paper.  Ethos is an element that gives your paper credibility.  Credibility is very important because if you do not know what you're talking about, then what reason does the reader have to believe what you say? Without Ethos in a paper, you cannot convince anyone of anything.  There are a few things you can do to add ethos and credibility to your paper. One of which is sharing a personal experience that has to do with the topic at hand.  By doing this, you show the reader that you have experience in this topic, and that you know what you are doing.  I, for one, would be much more obliged to read a paper in which the writer has topic on the experience than one who does not.  Another way to add ethos to your paper is by siting credible sources.  In order to cite a credible source you need to find people with opinions similar to yours and experience in your topic.  Through doing this, credible peoples opinions are aligned with yours making your argument that more effective. 

Thesis Statements

The thesis statement is the most important part of writing a paper.  It is the main focus or main point you are trying to get across.  A thesis needs to clearly state your claim, along with also briefly mentioning all of the points or arguments you are going to cover.  In my paper, the thesis statement was that schools need to change the education system to be more student learning based.  After stating that clearly, I described a few of the points that I was going to hit throughout the paper.

Intros and Conclusions

Intros are the most important part of the paper for a number of different reasons.  If your intro isn't good, your whole paper loses credibility.  An important aspect of an intro paragraph is the hook.  You need to effectively draw your readers attention whist informing them clearly about the topic.  In my paper I am planning on using an anecdote to relate to the readers an experience that everyone has had; not getting something out of buys work or something of the sort. An intro should always end with the thesis statement, basically outlining the rest of the paper.  I will use different examples of how grade based learning has a negative effect on students.  A conclusion is also one of the most important parts of the paper.  It is necessary to bring a sense of closure to the readers, while once again also stating your point.  I plan to restate the thesis in different words, and brush up on all of my arguments.  I also plan on using a banger ending sentence to really bring the feels in. 

Claims, reasons and assumpitons

Claims, reasons and assumptions are very important, albeit similar, aspects of a good paper.  All three of these aspects must work together to effectively convey your point to your readers. In my opinion the claim is the most important of these.  The reason being it states what your view is.  Without a view on a topic, you have nothing to argue, therefore you cannot write an opinion editorial.  Stating your view powerfully is very important in writing a good paper, you have to be clear with your statement.  Reasons are to be the main body of an essay.  Your reasons must support your claim, make sense to the listener, and be clear and to the point.  Reasons are the way of persuading the reader.  If you don't have good reasons that make sense, your paper will be for naught.  The assumpition part of the paper is still kind of confusing to me.