9.8 – Module Project and Reflection
Let’s write a persuasive argument about a U.S. holiday!
The federal holiday of Columbus Day can be controversial in the United States. Look at the Module 9 Project: Columbus Day Persuasion Activity handout. Read the Columbus Day background at the top of the page as a class.
Are you familiar with the vocabulary word “persuasion”, or, “to persuade”?
When we persuade, we try to convince someone to think a certain way, or make them agree with you by arguing for your ideas.
If you really want to persuade someone of something, you should make a well-organized argument. An argument includes a) a strong statement about what you believe, b) reasons why someone should believe it, and c) evidence to back up the statements.
Look at this example of an example with all of these features:
| Strong Belief Statement: | Cigarettes should be illegal. |
|---|---|
| Reason: | Cigarettes are bad for a person’s health. |
| Evidence: | The United States Surgeon General reports that people have a 75% chance of developing heart disease if they smoke cigarettes over a long period of time. |
Talk about these questions with your classmates:
A) Do you think the evidence provided in the table is strong or weak?
B) Does it help support the writer’s strong belief statement?
Next, look at the persuasive Columbus Day Reading in your Module 9 Project handout which argues AGAINST the Columbus Day holiday. After reading the article, review the article and find the strong belief statement, reason(s), and evidence, and write them in the chart. You can work individually, in partner groups, or in breakout room groups.
The most important thing to remember when you are trying to persuade someone (either speaking or in writing) is to back up your beliefs with reasons and evidence–not just opinions that can’t be supported.
Finally, answer the following two questions by writing in your notebook or discussing them as a class. Share your answers.
Write answers to these questions in your notebook:
1. Were you persuaded by the article?
I was/was not persuaded by the article because __________________________________.
2. What is your opinion about celebrating Columbus Day?
In my opinion, we should/should not celebrate Columbus Day because _________________________.
Big Questions
We are at the end of Module 9! Based on your learning, how would you answer these questions?
Do a 3-5-minute “quick write” about one or more of the questions below OR be prepared to discuss one or more of them.
Questions #1-2: Why do nations expand? How does expansion affect people already living there?
Question #3: How do colonizers and colonized groups view the experience differently?
Extend Your Learning!
Websites can be a great place to find answers to questions and to help solve problems, but how do we know if the information we find online is good or not? It is important to figure out if websites and the information we find on the internet is reliable. “Reliable” means that the information can be trusted.
We can use different strategies to determine if the information on the website is reliable. We can ask what organization or person paid money for the information to be online. Any person, company, or organization can make a website. Try to find the author or organization’s name. Do a search for them to find out more. You could also ask someone you trust if they know anything about the website or author. Also note that addresses ending with .com are less reliable than addresses ending with .org or .gov
Something that can make a website less reliable is “bias”. Bias is believing that some people, ideas, or things are better than others. Bias is about beliefs, it does not come from fact. You should expect bias on websites that are trying to sell you something.
Let’s talk about reliability of sources using the following story and questions below:
Sam’s close friend has diabetes. He is interested in learning more about the disease and how to manage it. He found three websites. Look at the name and the creator of each website and answer the question about which site you think is most reliable and why.
Which of these sites seem to be the most reliable?
