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5.3: Climate Change and Paraphrasing Activities

  • Page ID
    293587
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    Remember that one of the main purposes of paraphrasing is to integrate someone else’s ideas into your own work, taking along what they have to say without interrupting your flow of thought. Consider that you are in conversation with other writers, thinkers, and scientists as well as with your professor, peers, and target audience.

    Some tips for integrating others’ ideas into your own in your writing:

    Name the author or source and give credentials when it helps:

    “Dr. Wolfenstein, the head of the biosciences department at __________ proposes [point related to bioscience].”

    Not: “Jim Stanley, a writer at Time Magazine, argues [something unrelated to writing].”

    Consider the relationship of your take with the source or with the ideas that you are disputing, agreeing with, or struggling with:

    “President _____ and Senators ________ and ________ have said they care about the future of the planet, yet their actions show _____________________, according to [source].”

    “Although most people seem to believe ____________, Dr. Loren shows a different side of the story. ___________________.”

    “While ________ may argue that ____________________, others such as _________ claim _______________.”

    “This idea is a counterpoint to the prevailing notion of ___________ by ________.”

    “[Example] supports this claim.”

    Essay writing:

    Option one:

    Select two or three other articles--at least one being peer-reviewed--relating to the topic of this article, the responsibility of rich countries to halt global climate change. Write a 1,000-1,500 word argumentative essay answering one of these prompts:

    What should rich countries such as the United States do about global climate change?

    Who has more responsibility to halt global climate change: Individuals or governments? Can we recycle harder and buy enough electric vehicles to get out of this crisis?

    Is there credible evidence to back the claim that world leaders see the rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius as “inevitable”, as the authors suggest?

    Recall that an argumentative essay centers around an assertive but disputable claim. Your job will be to support this claim (thesis) with evidence and logic from your sources. For a prompted essay such as this, the claim is your answer to the prompt.

    Cite your sources—whether paraphrased or quoted—using the format (MLA, APA, Turabian) preferred by your professor. No more than 15% of your paper should be directly quoted, so use and integrate paraphrases more often than merely quoting.

    Option two:

    Using at least one other credible research source, write a 500-word response letter to the authors of this piece, either agreeing or disagreeing with their main points or supporting or critiquing one of the main ideas.

    Consider your audience and their reasoning for drafting the letter in your response.

    Cite your sources—whether paraphrased or quoted—using the format (MLA, APA, Turabian) preferred by your professor. No more than 15% of your paper should be directly quoted, so use and integrate paraphrases more often than merely quoting.


    This page titled 5.3: Climate Change and Paraphrasing Activities is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jason Dye, City Colleges of Chicago.

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