12.1: The Classroom Lecture and Activity

SLOs:

Employ a voice, style, and tone appropriate to the topic selected and the rhetorical situation
Direct an argument or explanation to the designated audience
Establish a clear framework of essay and paragraph organization appropriate to the writing task and the thesis
Employ rhetorical strategies consistent with the purpose of the writing task

 

Classroom Lecture and Activity:

Sometimes when you are writing a research essay that needs to have an argument, it is useful to let your audience know how you, the author, came to your conclusion. This means not only stating your thesis, but the process of thinking that helped you decide on that particular claim. A researcher focused structure is also useful when you have to conduct your own primary research, much like an investigator. It can help the authority of the essay if the audience knows you took critical steps to find or conduct your research and/or choose your sources of information. For example: if you are writing about segregation in Chicago, you might mention which neighborhood you live in, the demographics, and cost of living in the community. In this instance, adding yourself let’s the reader know you have first hand experience. Your connections to the area can also help you gather information. You might later add an interview with your alderperson or a representative of the ward office, the minutes from a community meeting, and a survey from the residents. Discussing why you’ve added this particular information will help the reader further understand your reasoning.

Finally, being researcher focused encourages the author to examine their bias and stick to the path of truth seeking. For example, you might state that many residents choose to live in a certain neighborhood or community for reasons that don’t align with the common argument, and you might also mention that you did not receive all the information needed from the Chicago Housing Authority due to access. You’ll notice that many primary research scholarly articles include sections on the pitfalls and caveats of the research that was conducted. Therefore, this is a writing structure and strategy that is commonly used. On another note, for beginner writers in general, this type of structure allows them to keep themselves in the argument which is helpful in finding their voice and practicing expressing thoughts precisely.

It is also important to remember that using a new structure is just another way of practicing using and combining writing strategies. Writing strategies are useful every time you write. Remember: there is no one ‘right' way to write an essay. This is why you will find that you will be asked to write multiple types of essays for all sorts of classes.

Question-Claim Structure: The purpose of this structure is still to explore but your thesis comes more in the middle or right before the middle.  

Introduce the research problem or question and then your motive for exploring it.	Tell a story that dramatized the problem Describe your own experiences with it What did you read, observe, or experience that made you curious about it?
Establish the significance of the problem or question and why readers should care about it.	How many other people are affected? What difference will it make in people's lives? Why is this particular question significant?
Describe and analyze what has already been written or said by others about the problem or question and how this advances your understanding.	Who has made a significant contribution to the conversations about this? What have they said and how does that relate to your research question? What important questions do these other voices raise for you?
Explain what you find to be the most persuasive or significant answer to the research question. This is your thesis.	Who has made a significant contribution to the conversations about this? What have they said and how does that relate to your research question? What important questions do these other voices raise for you?
Describe what you've come to understand about the topic that you didn't fully appreciate when you began the project. What is left to explore?	What difference will the discoveries you made about your question? In your readers lives? What do you remain curious about? What questions are unresolved and what directions might more inquiry take if you were to continue?

 

Classroom Activity: As a class decide to read the Introduction and/or Chapter 1 of The Southside: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation by Natalie Moore. Go into the CCC library database and check out the book.

As you read, highlight or take note of the different structure categories from the question-claim structure the author is taking to write her essay. What do you notice? Share your observations with the class. If there is time, fill out a question-claim chart based on what everyone noticed.