ERWC Assignments

Follow-up for Activity 1:

Remember that last class you considered and wrote an account of an event you experienced
(or anticipated experiencing) with two different audiences: 1) a close friend, and 2) an older
relative with whom you do not have the same close rapport. Today, I would like you to
consider those accounts and the following questions.
First, in pairs or small groups, compare and discuss the texts you have produced, considering
and preparing to report on the following questions. Be ready to offer some observations in about
10-15 minutes. Write your answers here as well.
I was not here to discuss - I was called to the counselor's office.
1.
Did you choose the same form of communication for your friend and your older relative?
If not, why not?
I did not choose the same form of communication for my friend and my older relative. I did this
because my friend lives near me and because of that I can use the informal way of
communication of texting. However, my letter to a relative was sent via email and was sent this
way because my relative lives in France (reason why I wrote in French) and sending by text
wouldn't make sense. Also my relative is nearly 90 years old and wouldn't understand the
acronyms used when texting.
2.
What information did you tell your friend that you did not tell the older relative? Why?
I told the same information to my friend and relative.
3.
What information did you tell your relative that you did not tell your friend? Why?
I told the same information to my friend and relative.
4.
How did the language you used differ? Why?
The language I used differed in the way that to my friend I used English, but to my relative I
used French and the same language.

Activity 2: Exploring Key Concepts

Based on your work in Activity 1 and your experience as readers and writers, brainstorm ideas
of purposes and audiences for which writers may write. List your ideas here.

Purpose
Reason that something is done

Audience
The receivers of the content
Message
What the writing says
Technique
How the author delivers the information

After discussing these terms, consider the following questions:

1.
When have you seen texts written for more than one audience?
Some texts written for more than one audience are articles. Articles can be about any subject and
some articles are written as comparisons between two subjects. These articles are for two
audiences - the audiences from each side of the comparison.
2.
What texts have you seen that seem to meet multiple purposes? What purposes have you
noticed? Does one purpose dominate?
Analyses are texts that meet multiple purposes. Analyses of literary works analyze multiple parts
of a work and meet multiple purposes.

Activity 3: Surveying the Text

Look at the text of the article, How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down Performance,
by Shankar Vedantam. Consider the following questions:
1.
Where and when was the article published?
The article was published on February 2, 2016.
2.
What does that tell you about the information in the article?
The publication date of this article tells the reader that this information may be outdated.
3.
What do you notice about the length of the article and its paragraphs?
This article is written in a list form and is three pages long.
4.
What does that suggest to you about what you will be reading?
5.
The article was published in the science news section of the newspaper. What does that
tell you about the article?
The fact that this article was published in the science section of the newspaper tells me that this
article may look at things inside the brain and relating to science (with facts) rather than just
saying that stereotyping is not good.
Activity 4: Making Predictions and Asking Questions

As you examine the title of the article, How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down
Performance, answer and then discuss the following questions.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

What is a stereotype?
A stereotype is a preconceived idea of how a race, gender, or sexuality acts or
goes about in everyday life.
What kinds of stereotypes have you heard about different people?
Some stereotypes that I have heard are :
Asians are bad drivers
Black people are violent
Black people eat watermelon and fried chicken
Hispanic people are rapists
Hispanics are not intelligent
Gays are feminine
Lesbians are masculine
What does self-fulfilling mean?
Self-fulfilling means (of an opinion or prediction) bound to be proved correct or
to come true as a result of behavior caused by its being expressed.
Found on Google
What might make a stereotype self-fulfilling
When no one is trying to change a stereotype, the stereotype becomes selffulfilling.
What kinds of performance might the author be talking about according to the title?
According to the title, the author may be talking about stereotypes and the effects
of not resolved stereotypes on performance.

6.
What do you think the author will say about the relationship between stereotypes and
performance?
I think that the author will say that stereotypes will decrease performance.
7.

Who do you think is the audience for this piece? How do you know?
I think that the audience to for this piece is the people that use stereotypes because
it tells those people how they are affecting others.

8.

What do you think will be the purpose of the piece?

I think the purpose of this piece is show people how stereotypes are bad and can
hurt the performance of others.
9.
What questions do you want the piece to answer for you as you read?
How can we stop stereotypes from being used?
Activity 5: Understanding Key Vocabulary

The following vocabulary words are used in the article you are about to read.
1.

Ameliorate - make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better.

2.

Aptitude - a natural ability to do something.

3.

Conscious - aware of and responding to one's surroundings; awake.

4.

Depress - make (someone) feel utterly dispirited or dejected.

5.

Discriminate - make an unjust or prejudicial distinction in the treatment of different

categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, sex, or age.

6.

Inevitable - certain to happen; unavoidable.

7.

Inherent - existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute.

8.

Innate - Natural

9.

Salient - most noticeable or important.

10.

Society - the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.

11.

Stereotype - a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type

of person or thing.
Please give either your own or a dictionary definitions for each of the above words, leaving
room to copy the sentences in which the words appear in the article (You will do this later, not
today). Then write answers to the following questions:
What does the use of these words in the article suggest to you about the tone of the article?
Judging by these words, I think that the tone of this article will show the bad side of stereotypes
and how they should not be used. This article will be anti-stereotype.

What does the use of these words tell you about the authors perspective on the issue?
These words tell me that the author believes that stereotypes are not good, but that stereotypes
are inevitable.

What do they tell you about the audience of the piece?

These words tell me that the audience is possibly a targeted group of people (race, gender, age,
sexuality).

Reading

Activity 6: Reading for Understanding

During the first reading, you are reading to understand the authors points, playing the believing
game. To support your understanding, you will work in pairs. Each person should read a
paragraph or two of the article, then stop and say something to her partner. Here are some
examples of ways to start the sentences you will say when you pause:
Asking Questions

I wonder why...

What if...

How come...

Summarizing

The basic gist

The key information is

In a nutshell, this says that

Revising Meaning

At first I thought, but now I...

My latest thought about this is...

Im getting a different picture here because...

Making Connections

This reminds me of...

I experienced this once when...

I can relate to this because...

Forming Interpretations

What this means to me is...

I think this represents...

The idea Im getting is...

Once you have finished reading, discuss the following questions with your partner:
Which of your predictions turned out to be true?
The prediction that turned out to be true was that stereotypes threaten the performance of
people due to the fact that they feel the necessity to apply to their stereotype.
What surprised you?
What surprised me was that blacks got much lower scores than whites just because of the
pressure they felt in order to fit their stereotype.
Then, working together, write a one-sentence summary of the article.
This is posted on GC.

Activity 7: Considering the Structure of the Text

1. Draw a line across the page where the introduction ends. Is it after the first paragraph, or are
there several introductory paragraphs? How do you know?
The introduction ends after the third section. I know this because the hook about a
beast being an animal has ended and the small amount of information that is about the
next sections begins to be mentioned.
2.
Draw a line across the page where the conclusion begins. Is it the last paragraph, or are
there several concluding paragraphs? How do you know?
The conclusion begins after the 17th section. I know this because the 18th section
begins to summarize the contents of the entire article.
3.
Discuss in groups or as a class why the lines were drawn where they were. In this
activity, thinking and reasoning about organizational structure is more important than agreeing
on where the lines should be drawn.
4.

Further divide the body of the text into sections by topics (what each section is about).

5.
Write a short description of what each section is about, what it says about that topic
(says), and the rhetorical function of the section (why the writer put it there, does).
1. Section - Introduction
a. This section is a hook for the article and is a multiple choice quiz
for the reader. The reader is asked to pick which word they connect with the word
beast. This section explains that the reader must have chosen that beast is
connected to animal because animals are beasts. This is a common
stereotype of animals and helps the article lead into the main subject of

2.

3.

4.

5.

stereotypes. This section also helps the article move into the first experiment that
is mentioned: the vocabulary test.
Section - Study with Race difference
a. This section is about how when black and white people are tested
on a vocabulary test (presumably with the same words and these people have
the same level of intelligence) that is administered by a white person, the blacks
always score significantly lower than the whites. However, when the test is
administered by a white person the blacks and whites get the same score.
Section - Stereotype Threats
a. This section is about stereotype threats. Stereotype threats are
when people are threatened by a stereotype that they think applies to them and
then they begin to fulfill the stereotype.
Section - SAT test
a. This section tells the reader that the SAT test as well as many
other tests, though they are meant to reveal how one will do in college, actually
do not help that much do to stereotype threats. The test scores can be
misleading and do not truly reveal how one will do.
Section - conclusion
a. This section is the conclusion and is a summary of all of the
contents of the article.

6.
Copy the says and does statements onto separate sheets of paper to make one
outline of the article according to what each chunk says and one outline according to what each
chunk does.

SAYS

DOES

Answers about stereotypes may differ

depending on who you are asked by.

This tells the reader that in the article the

subject of scoring differently on
tests/questions is going to come up and it
also leads the reader into the next section

Black people are influenced by the

presence of white people (when the
whites are superior) and basically
apply themselves and their actions to
the stereotype that black people ar else's
intelligent.

This tells the reader that tests and testing, if

administered by a white person, can alter the
performance of black people.

Stereotype threats make people do their

stereotype when they are in a situation
that they believe their stereotype is true
and applies to them.

This tells the reader that stereotype threats

can alter the performance of different people
because of their belief in their stereotype and
that they are their stereotype.

The SAT is a bad way of predicting your

success in college especially because of
stereotype threats.

This tells the reader that stereotype threats

greatly impact the impact that test scores
have on colleges.

The performance of races other than

Caucasian depends on who is asking
them a question, stereotype threats make
people do their stereotypes, and the
SAT is a bad way of predicting success in
college due to stereotype threats.

There are many things that have to do with

stereotype threats. These threats affect the
performance of people during tests because
they feel as if they apply to their stereotypes.

Now, answer the following questions:

How does each section affect the reader? What is the writer trying to accomplish?
Section one affects the reader by hooking them into the article and introducing the concept of
stereotypes. The writer is trying to introduce stereotypes to the reader.
Section two is about how stereotype threats affect the reader by having the reader realize that
races other than Caucasian feel pressure to apply to their stereotype and then apply to it,
dragging their performance down. The writer is trying to show the effect that stereotype threats
have on performance.
Section three is about how stereotype threats affect people in their actions and functioning. The
writer is trying to inform the reader about stereotype threats.
Section four is about how the SAT is a bad way of predicting success college. The writer is
trying to prove that the SAT and college evaluation of your test scores in impacted by stereotype
threats.
Section five is an overall summary of the entire article and tells about stereotype threats as well
as their effect on test scores. The writer is trying to remind the reader of the things in the article.
What does each section say? What is the content?
This information is available in the chart above.
Which section is the most developed?
The most developed section the the one about the vocabulary testing because it is easy to
understand and gives the reader a good idea about the situation and the stereotype threat.
Which section is the least developed?
The section about the SAT is the least developed because it is quite difficult to understand how
the stereotype threats affect the selection of students into a college.
Which section is the most persuasive? The least persuasive?
The first section is quite persuasive because it draws the reader into the article.
On the basis of your chart of the text, what do you think is the main point? Is that point
explicit or implicit?
The main point of this article is that stereotypes negatively affect the performance of those that
are victims of the stereotype threats. This is explicitly expressed because the writer reveals this
by examples of the bad side of stereotypes.

Activity 8: Noticing Language

Change the forms of the vocabulary words to complete the table.

If no form of the word exists to fill a particular slot, put an X in that box. The first row has been
completed for you as an example.
NOUN

VERB

ADJECTIVE

ADVERB

(amelioration/amelior ameliorate
ator)
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionar
y/ameliorate

(ameliorative/amelior
atory)

X
(possibly
amelioratively...)

aptitude

Apt

Aptly

consciousness

conscious

consciously

depression

depress

depressive

depressively

discrimination

discriminate

discriminative

discriminant

inevitability

inevitable

inevitably

inherency

inhere

inherent

inherently

innateness

innate

innate

innately

salience

salient

saliently

society

societal

societally

stereotype

stereotype

stereotypical

stereotypically

Activity 9: Annotating and Questioning the Text

1. What is the authors apparent main purpose?

The authors apparent main purpose is that minorities and women are victims of stereotype
threats.
2. What clues indicate this purpose?
The clues that indicate this purpose are that the minorities scored lower on a vocabulary
test when it was administered by a white person and that if some get the same score as men
on the SAT they are considered less qualified than men.
3. What other purposes do you see the author pursuing?
The author is also pursuing the inaccurate predictions of success in college based on SAT
scores of women and minorities.
4. What clues suggest these other purposes?

The section number 12 is the clue that suggests this purpose.

Activity 10: Analyzing Stylistic Choices
Consider all of the following aspects of the authors technique, answering the questions below.
Each aspect includes several questions to consider.
1. Relationship Between the Writer and the Reader
Does the writer ask or expect the reader to do anything?
The writer begins the article by directly asking the reader to pick one choice for a multiple
choice question. The writer expects the reader to mentally answer the question.
Does the writer address the reader as an expert speaking to other experts, or as an
expert speaking to the general reader?
The writer, the expert, addresses as a general reader and not as another expert.
Does the writer make sure that the reader follows the discussion?
The writer makes sure that the reader is following the discussion by continuously adding
more details of each thing he is describing. This keeps the reader reading and engaged.
Does the writer engage the reader through humor, drama, or unusual examples?
The writer engages the reader by giving examples of stereotype threats. However, the
writer does not use humor or drama in order to engage the reader.
Is the writer hesitant or assertive?
The writer is assertive and confident about the information in the article.
How much knowledge does the writer assume the reader has?
The writer assumes that the reader knows what a stereotype is.
2. Content Choices
What parts of the subject does the author discuss in great detail? What parts are
summarized?
The author discusses the SAT test scoring in colleges in great detail. The summarized part
of this article is the vocabulary test so coring of different races based on the administrators
of the tests.
What statements does the writer assume as given (and therefore does not back up with
extensive support)?
What would that predict about your GPA at university? It would predict a 3.2 GPA.
This statement mentions both the SAT test and GPAs without every being backed up by
any explanation about what those are.

 What relevant topics are ignored?

The author does not mention any more information about tests besides the SAT and the
vocabulary test that the participants were given. The author should have found more test
score difference studies online to back up that this information is a common thing.
What topics could have been discussed but were not?
A topic that could have been discussed was what stereotypes are.
3. Expansion of Topics
In what ways are individual topics developed? Are arguments given? Are anecdotes told?
One topic that developed near the end of the article was stereotype threats. This topic was
explained as a bad thing that affects
Is the reader asked to believe certain ideas or to take certain actions? Is the reader asked
to imagine consequences?
The reader is informed of the consequences of stereotype threats and how with the same
SAT score, a man and a woman have different chances of getting into colleges.
Does the expansion of statements prove the statements or help the reader understand?
The expansion of statements does improve the statements and does help the reader
understand.
Does it keep the reader interested or amused or obscure the issues? Does it develop
Implications?
The expansion of the statement keeps the reader interested because it feeds the reader more
information about something mentioned in the article.
4. Choice of Evidence
What types of information are used to support main statements: statistics, anecdotes,
quotations, original observations, scientific theories, legal or philosophical principles,
definitions, appeals to emotion, appeals to the imagination, or appeals to common sense?
The author uses references different studies and quotes from those studies in order to support his
claims that stereotype threats are bad.

5. Use of Reference
How extensively does the writer rely on other sources? (Are there frequent mentions of
other books or articles?) Do you notice any indirect reference to the work of others?

The author extensively relies on other sources and frequently mentions studies and
research done by others in his article.
What methods are used to refer to other works? Do they include reference by title only,
paraphrase, summary, or direct quotation?
The author refers to other works by referencing the creator of the study, the study name,
and then by summarizing the study.
How complete is the documentation and the bibliography?
The documentation and the bibliography is incomplete because there is no bibliography
and the author only mentions the name of the study and its administrator.
What kinds of material does the writer cite: contemporary newspaper accounts, private
diaries, government documents, specialized scholarly studies, theoretical works, bestselling nonfiction books, statistical reports, or literary works?
The author cites newspapers, journal entries, and individual studies.
What purpose does the reference serve in the writing? Does the reference provide specific
evidence? Quote directly a person being discussed? Provide an assertion by an authority?
Present an example for analysis? Explain a point? Supply the background of a new idea?
Distinguish between conflicting ideas? Place current work in the context of previous work?
Present an idea to be argued against?
The purpose of the reference in writing is to give credit to the authors of the other papers
from which the author of this article took information from. The reference provides
examples of how stereotype threats can harm performance and drag it down.
6. Level of Precision
Is the subject simplified or presented in all its complexity?
The subject is summarized and is only explained in two paragraphs. It is not presented in
all of its complexity.
Are all important distinctions brought out?
An important distinction between whites and black taking tests that were administered by
whites and then blacks was that when a black person administers the test, the whites and
blacks score the same score compared to the uneven scores when the test is administered by
a white person.
Are many supporting details given or are only broad principles stated?
Mostly broad principles are stated by the author. There are not too many details given.
Are potential difficulties in the argument discussed?

7. Sentence Structure
Are the sentences short or long? Simple or complex?
The sentences vary in length, some being very short and others being very long. Also, the
author uses some complex language.
Are the sentences declarative statements? Do they set up a complex condition (if then .
The sentences do not set up complex conditions.
Do the sentences have qualifiers (even though . . .)?
Some of the sentences do have qualifiers, but not all of them.
Do the sentences describe actions?
The sentences do not describe actions, but describe studies and stereotype threats.
Do they describe physical qualities?
The sentences do not describe physical qualities.
Do they relate actual events to abstract ideas?
The sentences relate to studies and an abstract idea that that stereotype threats can drag
down the performance of a person.
Do they discuss only abstractions?
The study mainly discusses different studies as well as examples of how stereotype threats,
an abstract idea, can affect the performance of a person.

8. Word Choice
What are the denotative and connotative meanings of the key words?
The word stereotype is a key word in this article and it connotes thoughts of bad
generalizations of things. In this article, the writer portrays stereotypes as bad things and
associates them with threats.
How do the specific words the author has chosen affect your response?
Some of the words that the author chose make the reader believe that it is amazing that
races that are not Caucasian and women can outperform.
Which words or synonyms are repeated? Why?
Phenomenon and stereotype threats are both repeated throughout the article.
What figurative language does the author use? What does it imply?

No figurative language is used.

Postreading
Activity 11: Summarizing and RespondingRhetorical Prcis
A rhetorical prcis analyzes both the content (the what) and the delivery (the how) of a unit of.
spoken or written discourse. It is a highly structured four-sentence paragraph blending summary.
and analysis. Each of the four sentences requires specific information; students are expected to.
Work with your group to write a brief analysis of the content, purpose, and persuasive
strategies of a text using the
pattern below:
Sentence 1: Note the name of the author, the genre and title of the work, and the publication
date in parentheses; a rhetorically accurate verb; and a that clause containing the major
assertion or thesis statement in the work.
Sentence 2: An explanation of how the author develops and supports the thesis, usually in
chronological order.
Sentence 3: A statement of the authors apparent purpose, followed by an in order to phrase.
Sentence 4: A description of the intended audience, the relationship the author establishes
with the audience, or both.
Shankar Vedantams article, How a Self-fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down Performance
(February 02, 2009), explicates the stereotype threat. Vedantam references this problem by
referring to to many studies which impact the performance of minorities and women. The
authors purpose is to inform the reader of the the impact of stereotype threats in order to show
them why they should not stereotype others. Minorities, women, men, and majorities, basically
anyone, is the target of this article because it can apply to those that are stereotyped and to those
that stereotype others.
Activity 12: Reflecting on Your Reading Process
Quickwrite: Please take about 10 minutes to answer the following questions designed to help
you reflect on your reading process. When you have finished, prepare to share your ideas with
the class.
1. What have you learned from joining this conversation? What do you want to learn next?
I have learned that stereotype threats can greatly impact whether or not women or
minorities can succeed. I would like to learn how we can solve the problem of stereotype
threats and how we can improve the performances of women and minorities.
2. What reading strategies did you use or learn in this module?

One reading strategy that I used was annotating the text when I had questioned the author,
located important information, or given my response to things in the article.
3. Which strategies will you use in reading other texts? How will these strategies apply in
other classes?
The strategy of annotating the text as I read is a great one that I will use in other classes
because it allows me to find and remember the important pieces of information in the text
4. In what ways has your ability to read and discuss texts like this one improved?
My ability to read and discuss texts has improved. I can more easily understand this topic
and can read these types of articles while understanding what the text means.
Connecting Reading to Writing - Discovering What You Think
Activity 13: Considering the Writing Task
Now that youve read Shankar Vedantams piece about stereotype threat for the Washington
Post, you will investigate stereotypes at our school and write an article like Vedantams of
your own. You will gather evidence as a class. Each of you will interview at least two peers at
the
school and share your results (anonymously) with the class. Then, you will use the classs
evidence to write your own article. Model your article after the rhetoric in Vedantams article,
shaping yours as he does his, so you use similar techniques, writing for similar purposes and a
similar audience.
1. Read Activities 13 and 14 carefully as you proceed.
2. Identify key verbs in the writing task. What do they say you should try to accomplish in your
writing?
3. What kind of support must you provide?
Activity 14: Gathering Evidence to Support Your ClaimsEngaging with Evidence
Stage 1Class-wide Collection of Evidence
To begin, use the same interview protocol with your peers in class and then, later for homework
outside the class.
You will do this in class first, and then complete Stage 3 for homework.
***Interview Protocol - IMPORTANT - MUST FOLLOW!***
1. Note the students grade level and gender (not their name).
2. What stereotypes are you aware that relate to people like you, however you define people
like you?

3. Under what circumstances do you most notice or think about those stereotypes?
4. How do you respond when you notice or think about those stereotypes?
5. What strategies do you have for dealing with those stereotypes?
Stage 2Analyzing and Making Claims from Evidence
Write the answers to each of the questions from your interviews on sticky notes (one idea per
note). Our Guest Teacher will provided these for you. You will use these to organize the
responses in your group.
In groups, generate categories for your answers either on your own or by answering the
following questions:
1. What kinds of stereotypes have you listed?
Femininity means she can not play sports as well as boys or should not be good at
playing sports
Overachiever, nerd, try hard
2. What kinds of situations have you described?
While at school and while playing sports (in school)
3. What strategies have you developed for coping with stereotypes?
Ignorance of the haters

Stage 3Collecting School-wide Evidence (HOMEWORK! - Must complete for Thursday)

Interview at least two students from the school (making sure that no one else has interviewed
those same students) using the same questions we used in class. Post your results on the
class evidence posters in the same way you did with the class results, making sure to add
your tally to the total number of respondents.
Stage 4In-class Analysis of Results (We will do this in class on Thursday)
Examine the complete results of our classs research, and answer the following questions:
1. What kinds of results can you report from the class research?
Many people say that some sort of physical response is how they respond to
stereotypes. Many people also choose to accept their stereotype as something that
represents them and they feel sad.
2. What do you want to emphasize for your article?
In my article, I want to emphasize on why the response to stereotypes are not aggressive and why
acceptance of stereotypes may be a better way to solve stereotypes.
3. What stance will you take with respect to the results?
The stance we are taking in this article is against the stereotype threats.

Activity 15: Getting Ready to Write

In your small groups, discuss the following questions:
1. Who is your audience, and what is your argument?
Adults
Proving stereotype threats and their effects on performance
2. What types of evidence and appeals does your audience value most highly?
Scientific studies
3. How can you establish your own authority to address this issue? What credibility do you
have with this audience?
By providing evidence and citing real studies
Activity 16: Getting Ready to WriteComposing for Rhetorical Purpose
You are going to collaboratively write an article that captures the task outlined in Activity 13. As
you begin your composing, revisit the rhetorical analysis of Vedantams article from Activity 10
(Rhetorical and Style Analysis) and Vedantams article itself.

Activity 13 TASK: Now that youve read Shankar Vedantams piece about stereotype threat for
the Washington Post, you will investigate stereotypes at our school and write an article like
Vedantams of your own. You will gather evidence as a class. Each of you will interview at
least two peers at the school and share your results (anonymously) with the class. Then, you will
use the classs evidence to write your own article. Model your article after the rhetoric in
Vedantams article, shaping yours as he does his, so you use similar techniques, writing for
similar purposes and a similar audience.
1. Use that analysis to list criteria for what makes a successful version of the kind of article you
will be writing.
Citing sources
Clear evidence
Examples
Support of examples with evidence
2. Look in the article itself to find example sentences for the kinds of claims, evidence, analysis,
and transitions appropriate to meeting the rhetorical demands of such a text.
Studies used by Vedantam - entire studies

Writing Rhetorically - Entering the Conversation

Activity 17: Considering StructureOrganizing the Essay (Article)
1. Looking back at your rhetorical analysis of Vedantams article, what should be your rhetorical
purpose?
Our rhetorical purpose is to convince people that stereotype threats are real.
2. What stance will you take with respect to the topic?
My group is taking the stance of being against stereotypes and stereotype threats.
3. How does Vedantam begin? Does he explicitly state an overall point in his introduction?
Should you?
Vedantam begins by asking the reader a multiple choice questions and then
proposing a situation to the reader. He basically says that stereotypes are threats
depending on who is asking you the question.
4. On what topics will you focus the chunks of your article?
On stereotype threats and studies proving that they are real.
5. What sources will you use? How much will you reference Vedantams article? Other articles?

 We referenced Vedantams article by using the same vocabulary test study as him.
6. How formally should you write? What level of vocabulary will you use?
We are not going to write extremely formally and we will use a simple level of
vocabulary so that everyone who reads the article can understand it.
7. How does Vedantam conclude? How will you?
Vedantam concludes by summarizing the entire article and reiterates that
stereotypes threats have a great impact on the performance of the stereotyped.
Use Vedantams article and your answers to these questions to help you compose a first draft of
your article.

Revising and Editing

Activity 18: Revising Rhetorically (Complete in class on MONDAY)
You now need to work with the organization and development of your draft to make sure that
your essay is as effective as possible.
Peer Group Work
Your group will share your essay with the other groups and you should read, consider, and
complete Part I of the Evaluation Form for each essay. (You will get a copy of this on Monday)
Collaborative Group Work
1) Work in your groups to decide how you want to revise the problems that group
members identified.
2) Revise the draft based on the feedback you have received and the decisions you
have made with your partners. Consider these additional questions for individual work:
1. Have I responded to the assignment
Yes we have responded to the assignment.
2. What is my purpose for this essay?
My purpose for this essay is to prove that stereotype threats are bad.
3. What should I keep? What is most effective?
The studies mentioned in the article will be recycled into our article and will be
kept.
4. What should I add? Where do I need more details, examples, and other evidence to
support my point?

 We are going to add the data from the activity we did in class about stereotypes
around the school.
5. What could I get rid of? Did I use irrelevant details? Was I repetitive?
I could get rid of some run-on sentences.
6. What should I change? Are parts of my essay confusing or contradictory? Do I need to explain
my ideas more fully?
I should maybe change the run-on sentences in this essay.
7. What should I rethink? Was my position clear? Did I provide enough analysis to convince my
readers?
My position was clear.
8. How is my tone? Am I too overbearing or too firm? Do I need qualifiers?
My tone is not too overbearing or firm.
9. Have I addressed differing points of view?
No we did not address different points of view because our article was focused on
stereotype threats and their effects on performance.
10. Does my conclusion show the significance of my essay?
Yes the conclusion shows the significance of the essay.
11. Have I used key vocabulary words correctly to represent the ideas from the article? Have I
used words that refer to specific facts from the text?
We used stereotype threats which is a group of words that is repeated many
times in the article and is very significant to the article.
Activity 19: Reflecting on Your Writing Process
Quickwrite: Please respond to the following questions. When you have finished, prepare to share
your ideas with the class.
1. What have you learned about your writing process?
I have learned that my writing process involves reading and understanding text
and then writing my response.
2. What were some of the most important decisions you made as you wrote this text?
As I wrote this response, I decided to focus the article on the bad side of
stereotypes and to talk about stereotype threats.
3. How did writing about your writing influence the way you developed your text?

 Writing about our writing influenced the way I developed the text in the way
that I didn't copy the text.
4. In what ways have you become a better writer?
I have become a better writer because I now understand how to write in response
to text.