Tools for American Government & Current World ProblemsInput: Analyzing and Evaluating Messages

Page 1: Political CartoonsPage 2: Media Sources Pages 5-6: Persuasive Devices Pages 7-8: Left vs. Right Cheat Sheet

Output: Forming and Supporting Arguments Page 9: Socratic SeminarPage 10: Thesis TemplatesPages 10-11: Essay TemplatesPage 11: Citation TemplatePage 12: Annotations TemplatePage 12-13: Rubrics

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Political Cartoons Level 1: Understanding- Who, What, When, Where

Who is in the cartoon? o Well-known politicians, celebrities, groups, average citizens (old, young, male, female, etc.)

What is the topic? What are the symbols included?o Elephant-o Donkey- o Uncle Sam-

When? Where?o Long standing or reoccurring issue? One time event?o World-wide? Nation-wide? Region, state, or city specific?

Summarize the cartoonist’s message in a sentenceo Humor: Comparing l with another unrelated topic / Poking fun at / Questioning o Negative: Criticizing / Mourning / Exposingo Positive: Celebrating / Praising / Complimenting

Level 2: Analyzing- Why, How Why is this in the news? Why is this happening? How does it affect me, the future, our nation?

Level 3: Evaluating- Should/Would/Could, Does, Is What facts would be needed to support or deny this claim? Does this cartoon go too far? Is it meaningful to public discussion? Is it fair?

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Media Sources: In-Depth Analysis Type of Source- What kind of source is this and how does that affect its credibility?

Is it the result of in-depth investigation? Is it an opinion piece? Is its goal to objectively inform (news article) or explicitly persuade (non-profit website)?

Context of Source- What is the setting in which this message was created? What just happened? What’s been happening for a long time? What is on the verge of happening? What won’t happen for a long time? What deep-rooted issues are causing this document to be created?

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Publishing Organization- What is the company backing this source and how does that affect its credibility?

Is the organization well-known and respected as reliable source? Is it a research or government organization? A media organization? A for-profit company? Does the organization have a reputation for bias or objectivity? Bias in what direction?

Author’s Expertise- Who is the author and how does that affect its credibility? Does the author have a known reputation? Is the author a scholar of the source’s topic? Has the author had first hand experience with the source’s topic?

Sources Cited- Who is the author of the document? What does (s)he believe or want? How does the author’s personhood impacted what they wrote? Is his/her POV limited or strengthened in some way?

Race, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, other general background Education level, profession, role in the issue or society Personality, values, viewpoints on the issue Does the author have ulterior motives? Does the author’s background make it hard for him/her to understand the

opposing viewpoint or be convincing in his/her argument? Does the author’s background strengthened their effectiveness?

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Reliable Evidence- What are facts, ideas, events that you learned from this source that you can trust? Names of people, events, laws, ideas Stats or facts about the event, person Expert opinions

Missing Evidence- What questions do you still have or evidence you still need? What happened before or after/since this source was created? What is another side to this event, topic, or issue? Who is another person or point of view that could provide insight or opinion?

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Media Sources: Quick Analysis Authority: can you trust the author or organization knows about the topic?More of this:

Government (.gov) or educational sites (.edu) Well-known organizations Author given Job title, qualifications listed Recent publish date

Less of this: Personal websites (i.e. /users/~jsmith) Side advertisements or “popups” No author No information about author Old publish date

Objectivity: can you trust that the source is providing neutral facts and/or expressed opinions? More of this:

Factual No financial/personal gain Scholarly research Professional, formal words Statistics and specific examples Identified sources Includes opposing viewpoint Labeled as an editorial

Less of this: Entertaining Selling a product/service Loaded or emotional words Generalizations and stereotypes (all, every, never) Negative language, insults One-sided

Type of Source- What kinds of sources tend to be the most and least worthwhile?

More worthwhile Slightly worthwhile Not worthwhile

Publishing Organization- What is the company or organization backing this source and how does that affect its credibility?

What does their About Us page say about themselves? Does it appear in the data below?

Tim Groseclose and Greg Milyo’s “slant scale” of various major media outlets, published in their 2004 paper, with 100 representing the most liberal and zero the most conservative:

ABC Good Morning America- 56 ABC World News Tonight- 61 CBS Early Show- 66CBS Evening News- 74 CNN NewsNight- 56 Fox News Special Report- 40Los Angles Times- 70 NBC Nightly News- 62 NBC Today Show- 64New York Times- 74 NewsHour (PBS)- 56 Newsweek- 66NPR Morning Edition- 66 Time Magazine- 65 US News and World Report- 66USA Today- 63 Wall Street Journal- 85 Washington Post- 67Washington Times- 35

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The Pew Research Center is considered one of the least biased, most reliable polling and fact tank organizations.

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Persuasive Devices Rhetorical DevicesAllusion: a reference to an event, literary work or person

I can’t do that, I am not Superman.

Anecdote: a personal account or story “I had the same thing happen to me, and look at me now!”

Antithesis: makes a connection between two opposite things “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” (Neil Armstrong)

Enumeratio: makes a point with details, lists and numbers them out “There are three reason why… One, you should…”

Epizeuxis: repeats one word for emphasis The amusement park was fun, fun, fun.

Glittering Generalization: vague, emotional description without many details, or evidence “It is made with state-of-the-art materials” “The best you can get”

Hyperbole: an exaggeration “I have done this a thousand times.”

Instruction: give orders or clear directions to the audience “Now listen to this….”

Metaphor / Simile: compares two things by stating one is the other or using “like” or “as” “The skies of our future are darkening” “Life is like a box of chocolate”

Parallel: uses words or phrases with a similar structure “He came, he saw, he conquered”

Rhetorical question: posing a question with an already known answer, often immediately answering it “Who wouldn’t want to help these starving children in Africa?” “Why you vote for me? Here’s why…”

Single words: isolating a single word to give added weight, often with pauses to emphasize the word “What has my opponent done? Nothing.”

Emotional AppealsInclusion / Plain folk: colloquial or inviting words to connect to audience

“Y’all” “Growing up in a working-class family, I… ”

Insult/Compliment: put down of the opposing side, praise own side “He’s a jerk; don’t listen to him!” “He is a upright citizen”

Patriotism: an emotional appeal, eliciting pride for one’s country or other organization “Do it for your country” “It’s the American way”

Transfer: linking an idea with a strong emotional attachment to another Images of a happy family in a grocery store advertisement

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Logical FallaciesBandwagon: emphasizing acceptance by the majority

“Everyone is doing it, so why aren’t you?” “You are really missing out”

Circular Argument: restating the argument rather than actually proving it. “President is a good communicator because he speaks so eloquently”

False Dilemma: presenting the idea of only two choices with one being extreme “If you don’t elect me, this country will crumble”

Genetic Fallacy: stressing the origins of something as determining it’s current worth “The Volkswagen Beetle is an evil car since it was originally made for Hitler’s army”

Hasty Generalization: rushing to a conclusion based off limited knowledge “I can already tell from the little bit I saw, it’s going to be a complete failure”

Slippery Slope: presenting the conclusion if one event happens, then eventually the extreme will happen “If we let two people of the same gender marry, what’s next? A person marrying their dog?”

Straw Man: oversimplifying an opponent’s viewpoint in order to attack it “People who don’t support a minimum wage increase hate the poor”

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Infograph created by David McCandless, republished in article in Fast Company, a business magazine focused on progressive technology and innovated thinking.

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Socratic SeminarSocrates, a classic Greek philosopher, was convinced the surest way to attain reliable knowledge was through the practice of disciplined conversation. A Socratic Seminar is a method to understand information by crating a conversation to seek deeper understanding of complex ideas though evidence-supported ideas, questions, and reflection.

Preparing for a Seminar Read through the entire required texts, annotating for relevant information Organize information neatly on outline for ease access, noting facts, opinions, and sources Answer Pre-Seminar Reflection questions Brainstorm and record own questions

Seminar Debate Collaborative, collective knowledge Involves multiple sides working towards a shared

understanding One listens to understand Enlarges/changes a participants point of view Creates an open-minded attitude One submits one’s best thinking and looks to reflect

on it Respects and includes all the other participants’

contributions

Competitive; individual knowledge Involves two opposing sides trying to prove each

other is wrong One listens to find flaws Affirms a participant’s point of view Defends assumptions as truths One submits best thinking and defends it against

challenges Searches for weaknesses in the other participants’

contributions

Protocol for a Seminar Prepare by annotating the texts, researching evidence and brainstorming questions Speak clearly, use names, look at person you’re addressing Ask questions you have, answer questions others have that you know Help discussion stay on topic, shift discussion if it’s dead-ended Cite your sources when giving information learned from them to support your contribution Use sentences stems to help you contribute your ideas Share the time, invite others to contribute

After a Seminar Add any new understandings to your notes Complete Post-Seminar Reflection questions

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Thesis TemplateEven though __________ (X), __________ (A) and __________(B), therefore __________(Y).

Even though __________ (X), ___________(Y) because of ___________ (A) and __________(B).

X: the Counter-claim What you’re NOT going to argue, the least/most different of the three categories

A: the strongest category The evidence for what you ARE going to argue, the strongest/best of the three categories

B: the next best category Additional evidence for what you ARE going to argue, the next strongest/best of the three

categoriesY: the claim

What you ARE going to argue; the evaluation of the topic

Even though I really should be studying for this tomorrow’s SATs, I am instead going to enjoy tonight’s football game because my friends are all going to be there and need s break from all the studying I’ve already done this last month.

Even though the San Francisco 49’ers and the Seattle Seahawks are both strong teams, the Seahawks have a more fan-friendly stadium and a quarterback who is a role model, therefore the Seahawks are a much easier team to root for.

Essay TemplatesCausation- How much did something cause/effect something else? What are the causes or effects of an event? Which are the most/least important causes or effects?

More so Caused/Effected

Even though _________________________ had been present and serves as an underlying causes of…. (X), _____________________

(A) and ________________________________ (B) occurred which caused ………. to happen which…….. (Y).

More so Didn’t Cause/Effect

Even though _________________________ certainly increased …… (X), _____________________ (A) and _______________________ (B) had

already been occurring ………. which…….. (Y).

X paragraph: The smallest effect was in regards to….

A paragraph: However, in regards to……. the effects were enormous…

B paragraph: Additionally, the effects on ….. were also…

Continuity and Change - How much and in what ways did something continue and change over time? Is there more continuity or change and what accounts for them?

More so Continued

Even though _________________________ changed in…., (X), _____________________ (A) and ________________________________ (B)

remained constant ………. which…….. (Y).

More so Changed

Even though _________________________ remained constant …… (X), _____________________ (A) and ________________________________

(B) were dramatic changes ………. which…….. (Y).

X paragraph: The one thing that did continue was in regards to….

A paragraph: However, when looking at……. there was significant change …

B paragraph: Likewise, the changes to ….. were also…

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Characterization - How much and in what ways can a topic be characterized?More so Described As

Even though ___________________ was occurring (X), _____________________ (A) and ________________________________ (B) were much stronger during ………. which allows _____________________ to be considered…….. (Y).

More so Not Described As

Even though ___________________ was occurring (X), _____________________ (A) and ________________________________ (B) were strong during ………. which weakens _____________________ to be considered…….. (Y).

X paragraph: There certain was many examples of….

A paragraph: Meanwhile, though, there was far more …

B paragraph: On the same thread, there were….

Problem/Solution- How bad is the problem? What solutions are the best at addressing the problem?

More so a Problem to Solve

Even though _________________________ had been tried as a solution to…. (X), _____________________ (A) and

________________________________ (B) are much better solutions in addressing …….. (Y).

Less so a Problem to Solve

Even though there are concerns about ________________________ (X), because _____________________ (A) and

________________________________ (B) the issue …….. (Y).

X paragraph: A solution tried that has concerns is…. / Some think that….

A paragraph: However, the solution of… is better because / However, when looking at…

B paragraph: Another solution that shows promise is… / In addition, on the point of….

Citation Templates

In text: source is mentioned right in the wording of the sentence According to….. in his essay entitled…….. The picture of…… shows…. President….. said to …….

Parenthetical: source is named within parentheses at the end of a sentence) after being referred to within the sentence

Even the president wasn’t going to agree to the plan (President Cleveland’s Veto Speech). Unfortunately racism was still strongly felt decades after slavery was abolished (Photos of African American soldiers).

Works Cited: source is formally and in its entirety listed on a separate sheet following the end of a work, used when writing a formal research paper

Riis, Jacob. How the Other Half Lives. W.W. Norton. New York: 1903. Garrison, William Lloyd. “Inaugural Edition Editorial”. The Liberator. Boston: 1831.

Citation Websites: create properly formatted citations using these online tools Easy Bib- www.easybib.com Bib Me- www.bibme.org

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Annotation Template

Annotation: write a brief “note” about the source as a whole and how it helped your research Summarize

o What kind of information did this source cover that’s related to your topic? Evaluate

o How do you know you can trust this source? o How helpful was this information? What unique perspective did it provide you?

Example Citation with Annotation

Bates, Daisy. The Long Shadow of Little Rock. 1st ed. New York: David McKay Co. Inc., 1962.Daisy Bates was the president of the Arkansas NAACP and the one who met and listened to the students each day during the Civil Rights Movement. This first-hand account memoir she wrote about her experiences was very important to my paper because it made me more aware of the feelings of the people involved, especially how scared so many of the seemingly brave activists were.

RubricsSourced-Based Unit Essays

Knowledge of Topic, Use of Evidence (Common Core Social Studies 1, 7)Exceeding Meeting Approaching Beginning

Cites specific, diverse, and multiple pieces of evidence to support a

solid and rich analysis of the sources and topic, connecting insight gained from specific evidence to a coherent, solid

understanding in order to address the question.

Cites specific and multiple pieces of evidence to support a solid

analysis of the sources and topic, connecting insight gained from

specific evidence to a solid understanding in order to address

the question.

Cites few specific pieces of evidence to support a vague or

limited analysis of the sources and topic, limitedly connecting specific

evidence to a shaky or limited understanding in order to address

the question.

Cites very few specific pieces of evidence to support a very vague or limited analysis of the sources

and topic, very limitedly connecting specific evidence to a

very shaky or limited understanding in order to address

the question.

Craft of Argument (Common Core Writing 1)Exceeding Meeting Approaching Beginning

Introduces a precise, knowledgeable thesis; uses ample transitions specific to the targeted skill to link sections; maintains a

formal style; provides a thoughtful concluding statement appropriate

to the argument made.

Introduces a knowledgeable thesis; uses transitions specific to the targeted skill to link sections;

maintains a formal style; provides a concluding statement

appropriate to the argument made.

Introduces a basic thesis; uses limited transitions specific to the

targeted skill to link sections; maintains a limitedly formal style;

provides a generic concluding statement for the argument made.

Introduces a very basic thesis; uses very limited transitions specific to the targeted skill to link sections; maintains a very limitedly formal

style; provides a very generic concluding statement for the

argument made.

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Extended Source Analysis

Knowledge of Topic, Use of Evidence (Common Core Social Studies 1, 7)Exceeding Meeting Approaching Beginning

Cites specific, diverse, and multiple pieces of evidence to support a

solid and rich analysis of the topic, connecting insight gained from specific evidence to a coherent, solid understanding in order to

address the question.

Cites specific and multiple pieces of evidence to support a solid

analysis of the sources and topic, connecting insight gained from

specific evidence to a solid understanding in order to address

the question.

Cites few specific pieces of evidence to support a vague or

limited analysis of the sources and topic, limitedly connecting specific

evidence to a shaky or limited understanding in order to address

the question.

Cites very few specific pieces of evidence to support a very vague or limited analysis of the sources

and topic, very limitedly connecting specific evidence to a

very shaky or limited understanding in order to address

the question.

Evaluation of Sources (Common Core Writing 7, 8)Exceeding Meeting Approaching Beginning

Evaluates richly the strengths and limitations of multiple sources in

terms of type, purpose, and audience; solidly addresses

reliably of evidence in claim and counterclaim; includes a wide

variety of sources to show deep understanding of topic and the

debate involved.

Evaluates the strengths and limitations of multiple sources in

terms of type, purpose, and audience; addresses reliably of

evidence in claim and counterclaim; includes a variety of sources to show an understanding of topic and the debate involved.

Limitedly evaluates the strengths and limitations of multiple sources

in terms of type, purpose, and audience; limitedly addresses

reliably of evidence in claim and counterclaim; includes a limited

variety of sources to show a limited understanding of topic and

the debate involved.

Very limitedly evaluates the strengths and limitations of

multiple sources in terms of type, purpose, and audience; very

limitedly addresses reliably of evidence in claim and

counterclaim; includes a very limited variety of sources to show

a very limited understanding of topic and the debate involved.

Socratic Seminars

Preparedness, Evidence, Reflection (Common Core Speaking 1A)Exceeding Meeting Approaching Beginning

Has richly annotated texts and prepared notes and questions;

explicitly draws on resources by clearly and amply referring to

evidence to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

Has annotated texts and prepared notes and questions; draws on

resources by clearly and referring to evidence to stimulate a

supported exchange of ideas.

Has limited annotated texts and prepared notes and questions;

limitedly draws on resources to contribute to the exchange of ideas.

Has very limited annotated texts and prepared notes and questions; very limitedly draws on resources

to contribute to the exchange of ideas.

Discussion (Common Core Speaking 1B, C, D)Exceeding Meeting Approaching Beginning

Leads peers to promote civil discussion; propels and deepens

conversation by posing and responding to questions; ensures a hearing of a full range of positions; clarifies, supports, and challenges

ideas respectfully.

Engages in civil discussion; contributes to conversation by

posing and responding to questions; engages in a hearing of a

full range of positions; clarifies, supports, and challenges ideas

respectfully.

Limitedly engages in civil discussion; limitedly contributes to

conversation by posing and responding to few questions;

limitedly clarifies, supports, and challenges ideas respectfully.

Very limitedly engages in civil discussion; very limitedly

contributes to conversation by posing and responding to few

questions; very limitedly clarifies, supports, and challenges ideas

respectfully.

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