Critical Thinking
Topic: “Your Topic”
College Prep
2-25-13
Essential Question for the
Unit
 “How do definitions shape our understanding?”
 Everything we do this unit will tie to this question
Turn in those Topic
Proposals
 I want em…..
 Did anyone struggle with this?
What is an extended
definition paper?
 The first consideration is that a word doesn’t have
one “right” meaning. There are more ideas or
concepts than there are words, so the same word
has to mean different things at different times.
Conversely, different words or phrases can be used
to name the same concept. What is necessary for
clear thinking is that the parties to the conversation
know what concept they are dealing with at any
time. Therefore, in writing an extended definition,
don’t define the word—rather explain the concept,
and show why it’s important that the reader have
clearly in mind the same concept you have in mind.
Maybe this dude can help
 VIDJA
Extended Definition
Papers (what I want to see)
 Introduction of the topic
 Definition of topic



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Criteria
Examples
Contrasting examples
Warrants
 Discussing what the term means means for human
conduct (connection to real life conduct).
 MUST be making an argument!!!!
Claim, Evidence, Warrant
 Remember these?!?!?
 Claim: an assertion of truth
 Criteria
 Evidence: Facts on their own
 Examples
 Warrant: a statement that explains why a piece of
evidence makes a claim factual.
 Your explanations
Equation
 Warrant = claim + evidence
Remember
arguments?!!?!??!
 EVERYTHING is an argument (remember that?!)
 Therefore, your extended definition is an
argument!!
Ethos
 Ethos (Greek for 'character') refers to the
trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or
speaker. Ethos is often conveyed through tone and
style of the message and through the way the writer
or speaker refers to differing views. It can also be
affected by the writer's reputation as it exists
independently from the message--his or her
expertise in the field, his or her previous record or
integrity, and so forth. The impact of ethos is often
called the argument's 'ethical appeal' or the 'appeal
from credibility.’
PATHOS
 Pathos (Emotional) means persuading by appealing
to the reader's emotions. We can look at texts
ranging from classic essays to contemporary
advertisements to see how pathos, emotional
appeals, are used to persuade. Language choice
affects the audience's emotional response, and
emotional appeal can effectively be used to enhance
an argument.
Logos
 Logos (Logical) means persuading by the use of
reasoning. This will be the most important
technique we will study, and Aristotle's favorite.
We'll look at deductive and inductive reasoning,
and discuss what makes an effective, persuasive
reason to back up your claims. Giving reasons is the
heart of argumentation, and cannot be emphasized
enough. We'll study the types of support you can
use to substantiate your thesis, and look at some of
the common logical fallacies, in order to avoid them
in your writing
Lets take a look at an
example
 Lets read “What it is to be a teacher”
 Traditional definition
 Claim, evidence, warrant
 Types of arguments made
Frayer Model (write these
down on your sheet)
 In the Middle
 The word itself
 Definition
 What the word is in your own words
 Facts/characteristics
 Features of the word, what does the word do?
 Examples
 Manifestations of what it is
 Non-Examples
 Manifestations of what it is not
What it looks like with
“teacher”
 Watch a brother do a Frayer Model
 Help me analyze the argument?
 Contrasting examples?
Your Turn
 Read “Love”
 Create your frayer model on LOVE
 On the back analyze the argument (theme) AND the
types of arguments (claim, evidence, warrant
structure)
 State contrasting examples…if there are any