Thank You for Arguing – First Part of Book: Offense
Worksheets under “Handouts and Worksheets” on Teacherweb
Distribute Thank You for Arguing (TYFA) and textbook cards.
August 25 Chapter 1 Assignment: read chapter 1 for Tuesday and keep a log one day of all the persuasion that you
encounter throughout the day (either someone or something persuading you or you persuading others). Include a
variety of at least 10 and explain how persuasion is part of the situation.
August 27 Chapter 2 Journal - For Thursday – After reading Ch. 2 of TYFA, write a journal about
whether you fight or argue. Describe one of the most common fights/arguments that occurs or
used to occur in your life. Recreate the typical dialogue, body language/gestures, and
outcome(s) that occur. Discuss the appeals used and the patterns they tend to follow. Then,
explain why this fight/argument keeps reoccurring (or used to). What are some options, based
on what you read in Ch. 2 that might help or did help to break this reoccurring cycle? How
might thinking about your goal affect this cycle/pattern?
Sept. 1 Chapter 3 Read Ch. 3 of TYFA. In your notebook, Part 1 of Chapter 3: define "blame," "value," and
"choice" in your own words. Be sure to include the role of verb tense. Give your own examples of each (not the ones
already given in the book). Minimum of 3 examples of each.
Sept. 3 Part 2 of Ch 3 in TYFA: Write about an argument (the one from your last journal, a new one that you have
been in or have been witness to, or one that you can analyze from a movie). What were the parties trying to
accomplish? Did they stay focused on that goal or did they lose sight of it? What blame/values/choices do you see
happening in the argument? If no choices offered, what would have been some possible choices to try to resolve the
situation? Heinrich says, “We expect our arguments to accomplish something.”
Sept. 10 Chapters 4 and 5 . Part 1 – Worksheet. Part 2 - Create a visual to explain the concepts of ethos,
logos, and pathos. Part 3 - For your notebook (200 word minimum) - What do clothes, bumper stickers,
sitting on tables, or playing on our phones have to do with decorum and persuasion? How good of a job
do you think you do at matching your decorum to the occasion? Give several scenarios of how you
adjust your decorum to match the situation. Based on what you’ve learned from Heinrichs, what do you
think you need to work on?
Sept. 15 Chapter 6 Worksheet – Rhetorical Virtue
Sept. 22 Chapter 7-8 Guided Notes
Sept. 29 Chapter 9 Quiz – It’s hard, so you better actually read, take notes, and study it!
Oct. 8 Read p. 332-333 "Double Arguments" and complete the 9 "on the other hand"
statements. Examples:
Money is the root of all evil, but on the other hand, money can be used toward
charitable acts that benefit society.
Too much attention is given to teaching to the test; on the other hand, those tests help
to gauge one aspect of a student's success.
Oct. 13 Chapter 10 Worksheet
Oct. 20 Chapter 11 Worksheet
Oct. 27 Chapter 12 Worksheet
Chapter 13 ???