A 1-semester course for grades 7 or 8 and up
Think of the progymnasmata as a step-by-step apprenticeship in the art of writing and rhetoric. In the award-winning Writing & Rhetoric series, author Paul Kortepeter has recovered this proven method of teaching writing in conjunction with critical thinking and speaking. This is the tenth in a series of 12 books that will train students over 6 years.
In Writing & Rhetoric Book 10: Thesis Part 1 (consumable student edition), students will write well-crafted persuasive thesis essays with narrative, descriptive, expository, and comparative elements. The thesis essay is perhaps the most important form of academic writing. In fact, in every major in college, successful exams and term papers depend on excellent thesis writing. Each composition requires strong critical thinking skills, an understanding of audiences and how to “hook” them, and a logical progression of ideas and evidence. The thesis exercise employs all of the skills students have gained in their study of the progymnasmata and adds something more: the consideration and rebuttal of counterarguments. By thinking through opposition to their main ideas, students grow in their ability to think flexibly and to defend their position. In addition, the thesis essay will help students to examine and sustain ideas, two skills much needed in today’s public discourse.
In this 1-semester book, students will learn to:
create complex thesis statements
write thesis essays with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion
sustain arguments for 6 paragraphs
use topic sentences for organizing paragraphs and information
incorporate supportive facts and details, including quotations, paraphrases, and allusions
understand audiences better, “hook” their attention, and consider the purpose for reaching them
appeal to readers though credibility (ethos) and logic (logos)
build copiousness
improve essays using speaking as an aid to revision
revise essays for redundancies, padded writing, informal tone, dangling modifiers, and faulty predication
analyze literature excerpts for theme
annotate texts and narrate them both orally and in summary form
work on delivery in public speaking—volume, pacing, and inflection
The Writing & Rhetoric Book 10: Thesis Part 1 Teacher’s Edition includes the complete student text, as well as answer keys, teacher’s notes, and explanations. This teacher’s edition also contains descriptions and examples of what excellent student writing should be like for every writing assignment, providing the teacher with meaningful and concrete guidance.
