Unit 8 Discussion

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This Discussion gives you an opportunity to post a draft of your introduction paragraph for your persuasive essay so that you can receive feedback on its effectiveness from your peers and the instructor. You may find it helpful to post your introduction paragraph early in the unit so that you have time to revise it for the unit?s Assignment based on the feedback you receive and the insights you find from the Learning Activities.

Include all of the following in your Discussion post:

• A draft of your introduction paragraph for your persuasive essay using one of the techniques described in the Learning Activities
• A thesis statement as the last sentence of your introduction
• An explanation of what motivated your decisions when writing the introduction, such as why you used a particular technique and the impact you want your introduction to have on your audience.

To earn full participation credit, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers? initial Discussion posts and show active engagement in the discussion as described in the grading rubric. These responses should stay on topic and generate further discussion by asking questions, mentioning relevant examples, and if possible, referencing concepts from the unit Learning Activities.

When responding to a peer, exercise tact and be specific in what you say. Take your time and develop your thoughts so that you can help out a fellow writer. Please do not focus on or mark GUM (grammar, usage, and mechanics) issues. The following questions will help you to create constructive feedback on your peers’ paragraphs:

• Does the introduction end with a persuasive thesis statement? If not, what changes could be made to the thesis statement?
• Is the strategy selected for the introduction effective, or might another approach mentioned in the Learning Activities be better?
• Identify at least one strength and one area of improvement needed for the introduction paragraph.
• Address any lingering questions you have about your classmate?s argument for change.

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard American English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

When you refer to concepts from the unit?s Learning Activities, be sure to use a signal phrase like ?According to . . .[name of reading].? If you are directly quoting the Learning Activities or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The Writing Center has resources on APA citation formatting.

https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/MyStudies/AcademicSupportCenter/WritingCenter/WritingReferenceLibrary/ResearchCitationAndPlagiarism/Index.aspx

You can review a sample Discussion post and response to a peer by clicking on the following link: Unit 8 Sample Discussion Assignment.

You can review the rubric the instructor will use when determining your Discussion grade by clicking on the following link: Discussion Assignment Grading Rubric.

2nd assignment:

The academic essay Assignment in this unit will be a written, cohesive argument for the change in your community or workplace that you have been writing about throughout the course. The Assignment should take the form of a persuasive academic essay, in which you will provide reliable evidence from at least four sources to support the argument for change that you are advocating. You will also need to address a counter-argument or misconception about your topic within the essay, as the ability to do so is a key component of a strong argument. Essentially, the essay will reflect what you have learned about writing effectively, using research, and creating a logical argument to influence an audience.

In accordance with the Plagiarism Policy, students must not self-plagiarize by submitting an Assignment for two different grades; therefore, you must not submit a paper for this Assignment that has been graded in whole or in part for another class, whether at this University or another institution. For further insights on self-plagiarism, please review WC?s resource, ?Self-Plagiarism?.

Podcast: https://kuportal-a.akamaihd.net/ascmedia/kuwc/podcasts/26selfplagiarism.mp3

Transcript: https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/DocumentStore/Docs11/pdf/WC/Self_plagiarism_podcast_draft.pdf

Your persuasive essay will need to meet the following criteria:

• APA 6th Edition format for the document, including an appropriately formatted title page and References page
• A thesis statement at the end of the introduction paragraph
• Well-developed paragraphs that include evidence from sources to support your argument for a specific change in your community or workplace
• Four reliable sources should be cited within the text of the Assignment; at least one of the cited sources should be either a book/ebook or a periodical article, preferably from the Library.
• All cited sources need to have full citations on a References page (except for any interviews you conduct, which only require in-text citations)
• Standard American English and a formal tone throughout the writing
• Only the third person point of view should be used

Achieving the above criteria should be your main goal with your academic essay. A strong and well-supported argument will be at least 4 pages (1,000 words long), not including the title page and references page.

If you are interested in receiving feedback on a draft version of your persuasive essay, reach out to the University Writing Center for tutoring services. You can find further information about the available services on the WC website: Paper Review and Q&A Services. Also, review the following WC resources for guidance on APA manuscript formatting, APA citation formatting, using evidence from sources, and revising:

• WC: ?Common Citations in APA Format?
• WC: ?Citing Sources Tutorial?
• WC: ?APA Sample Title Page? (video or PDF)

Click the following link to access the grading rubric your instructor will use when assessing your Assignment: Unit 8 Assignment Rubric.

Click the following link to see a sample Assignment: Unit 8 Assignment Sample.