10/23 In-class

Learning Target:  "I have come to an open-minded and informed opinion on the death penalty."

Agenda:

--Mindfulness

Coming to your own conclusion:  Keeping in mind that humans have a tendency to jump to conclusions, this writing exercise will ask you to first inhabit the perspective of the side that you disagree with, BEFORE moving on to writing your own opinion.

The purpose of this is to help you come to a fully informed and educated opinion of your own.

Use at least two of these six articles below to find evidence.
Both sides on the death penalty (from Wednesday): Click here

Argument for the death penalty (from Tuesday class)  click here

Argument against the death penalty (new reading):Click here

Additional resources:  Article on guards
                                    Article on death penalty lawyer
                                    Statistics on Death Penalty

You will move through 4 steps.  For each step, use the notes you have taken in class as well as the following resources above, to help prove your point using facts and analysis.  Each paragraph should be between 5 and 9 sentences (shorter and more precise, the better).



Step 1: Pretend to be supporting the other position. Write a TEA paragraph explaining why that position is right.  For example, if you support the death penalty, you write a TEA paragraph pretending that you oppose the death penalty, being as convincing as possible.

Step 2:  Still pretending that you support the opposite side, write a separate TEA paragraph, explaining why the other position is wrong.  For example, if you support the death penalty, you write a TEA paragraph explaining why the anti-death penalty group is wrong.


Step #3:  Now, you finally get to take the side that you do believe in!  Write a TEA paragraph explaining why your opinion is justified and brings the truest form of "justice" into society.

Step #4:  Write a TEA paragraph explaining why the other side is unjustified and leads to a less 'just' society.


Now, you have four TEA paragraphs.  Find someone else in this class who has an opposite opinion than you.  Go back and forth, reading each paragraph to each other (switch between paragraphs as you go.

As you read, consider their perspective.  Make changes to your own paragraphs if they convince you of a particular point or an idea.  Be prepared to change or modify your position!

Remember, this part is not a debate, but a discussion.

Finally--write a TEA paragraph explaining how or why your position did or did not change on the death penalty as a result of your writing and your discussion with your partner.

You're all ready to Seminar!