1. EWRT 1A
Week 1 Class 2

2. Agenda
• Brainstorming Activity Continued
• Introduce essay #1
• Outlining
– Thesis
– Topic Sentences
– Counterargument

3. Thinking Aloud
• Get into groups of three or four and discuss
your choices. Explain your reasons for
choosing your supplies to the other people in
your group. When you have all settled on
your final lists, make a list for yourself of what
each person in your group is taking with him
or her.

4. Essay #1: The argument essay: an in-class writing exam
Write an essay arguing for the supplies you have chosen to take with you into the wild. Present the issue to
readers, and develop an argument for the purpose of confirming, challenging, or changing your readers’
views on which supplies are the most important for survival. Your final essay should be around 500 words.
You don’t need outside sources for this essay.
Ways to proceed:
Focus your presentation of the issue: Explain the situation to your reader. Your introduction could be a
scenario describing the setting you will face or a description of a situation you or someone you know faced
in the past.
A clear position: Compose a thesis that makes your position unambiguous, appropriately qualified, and
clearly arguable. (Your thesis will likely be near the end of your introduction).
Plausible reasons and convincing support: To argue for a position, writers must give reasons and support
them with examples, scenarios, or anecdotes. Write body paragraphs arguing for each item you want to
take.
Anticipate opposing positions and objections: Consider the choices of your group mates and write a
counterargument that addresses why you wouldn’t take the items the other people in your group think are
very important. You should address specific tools others in your group chose to take. You may do this in each
body paragraph as you argue for your choice, or you may do it as a separate paragraph after you finish
arguing for your tools.
Conclude your paper: Consider predicting your future in the wild.

5. Introduction and Thesis
• Introduction: Your introduction could be a scenario
describing the setting you will face or a description of a
situation you or someone you know faced in the past.
• Thesis: Compose a thesis that makes your position
unambiguous, appropriately qualified, and clearly arguable.
(Your thesis will likely be near the end of your introduction).
• Your working thesis might be similar to one of these:
– “To survive in the wilderness, I will take __________________,”
or
– “For this trip, I plan to bring __________________________.”

6. Body Paragraphs
• Paragraph one: topic sentence supporting your
first item.
– Give reasons for your choice and support them with
examples, scenarios, or anecdotes.
• Paragraph two: topic sentence supporting your
second item.
– Give reasons for your choice and support them with
examples, scenarios, or anecdotes.
• Additional Paragraphs: Repeat using the same or
similar strategies

7. Counterargument:
• Write a counterargument that addresses why you
wouldn’t take the items the other people in your group
think are very important. You should address specific
tools others in your group chose to take. You may do
this in each body paragraph as you argue for your
choice, or you may do it as a separate paragraph after
you finish arguing for your tools.
• For example, you might start by writing, “while some
people might prefer a sleeping bag, I found it to be a
poor choice compared to the blanket.” Then you can
explain why.

8. Conclusion:
• Consider predicting your future in the wild.
– What are you chances of success?
– What do you see as your biggest challenge?
– How might you fail?

9. Homework
• Read: HG through chapter 2
Post #3: Post your completed in-class writing