Saturday, December 22, 2007

What can you bring to school?

What are things that we should be allowed to bring to school? Should you be allowed to bring MP3 players, guitars, calculators, cell phones, pets, or other playthings?

In order to construct your argument, you must begin with your statement:

“I think we should be allowed to bring horses to school.”

Then you must support your statement:

“Horses will allow us to get from class to class quicker.”

“Horses are nice, so they will keep us happy.”

Then you must think of the reasons others might give when they disagree:

“Horses are very big.”

“Horses can bite students and teachers.”

“Who will clean up after them?”

Respond to these reasons before they can be given:

“I know that horses are very big, but my plan uses Shetland ponies that are very small. Shetland ponies are very gentle animals, but to be sure that no students are bitten we plan to place muzzles on them. There is also the issue of the mess they will make, I have found a company that will come in and clean up after them and sell the mess for fertilizer. They will actually pay us for this. This money will then be used to care for the animal’s needs at school.”

Conclude with a positive closing:

“I feel that I have made a good case for bringing horses to school. I think you can see what a positive effect on teachers, students, and the school horses will bring. I appreciate your time and consideration.”

For extra credit, write a persuasive letter (this link provides an excellent example) to Mr. Lawslo that outlines your argument for what you think should be allowed in school. Imagine that you are a lawyer and Mr. Lawslo is a judge; make your case. The best argument will get $500 added directly to their account, but all students that participate will receive 20 points.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

yes, i think we should be allowed too bring calculators because Calculators are a helper for kids who do not understand a math problem. If calculators are taken too school then the kids should use the calculator then write it down 5 times after finding the answer. and hi mr. lawslo!

-Michael Mather