Unit 2 Overview: Organizing Information for a Specific Audience

Drumroll please! It is now time for Unit 2: Organizing Information for a Specific Audience. 

Why is this Unit Important?

Organizing information for a specific audience is an important skill for students to develop. Understanding the intended audience refers to the group of people the author is trying to reach and communicate with. This means considering factors such as their background, interests, and level of understanding of the topic. By tailoring the language, structure, and evidence to the specific audience, students can effectively communicate their ideas and ensure their message is received and understood. This is key to be effective in persuasive writing, where the writer should persuade the audience to accept the writer's perspective. Additionally, organizing information in a way that is easy for the audience to understand and follow, such as using headings, bullet points, and other formatting techniques, can make the information more accessible and increase the chances of it being read and acted upon.

Essential Knowledge

Information from College Board's AP English Language and Composition CED.

• Writers’ perceptions of an audience’s values, beliefs, needs, and background guide the choices they make.
• To achieve a purpose, writers make choices in an attempt to relate to an intended audience’s emotions and values.
• Arguments seek to persuade or motivate action through appeals—the modes of persuasion.
• Writers use strategic and purposeful evidence to illustrate, clarify, set a mood, exemplify, associate, or amplify a point.
• Strategically selected evidence strengthens the validity and reasoning of the argument, relates to an audience’s emotions and values, and increases a writer’s credibility.
• An effective argument contains sufficient evidence; evidence is sufficient when its quantity and quality provide apt support for the argument.
• A thesis is the main, overarching claim a writer is seeking to defend or prove by using reasoning supported by evidence.
• A writer’s thesis is not necessarily a single sentence or an explicit statement and may require a thorough reading of the text to identify, but when a thesis is directly expressed, it is called a thesis statement.

2.1 Analyzing audience and its relationship to the purpose of an argument

Analyzing the relationship between audience and purpose is an important skill for students to develop when constructing and analyzing arguments. The audience refers to the group of people the argument is targeted towards and the purpose of the argument is the reason or intent behind it. Understanding the audience's background, beliefs, and values can help the students tailor their argument to be more effective in convincing them. By considering the audience's perspective, students can anticipate any potential counterarguments and address them in their own argument. Additionally, analyzing the audience's relationship to the purpose of the argument can help students understand the strategies and techniques the author may have used to persuade them. This skill is crucial in both interpreting the texts and creating their own arguments, whether it's a literary analysis or an argumentative essay.

2.2 Building an argument with relevant and strategic evidence

Building an argument with relevant and strategic evidence is essential to constructing a strong, convincing argument. This means selecting evidence that is directly related to the claim and using it in a strategic way to support the argument. It's important to consider the credibility, relevance and sufficiency of the evidence as well. Additionally, students should be able to identify any fallacies or biases in the evidence that may weaken the argument. By learning to build an argument with relevant and strategic evidence, students develop the ability to effectively use evidence to support their claims and to critically evaluate the arguments presented in a text.

2.3 Developing thesis statements

Developing a strong thesis statement is an essential skill for students to master. A thesis statement is a sentence or two that presents the main idea or argument of an essay. It should be specific, clear, and arguable, and it should be the main focus of the essay. A good thesis statement not only states the main idea but also provides a sense of direction for the essay and sets the stage for the supporting arguments. In AP English Language and Composition, students are expected to analyze complex texts, and a well-written thesis statement is necessary to guide their analysis and to present a clear and concise argument. By learning to develop strong thesis statements, students gain the ability to effectively communicate their ideas and to organize their thoughts in a logical and cohesive manner.

2.4 Developing structure and integrating evidence to reflect a line of reasoning

Developing structure and integrating evidence to reflect a line of reasoning is a key skill for students to master. A clear and logical structure is necessary to effectively convey the argument and to guide the reader through the reasoning process. This includes organizing the essay in a way that is easy to follow and using transitional phrases to connect ideas. Integrating evidence is also an important aspect in this skill. The evidence should be used in a strategic way to support the argument and to strengthen the reasoning. Students should also be able to evaluate the credibility, relevance and sufficiency of the evidence used. This skill is crucial in both interpreting the texts and creating their own arguments, whether it's a literary analysis or an argumentative essay. By developing structure and integrating evidence to reflect a line of reasoning, students gain the ability to effectively communicate their ideas and to organize their thoughts in a logical and cohesive manner.