Monday, September 14, 2009

Monday, September 14

Today, we continued to think about, and discuss, the qualities that make writing and speaking more or less convincing.

As a way to establish common knowledge for discussion, we read statements from candidates in the 2003 California gubenatorial election -- an election that took place when voters became so dissatisfied with the then-current governor (Gray Davis) that they collected enough signatures to force a recall. For historical background on that election, follow this link:

2003 California election information

We looked at five statements from candidates. As we read, we circled or underlined parts that we thought were, or were not, convincing. Several discussion activities followed, and we ended up with an evenly split decision about "most effective," with a 9-9 deadlock between Cruz Bustamente and Peter Ueberroth. In contrast, 14 members of the class felt that Dianne Beal Templin's statement was least effective, while 4 members opted for David Ronald Sams' opus.

The statements themselves can be found by following this link:

Governor Candidate Statements

No homework was assigned tonight.