Upon successful completion of this assignment, students will
- evaluate a given text against a predetermined rating system (unsatisfactory, needs improvement, meets expectations, exceeds expectations, and outstanding).
- compose an evaluation paper that integrates textual evidence, quotes, and paraphrases from the essay to support their ratings and overall assessment.

Author: Christopher Manes
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

This unit is designed to support instructors as they guide students through the complex analytical, rhetorical, and research skills required to write advanced argumentative essays in a class setting similar to English 1302. Students will need these skills to succeed in most college courses, no matter what their major field of study may be. Content-wise, this unit first focuses on foundational research skills. Students will develop an open-ended, researchable question that guides them through a research proposal and an annotated bibliography, all while attending to source credibility. Building on this research, the unit then moves through the three core forms of argument: the Classical Argument, the Toulmin Argument, and the Rogerian Argument. Lesson presentations, assignments, and other instructional resources are included for each argument type.

Author: Kimberly Stelly
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

This resource features two lesson plans: "Reading Critically for Bias and Tone" and "Reading Critically for Propaganda Techniques." Both of these lessons are designed to help students analyze authors' viewpoints and biases, as well as the general use of persuasive tactics in texts. Through group work, activities, and individual essays, students learn to identify and analyze elements such as word choice, tone, omissions, and propaganda techniques (i.e. straw man arguments, bandwagon appeals, etc.). The resource includes detailed assignment expectations, learning objectives, lesson preparation guidelines, and downloadable worksheets to support classroom implementation.

Author: Sharon Haigler
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

This two-part resource is designed to support instructors and students as they navigate the presence of generative AI tools, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, in the rhetoric and composition classroom. Part I of this resource offers an instructor-focused introduction to what LLMs are and how they operate, as well as an in-depth exploration of the privacy concerns and ethical considerations related to using a tool like ChatGPT. Additionally, Part I provides insights on the practical application of LLMs within the realm of reading and writing in the rhetoric and composition classroom, while promoting a modified stasis theory as a strategy for evaluating any generated output.

Part II of this resource offers student-focused tutorials that demonstrate how ChatGPT can augment the writing process for assignments commonly given in a rhetoric and composition course. These tutorials cover the evaluation essay, rhetorical analysis, Rogerian argument, annotated bibliography, and research essay—all while promoting the responsible and ethical use of AI in writing and research. With this comprehensive resource, instructors and students can not only build confidence in their understanding of generative AI within academia, but also build digital literacy that will serve them in the world beyond.

By utilizing this handout, instructors can guide students in mastering the art of writing compelling thesis statements and recognizing their essential components

Author: Brandi Morley, Claire Carly-Miles
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

This graphic organizer serves as a resource instructors can customize to guide students through specific annotations, such as analyzing the rhetorical situation or analyzing the author’s intention with specific word choices.

Author: Frances Santos
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

The following resource provides a blank worksheet instructors can customize to guide students through specific annotations, such as analyzing the rhetorical situation or analyzing the author’s intention with specific word choices. This resource illustrates how the worksheet might be used with two suggested readings. The first example features a nonfiction essay discussing the complex opinions around choosing disability through preimplantation genetic diagnosis. With this text, students will encounter questions about vocabulary, tone, argumentative reasoning, types of evidence, and more. The second example features an excerpt from the book The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea, which vividly recounts a desolate desert. In this example, students will analyze the purpose of devices such as allusions, diction, and imagery. An instructor has the option of using either example or customizing the blank worksheet to their own purposes.

Author: Frances Santos
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

Through this worksheet, students learn how to engage in close reading while evaluating the writer’s rhetorical choices regarding allusions, diction, and imagery.

Author: Frances Santos
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

Through this worksheet, students learn how to engage in close reading while analyzing the writer’s vocabulary, tone, and reasoning.

Author: Frances Santos
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

By posing provocative inquiries about local and state government, this worksheet is intended to ready students for abstract learning while guarding against conformity and encouraging critical thought. Specifically, students will be able to express their opinions on key concepts related to representative democracy, including elected officials, term limits, and the interconnectedness of state and federal politics

Author: Sharon Haigler
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

Propaganda is used in several ways as a persuasive technique. Designers and authors desire to sway the reader’s thinking in specific ways to perhaps make certain purchases, as is the case in retail advertising. Other authors would like to communicate certain ideas and persuade the readers to adopt their beliefs. Naïve or unaware readers may find themselves subject to being pressured into challenging their own deeply held beliefs by experts or authorities or by something heard on the news or read in a book.

The purpose of this worksheet is to sensitize readers to the various propaganda techniques used in media of various forms and to challenge the readers to screen incoming information through their belief systems. Specifically, students will practice matching various statements to propaganda techniques like straw man arguments, bandwagon appeals, half-truths, loaded words, and obfuscation.

Author: Sharon Haigler
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

In this section, we will examine how generative AI (GenAI) tools may assist with academic reading and research. Examples of content generated by ChatGPT will show how GenAI may be incorporated into a classroom setting. Each section offers suggestions for use and various strategies that could be incorporated for those who wish to allow the use of these tools for assignments. Included throughout are suggestions on how to promote students’ ethical and effective use of these tools and to possibly limit their use if desired. By the end of this section, you should be able to use GenAI to support reading practices.

Author: Jonahs Kneitly
Contributors: Gwendolyn Inocencio, Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Designers: Irene AI, Sweta Kailani
Supervisors: Terri Pantuso, Sarah LeMire

In this section, illustrative examples from ChatGPT show how to incorporate Large Language Models (LLMs) into the writing process while considering ethical concerns associated with such tools, namely avoiding plagiarism or exploitation of AI-generated content. The advent of public access to LLMs means they are now a critically important aspect of digital information literacy. As such, this technology must be addressed in the composition classroom with guided instruction. We recommend a strategy that models application of a modified version of stasis theory to all LLM-generated content.

After reading this section you should be prepared to teach stasis theory as a strategy for continual interrogation that helps rhetors discern whether generative-AI content exhibits appropriate depth, scope, and quality, along with the appropriate next steps in argumentation, writing, or research.

Author: Gwendolyn Inocencio
Contributors: C. Anneke Snyder, Mary Landry, Jonahs Kneitly
Designers: Irene AI, Shweta Kailani
Supervisors: Terri Pantuso, Sarah LeMire

Welcome to composition and rhetoric! While most of you are taking this course because it is required, we hope that all of you will leave with more confidence in your reading, writing, researching, and speaking abilities as these are all elements of freshman composition. Many times, these elements are presented in excellent textbooks written by top scholars. While the collaborators of this particular textbook respect and value those textbooks available from publishers, we have been concerned with disenfranchising students who do not have the resources to purchase textbooks. Therefore, we decided to put together this Open Educational Resource (OER) explicitly for use in freshman composition courses at Texas A&M University. Thanks to a generous grant from Dean David Carlson of the Texas A&M University Libraries, this project became a reality. It is a collaborative endeavor undertaken by faculty in the libraries and English Department as part of the Provost’s Student Success Initiatives at Texas A&M and continues to be a work in progress. Combined, Dr. Terri Pantuso, Dr. Kathy Anders, and Prof. Sarah LeMire have over 30 years of experience in writing and research instruction. Our goal is for students to leave this course as critical thinkers, polished writers, and informed citizens who can engage in civil public discourse. Gig ‘em, Ags!

This document explains what to do after an exam is completed in order to make changes prior to the next test cycle.

What intervention strategies can you align to this lesson?
Active Study Techniques
Levels of Learning (Bloom’s Taxonomy)
6 Strategies for Effective Learning
Exam Preparation

Author: Morgan Jones, PhD

The Academic Success Center at Texas A&M University operates with a mission to provide comprehensive resources that help all Aggies achieve their academic goals and realize their academic potential. This award-winning organization specializes in intervention strategies geared specifically toward academic success for all learners. Their knowledge base derives from attending nationally and regionally recognized conferences, serving on university-level committees, and conducting ongoing professional development, all in the area of diversity and inclusion. Their vision is to be a state and national model of excellence known for inspiring academic success through innovative collaboration, cutting edge research, and efficient and inclusive student-centered programming.

This component is about talking with professors, instructors, and teachers at a professional level of communication. The importance of effective communication with educators is discussed along with examples, case studies, and actionable items for students.

What intervention strategies can you align to this lesson?
Time Management

Author: Tyler Laughlin

The Academic Success Center at Texas A&M University operates with a mission to provide comprehensive resources that help all Aggies achieve their academic goals and realize their academic potential. This award-winning organization specializes in intervention strategies geared specifically toward academic success for all learners. Their knowledge base derives from attending nationally and regionally recognized conferences, serving on university-level committees, and conducting ongoing professional development, all in the area of diversity and inclusion. Their vision is to be a state and national model of excellence known for inspiring academic success through innovative collaboration, cutting edge research, and efficient and inclusive student-centered programming.

This component is about time management. The importance of effective time management for students is discussed along with examples, case studies, and actionable items for students.

What student success intervention strategies can you align to this lesson?
Time Management
Active Study Techniques
Note-Taking
Reading Strategies

Author: Tyler Laughlin

The Academic Success Center at Texas A&M University operates with a mission to provide comprehensive resources that help all Aggies achieve their academic goals and realize their academic potential. This award-winning organization specializes in intervention strategies geared specifically toward academic success for all learners. Their knowledge base derives from attending nationally and regionally recognized conferences, serving on university-level committees, and conducting ongoing professional development, all in the area of diversity and inclusion. Their vision is to be a state and national model of excellence known for inspiring academic success through innovative collaboration, cutting edge research, and efficient and inclusive student-centered programming.

This site includes samples of thesis statements for literary criticism essays, as well as thesis patterns that students can experiment with while practicing thesis statements.

Some words may not cause a particular emotional reaction whereas other words with similar meanings may fire up anger, joy, fear, or other emotions. Authors may choose to use more emotional words to convey a particular tone in their writing, and critical readers need to be aware of this literary device to maintain an objective view of the topic and not be subtly swayed by the author’s attitude.

In this worksheet, students will evaluate groups of words and identify the choice that suggests a more emotional response. The objective is for students to hone their ability to assess tone, connotation, and denotation through word choice.

Author: Sharon Haigler
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

This is an overview of how to use MLA citations for college papers. It is an introduction with examples of works cited and in-text citations.