In the Old Section, you are laying a foundation for reader understanding.
For example, in the sample prompt, you were told to examine a person associated with a favorite activity of yours. You brainstormed for quantity not quality, graded the ideas, and prioritized the A ideas.
Let’s say that your winning subject idea was Billy Mills.
Old section: Racism early Native American runners experienced. New section: Racism Billy Mills experienced.
Say Nothing About the New
The Old section should say nothing about the New section.
Think of writing as playing baseball. You hit the ball and run to first base. That’s the Old Section. You cannot reach second, the New Section, until you reach first. Therefore, do not define, describe, and/or discuss anything about second base until you finish with first base.
Review: Organizing a Section of Writing
As you learned earlier, each section of a document usually follows a three-part pattern. The acronym is IDP.
Introduce Define, Describe, and/or Discuss Prove
It’s easy to remember the pattern. Think of IDK, short of “I don’t know.”
Change it to IDP.
Introduce: Make a Claim
What if someone said, “I am the best!”
What might you say in response?
How about, “Prove it!”
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We usually start sections with a Claim. It is statement that can be argued.
Notice the difference in these two first sentences:
Pedestrianism was a sport of long-distance running popular in the 19th
The above example is not arguable. It is a statement of fact. Compare it to the Claim below. That sentence is arguable. You would have to gather proof for it to be true.
Lewis “Deerfoot” Bennett was a master of pedestrianism, a sport of long-distance running popular in the 19th century, but to be financially successful, he had to mock his Native American heritage.
The Claim usually introduces each section.
Define, Describe, and/or Discuss
You next need to define, describe, and or discuss. In this same example, you need to define pedestrianism, especially since it is highly doubtful that many people know what it is, especially since it sounds as if it is associated with walking.
Prove
You started with a Claim, then you need to prove the Claim. You could use an example. You could discuss the legacy of Lewis “Deerfoot” Bennett, the incredible Seneca runner. For proof, you could explore Deerfoot’s times, many of which were world records.
Task 5.8.1 – Small Group
Click here to open an article on Lewis “Deerfoot” Bennett and Tom Longboat. Do not use other materials.
Take notes as if you are making a shopping list.
Put the information in your own words.
Write down at least 10 pieces of information.
With your classmates, put the information into a logical order. Use one or more of these:
First to last: Put the information in chronological order
Big to small: Put the information in order according to importance
Spatial: Put the information in a logical order of description
Do not yet write up the section.
More Old Section
Often, a section will contain several subsections. For example, this hypothetical Old Section might also have a subsection on Tom Longboat, the great runner from Canada. The IDP could be structured like this:
Introduce: Claim
Tom Longboat, an Onondagan runner, also experienced racism.
Define, Describe, and/or Discuss the Claim
You would describe Longboat’s career.
Prove
You would prove that Longboat was the subject of racism.
Task 5.8.2 – Small Group
Gather information about Longboat.
Take notes as if you are making a shopping list.
Put the information in your own words.
Write down at least 10 pieces of information.
With your classmates, put the information into a logical order. Use one or more of these:
First to last: Put the information in chronological order
Big to small: Put the information in order according to importance
Spatial: Put the information in a logical order of description
