Directions for Student Nonfiction Book Talks

Overview: Each student will select and read one nonfiction book per quarter. Be certain, however, to get my approval prior to reading the book. There are many lists of nonfiction books posted on my teacher website, including lists of books annotated and/or reviewed by former students. The book talk will be given on a day chosen by the student. Be certain to give me your book at least 24 hours prior to your presentation. I will read a short section of the book so that I will be able ask specific questions about the text at the end of each book talk. I will ask a minimum of three questions based upon the part of the book that I read. Students must be able to answer at least two of the three questions. If fewer than two questions are answered correctly, the grade on the book talk will not exceed a 50. In this case, the student will have a maximum of two weeks to read and present another book.

The book talk has three goals:

(1) to help students develop a repository of scholarship that they can draw on to write persuasive essays, especially in timed circumstances when they do not have access to any other resources;

(2) to give students the opportunity to practice thinking critically about the arguments of others;

(3) to give students more information that they can add to their scholar packs. (The scholar pack is a collection of index cards. Each card has the title and author of a significant article or book on one side, and a summary on the other side of the central argument(s) of the text.)

Book Talk: The book talk should last about 10 minutes, with a 5-minute

Q-A at the end. While you may use PowerPoint, overheads, or other visual aids, be certain that most of what you say reflects what you have learned and thought deeply about. I do not want you just to read from your visual aids. Remember my “poster” speech. [This was the short lecture about how printing things from the Internet and gluing them to a poster is not my idea of “learning.” Thus, most of what you say during your talk should come from your extraordinarily thoughtful minds and memories.]

Your presentation will follow the Toulmin Model for Analyzing Arguments noted below. Stephen Toulmin developed it after he observed the way that lawyers argue cases in court. [The directions below are adapted from information posted online.]

(1) What are the book’s major assertions or claims?

(2) What evidence does the writer present in support of the claim?

(e.g., Does the writer appeal to facts, statistics, and logical reasoning?

Does the writer appeal to the readers' beliefs, values, and/or needs?

Does the writer present the testimony of experts on the subject?  How reliable are this writer's sources?

(3) Warrant

What connection is there between the data and the claim?

Does the writer base the argument on any assumptions that the reader must accept for the argument to proceed?

    [For example, in the Declaration of Independence, the colonists claim that the "United States are, and of right ought to be, free and independent...."  They base their argument on the belief that the right to govern comes from the people. This is the warrant of their argument.  If the reader does not accept this assumption or warrant, but instead believes in the divine right of kings (the right to govern comes from God who grants power to the King), then the colonists have no grounds on which to declare their freedom.]

(4) Backing

Does the writer present any evidence to back the warrant?

If so, what kind of evidence is presented?

(5) Rebuttal

Does the writer present any counterarguments to the claim?

Does the writer describe any situations where the claim may not be true?

If so, how does the writer refute these counterarguments?