Project 1: Warrants and Backing

Claim: Despite popular demand, full day kindergarten is beneficial for children.

Reason one: Beneficial of cognitive growth in children.

Warrant: Being accelerated in school allows children to go far in life.

Backing: If my audience were administration then they could argue that not all success comes from smarts. I would have to back my warrant up with the reason that many students would enjoy school more if they were able to have better understanding of what is going on in the lessons.

Reason two: Beneficial for developmental growth in children.

Warrant: The social and emotional growth allows for child’s maturity in school.

Backing: If again my audience was administration then they could argue how a 6 or 7 year old must be mature. My backing for my warrant would be that a child can have some maturity in the way that they approach the teacher and peers in the class. This maturity will allow them to take on more in class responsibility, such as feeding the class fish. This will allow for the student a sense of pride.

Reason three: Kindergarten Teachers able to complete kindergarten objectives.

Warrant: A curriculum must be completed for a successful year.

Backing: If I use the administration as my audience I would highly doubt that they would disagree with this warrant but, just in case I will back my warrant. Since children are expected to complete so much before first grade a full day of kindergarten would allow them to finish everything instead of not finishing and getting the shorted. If a child was shorted they can be behind in school.

Reason four: Parents of children is Kindergarten believe it is beneficial for their child.

Warrant: The child grows into a person and is receiving a great experience.

Backing: The administration would say that a great experience doesn’t make any money for the program. I would back my warrant revealing that positive growth and experience is one of the most important things that a parent wants for their child. The child is benefitting from the development it receives in an environment other than school.

Reason five: Full day kindergarten readies a child for first grade

Warrant: The child could be placed in special education if aspects of the child’s ability did not fit into the standards of first grade.

Backing: The administration might not argue with this warrant. The backing for my warrant is that some learning disabilities can be caught before first grade but, if a child does not attend full day kindergarten then they are at a loss and may not be able to be labeled with an LD until first grade were here the problem will be taken to special education.

Project 1: Claim

Claim: Despite popular demand,
full day kindergarten is beneficial for children.

Qualifier: Full day Kindergarten is beneficial for (some but not all) children cognitively and developmentally.

Reason you are an authority: I am an authority on this topic because I have researched the topic and I am an elementary education major that has spent time learning how children learn.

Reason one: Beneficial of cognitive growth in children.

• What makes this reason relevant?
  
  • This is a relevant reason because children that attend full day kindergarten excel in math and reading, than those children that attend half-day kindergarten.
    
• What makes this reason effective?
  
  • This is an effective reason because most parents want their children to excel in school and not be left behind because they can not operate to their full potential.
    
• What evidence supports this reason?
  
  • The evidence of this reason is from The Child's Trend Data Bank on Full Day Kindergarten, it announces that children that attend full day kindergarten exceed in math a reading in when tested in second grade than those who did not attend (Gullo, 2000).
    
• Is this evidence sufficient and credible?
  
  • Yes, the evidence is credible because it came from a national survey.
    

Reason two: Beneficial for developmental growth in children.

• What makes this reason relevant?
  
  • This is a relevant reason because children that do not attend full day kindergarten develop socially, behaviorally and emotionally slower than students who do attend.
    
• What makes this reason effective?
  
  • Students that do not develop as others will sometimes be put into special programs, and parents never want their child to be singled out.
    
• What evidence supports this reason?
  
  • The evidence that supports this reason is that in the essay, Summary of Research, Full Day Kindergarten, there are records of students that were developing slower are recommended to attend two half days of kindergarten (Martinez and Snider, Intro).
    
• Is this evidence sufficient and credible?
  
  • Yes, the evidence is credible because it is a university study.
    

Reason three: Kindergarten Teachers able to complete kindergarten objectives.

• What makes this reason relevant?
  
  • This reason is relevant since there is much more for students to grasp in kindergarten a half day does not allow the child to get a well rounded development of both cognitive and developmental growth. A full day allows teachers to focus on both.
    
• What makes this reason effective?
  
  • The reason is effective because teachers are under a lot of pressure to complete so many objectives by the end of the year that sometimes they are only able to focus on the cognitive growth and not the developmental growth.
    
• What evidence supports this reason?
  
  • The evidence that supports this reason is that the essay,
    Summary of Research, Full Day Kindergarten, states that full day kindergarten teachers believe that they are able to have a more individual relationship with the student and his/her family. Also it is a way for the teacher to better prepare the student for first grade and also to detect learning problems, which may help avoid special education.
    
• Is this evidence sufficient and credible?
  
  • This is a credible source because it is a research that is done by a university on full day kindergarten.
    

Reason four: Parents of children is Kindergarten believe it is beneficial for their child.

• What makes this reason relevant?
  
  • Parents of children in full day kindergarten like how the child is getting a well rounded education and that the parents are able to have a more individualized relationship with their child's teacher. Also the parents do not have to worry about a day care for their child because they are being cared for while they are learning.
    
• What makes this reason effective?
  
  • This is an effective reason because most parents feel that a child needs structure and to be a well rounded student. Most parents want their child to be social and they are allowed to achieve that in full day kindergarten.
    
• What evidence supports this reason?
  
  • The evidence that supports this reason comes from the essay,
    Summary of Research, Full Day Kindergarten, parents want their children to be educated in one place and want their students to socialize well with others. Another reason that parents want their children to attend is that the parents believe that it is a great step to prepare for first grade.
    
• Is this evidence sufficient and credible?
  
  • This is a credible source because it is a research that is done by a university on full day kindergarten.
    

Reason five: Full day kindergarten readies a child for first grade.

• What makes this reason relevant?
  
  • If a child is under prepared for first grade the child is already behind before they start. Children that attend preschool and full day kindergarten are more like to exceed socially and cognitively in first grade than if they only attend half day kindergarten.
    
• What makes this reason effective?
  
  • Children are better prepared for first grade and are more likely to have a smoother transition if they have already attended full day kindergarten.
    
• What evidence supports this reason?
  
  • The Clearing House on Early Education and Parenting, says a students social skills will be at a higher level than students who only attend half day kindergarten. The social interactions that the child receives in a full day allow to be calmer and also to learn to approach the teacher in times of need.
    
• Is this evidence sufficient and credible?
  
  • This is a credible source because it is a web site that is dedicated to helping students and parents.
    

 
 

1. Objection: The curriculum of full day kindergarten is too hard for the children.

Rebuttal: The curriculum of a full day is actually quite beneficial for students. They not only are able to develop cognitively but they are able to benefit socially. The extra time in the classroom allows students to learn how to interact in the environment that they will be a part of for the next twelve years of their life. The children are able to have more of a hands on environment rather than the teacher lecturing the material.

2. Objection: Full day kindergarten wears a child out.
Rebuttal: A full day of kindergarten actually allows the child breaks from learning in order to focus on other aspects of development such as behavioral and emotional. Children are not always drilled on facts and learning they are actually given one on one time to develop their social growth.

3. Objection: Kindergarten teachers do not want to work a full day.
Rebuttal: Kindergarten teachers are able to complete the criteria of the classroom more effectively with more time. The time that is allowed in a half day only allows for the cognitive growth of the child and not the developmental growth. Kindergarten teachers prefer a full day in order to better prepare their students for first grade.

4. Objection: Parents don't have a right and are being forced to send a child to full day Kindergarten.    
Rebuttal: Although many states are making full day kindergarten mandatory because of the resent research that it allows the child to achieve more in later years, most states still allow the parents a choice on whether or not to send the child to a full day. Many believe that a full day will actually help their child be prepared for first grade and give them that social interaction with other children that they may not be getting at home.

5. Objection: Children don't need full day kindergarten to be ready for first grade.
Rebuttal: Kindergarten is the next step after preschool and has been shown that children who attend full day kindergarten after preschool have a better transition into first grade. Their social skills and cognitive skills are more developed than that of a child that attended half day kindergarten.

Summary of Project 1

Summary of Research, Full Day Kindergarten

This paper was written with the topics that seem to cover almost all of my criteria. The paper gives research as to why a full day of kindergarten is beneficial to the cognitive, emotional, behavioral and social development of students. So much so that it gives record of students that are developing slower than others are recommended to attend two half-days, the session in the morning and afternoon (Martinez and Snider, Intro). The paper presents the real reason that there is no full day kindergarten because of an economical issue. This may be so because there is not enough money to run the program so the development of the child takes a back seat. Also the paper introduces how the parents and the teachers feel about the issue at hand. They all seem to come to an agreement that it is a good thing, as long as the program and curriculum are fit for a child in kindergarten. This might mean a more slow pace environment so that they can learn the concepts better.

The Child's Trend Data bank on Full Day Kindergarten

At the Child's Trend Data Bank research and surveys show that children who are in full day kindergarten benefit over all than students in half day kindergarten. This can mean that students who attend full day kindergarten benefit more in academics than children that attend half day kindergarten.The progress in the academics can be seen through the reading and mathmatics scores of the children are much higher when they are in second grade if they attended full day kindergarten (Gullo, Dominic F. (2000)). This may be, because students in full day are interactive at a young age in academics and are able to see the benefits of learning the material or even enjoying the material. The research also shows the difference in the children that go to full day kindergarten by race, region and family income. This may lead to finding a pattern of what type of child attends full day kindergarten.

Clearing House on Early Education and Parenting

Clearing House gives many examples of what the benefits of full day kindergarten are and also the effective activities of a full day. The effective activities of a full day would include involved learning, such as hands on activities. Also whole day kindergarten emphasizes language and reading, this may help the students in social skills in interacting with others around them. One thing that I liked about this source is the use of an anaotative bibliography which helps me to go through and see what many sources wrote about full day kindergarten and its benefits.

Continuation of Summary

As I was reading the last source I saw that I have missed something in the Clearing House site. I noticed that the site mentioned that children that attend full day kindergarten are more likely to approach the teacher and less likely to express bad baehavior such as anger. This may be due to the social interaction that they recieve in a longer day than in a half day. This social interaction teaches how the children should behave to one another and to society in everyday life.

Project 1 Topic

Part 1:
For my first project I will be writing about full day kindergarten in schools and I will base this argument on the choice of, “Despite popular opinion, full day kindergarten is a great experience. To more narrow down the subject I will look into many aspects of the issue. Is there enough money to pay the teachers to work a full day? Is there enough money to have the program be open a full day? Does full day kindergarten effect the development of a child that age? How do parents and educators feel about the subject? These are the questions that I will try to find answers for in my research.
Part 2:
The criteria that I will need to establish for my argument is…
1. The criteria to see if Money involved in the program is the issue…
a. Where does the money go?
b. Do parents pay for kindergarten or do they pay for anything?
c. Why private schools offer program and public schools do not?
i. Look for the information at the states education website
2. The criteria to see if the development of the child is harmed are the issue…
a. The well-being of the child after a full day
b. Does the child benefit or fail
c. Is there any reason a child be over worked
i. Look for information in psych journals or also on the states website
3. The criteria to see if the opinions of the parents and educators are the issue…
a. Parents opinions
b. Educators opinions
c. Does this change the opinions of where parents send there children?
d. Does this change where kindergarten teachers take there jobs?

Evaluation Argument

In the book, Taking Sides, the argument that is being presented is whether or not homework is right for students. The essay that I have chosen reflects on how homework is unnecessary and it rather hurts them then is does benefit them. The essay entitled, End Homework Now, talks of three myths of homework. This essay is an evaluation argument because it reflects on the value of the homework to the students. The writers of the essay, Kravolec and Buell, go on to state how in actuality homework has nothing to do with test scores and how it really wounds the progress of the students because teachers are not able to see the students progress or even know if the work is his/her own (Kravolec and Buell, 5-7). The essay evaluates the students progress with and without homework and came up with the conclusion that students would be better off without homework in their academic career.

Another form of an evaluation argument is from The Wall Street Journal. In the journal is an article about whether cell phone usage in an Amish community is useful or not. The article, called For Montana Sect, Cellphones Send Mixed Message , shows the values and disadvantages of cell phones in these Amish communities. The question that the newspaper gives the reader is how I knew it was a evaluation argument. The question asked was, "Are cellphones useful (The Wall Street Journal)?" This questions just leads to the readers knowing that the argument being presented is an evaluation because they must evaluate the facts to come to some conclusion on the problem at hand.

Although the arguments are different they have a common similarity. The similarity between the arguments is the use of an institution and a way of life being picked apart by there values in order to come to a final conclusion on the matter at hand. Both arguments are taking the statistics of people using the material and applying their usage and the outcome of that usage to the way they feel the outcome should be. I am not sure if either of the writings are right in concluding what they have found. But, I will say that if it was possible I would have to agree with the no homework rule!