My Rhetorical Action Plan

Below I will begin the process of making an argument for my specific audience, parents of students in the U.S. I will also choose the genre I will be using for my argument within this post, as well as look at some responses my argument could have.

geralt. "Speakers." 2014 via pixabay.
Public Domain

Genre:

1. News article style
1. How Common Core Can Help in the Battle of Skills vs. Knowledge
2. The Soccer Mom Revolt Against Common Core
1. This genre is mostly used to inform readers of events going on in the world and the US, but it can also be used to publish an opinion or argument similar to a QRG. I chose it because many parents get their information from articles online, and would be most likely to see this argument here. 
2. This would be completely online, I could see it being shared online via social media as well. 
3. I would want to use pathos to connect with parents, and logos to drive home my argument. 
4. Maybe a picture or two, and I may include a short video as an example of a classroom. 
5. I would use mostly casual in order to connect with the audience as well as make it easier to read and follow. 
2. A Video, either explaining my argument or as a speech
1. Why Common Core math problems look so weird
2. Arkansas Mother Obliterates Common Core in 4 Minutes!
1. This genre is used for quick access to information, like a how to video, or to show public events to those at home. I would use this as a quick way to give information, and it is in a shareable format as well. 
1. TED Talks style could be used 
2. The setting of this genre could be anywhere in the video, either pictures or a speech podium are examples. 
3. I would use the same argument style as before, but would stick to a couple key points instead because I don't want a super long video. 
4. I could incorporate a lot more pictures and examples into a video, so parents could see the actual standards while I talk and see it being applied. 
5. This would also be informal or casual, as a formal video would be to boring to sit through for my audience. 

Audience: 

1. Knowledge:
1. Most parents only know what they have experienced or what they see from their kid's perspectives. So this means that if they only see the homework, and that their child is having a hard time with it, they will automatically have a bad view on common core. Of course, some parents will know more about common core than others, and in this case that just means that they won't need as much background information when reading my argument. 
2. Values:
1. Parents just want their kids to succeed. If they think common core is stopping that, then of course they won't like it. I need to be clear that it will help their kids when they get to college or to their careers. It's like when you have a really hard class that you hate, but then the next year you thank that class because it prepared you for this. 
3. Standards of Argument:
1. The best research for parents will be based on how kids under common core can succeed in higher education. In this case, I would look for and translate studies about how much more kids understand after common core. 
4. Visual Elements: 
1. Since this can be an emotional subject for parents, I would want positive images paired with my argument. I could use a classroom setting with common core or put videos of students/positive speeches from well known people. 
5. Purpose: 
1. My argument needs to challenge the view that many parents have about common core (on the negative side). My audience is reading my argument because it has to do with something that directly effects their kids and them. If my argument is well put together, it will (hopefully) motivate parents to be more accepting of common core and work with teachers and their students to help it succeed. 

Positive Reactions: 

1. People continue to spread this information and raise positivity for common core. 
2. Others post their own thoughts and comment on the piece, making a debate based on the info I provide. This would be good because it would get more people involved and create new ideas.
3. A reader posts to their own blog or website, publishing their own piece on common core based off of mine. 
4. I add a new argument for common core that becomes integrated into the argument for it on a national level. 

Negative Rebuttals: 

1. Common core will only hurt students because it is confusing and not explained well. 
1. When properly trained, teachers can teach common core just as effectively, if not more so, than they were before. For students getting common core teaching after they are used to the traditional standards, it will be confusing, but only until they get used to the new standards. Then, it will be better for those students in the long run. 
2. Common core won't actually raise America's education standards internationally. 
1. There's no way to know this until a full round of students have experienced common core and moved through college as well. The same system we have been using isn't raising us internationally; the only thing we can do is to improve is change. 
3. If parents don't like it, ten why is common core even in schools now?
1. Common core was created by the states, not the federal government, and every state that is using common core has voted it in. If parents don't like it, they need to get involved politically to remove it.