Capstone topic + audience choice — Schmoker's argument-soul

Quick-share: of your 3 brainstormed topics from yesterday's homework, which one do you actually CARE about? Where do you have a real position?

• Affirm: a capstone topic should be one where you have a stance — not a neutral report
• Connect: today's choice anchors the next 12 weeks

Today you choose your capstone TOPIC and AUDIENCE. Schmoker's premise: argument is the soul of education. The capstone is not a neutral report — it's a sustained ARGUMENT-WITH-EVIDENCE at minimum, optionally with audience-specific advocacy. So your topic must be one where you have a real POSITION. If you can't state your position in one sentence, the topic is too thin (or too broad). After topic, choose audience. Three audiences (MG-2). ACADEMIC if your topic best serves teachers and scholars; CIVIC if it best serves community decision-making; CREATIVE if it best serves personal-narrative-meets-research. Many topics fit more than one — pick the one that energizes you. Today you write a 1-paragraph PROPOSAL: topic + audience + working thesis + 3 likely sources. The proposal is your contract with yourself. The working thesis can evolve through research, but the topic should not change after this lesson — that's our common rule. We have 16 more lessons; we need a fixed target.

• Specificity wins. 'Topic: sleep' would be too broad; 'Topic: school start times' is researchable.

  model Topic is focused and timely. Audience is named (civic) — the work will be addressed to a real decision-making body. Working thesis takes a position (should shift to 8:30). Sources span types (medical, governmental, primary/interview, peer-reviewed).

  prompt Sample proposal: 'Topic: school start times. Audience: civic (school board + parents). Working thesis: Our district should shift high school start times to 8:30 AM based on adolescent sleep research and academic outcome data. Likely sources: AAP 2014 statement; CDC adolescent sleep brief; local school-board minutes; a peer-reviewed study; an interview with a principal.' What makes this a strong proposal?
• If your thesis sentence can apply to 1000 essays, it's not a thesis. Make it a position only you would write.

  model Topic too broad. Working thesis is a TOPIC, not a CLAIM. 'Affects' is not a stance — does it harm? Help? Both? Audience choice is fine but uninspired given the broad topic. This needs sharpening.

  prompt Sample weak proposal: 'Topic: social media. Audience: academic. Working thesis: Social media affects teenagers.' What's wrong?

• Turn and Talk: share your top topic choice and your audience choice. Why?
• Cold Call: name one feature of a strong working thesis.

M-8-S-WR-03-A Chart

Anchor with 2 sample proposals side by side — strong (school-start-times) and weak (social media). Differences annotated. Print-ready 11x17.

• Draft 1-paragraph capstone proposal: topic + audience + working thesis + 3 likely sources.

  scaffold Sample proposal anchor; MG-2 triangle; MG-3 blueprint
• Share proposal with peer; peer asks 3 questions: (1) What's your stance? (2) What's missing from your sources? (3) Why this audience?

  scaffold Pre-printed peer-question card

• Submit your capstone proposal.
• Name one peer question that sharpened your thinking.

• Restate: argument is the capstone soul; topic + audience + thesis + sources = the contract
• Preview lesson 4: research arm launch + CRAAP+ mastery review

• Refine proposal based on peer questions. Identify 3 more candidate sources. Continue annotated reading log.