Intro Logic and Academic Writing Essay

Intro Logic and Academic Writing Essay Intro: Logic and Academic Writing Essay INTRODUCTION SUMMARY: The introduction of â€Å"They Say, I Say† discusses Entering the Conversation Often without consciously realizing it, accomplished writers rely on a stock of established moves that are crucial for communicating sophisticated ideas. This inventory of basic moves is probably picked up by reading a wide range of other accomplished writers. Less experienced writers, by contrast, are often unfamiliar with these basic moves, and unsure how to make them in their own writing. These basic moves are so common that they can be represented in templates that you can use right away to structure and even generate your own writing. It is true, of course, that critical thinking and writing go deeper than any set of linguistic formulas, requiring that you question assumptions, develop strong claims, offer supporting reasons and evidence, consider opposing arguments, and so on. But these deeper habits of thought cannot be put into practice unless you have a language for expressing them in clear, organized ways. STATE YOUR OWN IDEAS AS A RESPONSE TO OTHERS It is important not only to express your ideas (â€Å"I say†), but to present those ideas as a response to some other person or group ("they say"). The underlying structure of effective academic writing is not just in stating our own ideas, but in listening closely to others around us, summarizing their views in a way that they will recognize, and responding with our own ideas in kind. Broadly speaking, academic writing is argumentative writing, and we believe that to argue well you need to do more than assert your own ideas. You need to enter a conversati on, using what others say (or might say) as a launching pad or sounding board for your own ideas. For this reason, you need to write the voices of others into your text. The best academic writing has one underlying feature: it is deeply engaged in some way with other people’s views. Too often, however, academic writing is taught as a process of saying â€Å"true† or â€Å"smart† things in a vacuum, as if it were possible to argue

Why Fossilized Shark Teeth Are Black

Why Fossilized Shark Teeth Are Black Shark teeth are made up of calcium phosphate, which is the mineral apatite. Although shark teeth are sturdier than the cartilage that makes up their skeleton, the teeth still disintegrate over time unless they are fossilized. This is why you rarely find white shark teeth on a beach. Shark teeth are preserved if the tooth is buried, which prevents decomposition by oxygen and bacteria. Shark teeth buried in sediments absorb surrounding minerals, turning them from a normal whitish tooth color to a deeper color, usually black, gray, or tan. The fossilization process takes at least 10,000 years, although some fossil sharks teeth are millions of years old! Fossils are old, but you cant tell the approximate age of a shark tooth simply by its color because the color (black, gray, brown) depends completely on the chemical composition of the sediment that replaced the calcium during the fossilization process. How to  Find Shark Teeth Why would you want to find shark teeth? Some of them are valuable, plus they can be used to make interesting jewelry or to start a collection. Plus, theres a chance youll find a tooth from a predator that lived 10 to 50 million years ago! While its possible to find teeth just about anywhere, your best bet is to search at a beach. I live in Myrtle Beach, so every time I go to the shore I look for teeth. At this beach, most of the teeth are black because of the chemical composition of the sediment offshore. At other beaches, fossilized teeth may be gray or brown or slightly green. Once you find the first tooth, youll know what color to seek. Of course, theres always a chance youll find a white shark tooth, but these are much harder to see against shells and sand. If youve never looked for shark teeth before, start out looking for black pointy objects. If the teeth are black, there will also be some black shell fragments that resemble shark teeth.  How do you know if its a shell or a tooth? Dry off your find and hold it up to the light. Even though a tooth could be millions of years old, it will still look glossy in the light. A shell, on the other hand, will show ripples from its growth and maybe some iridescence. Most shark teeth also maintain some of their structure. Look for a cutting edge along the edge of the blade (flat part) of the tooth, which may still have ridges. Thats a dead giveaway youve scored a shark tooth. A tooth may also have an intact root, which tends to be less shiny than the blade. Teeth come in a variety of shapes. Some are triangular, but others are needle-like. Good places to start are at the waterline, where the waves can help reveal the teeth, or by inspecting or sifting through a pile of shells. Keep in mind, the size of the teeth you can find is usually similar to the size of surrounding debris. While its possible to find a giant Megalodon tooth in the sand, large teeth like this are most often found near similar-sized rocks or shells.