Argumentative writing is all around us. It’s everywhere in the real world. When we teach our children this mode of writing, we are preparing them for their tomorrows. Argument writing is not new and includes
- Professional debates
- Cover letter pitches
- Interviews
- Grant Applications
- Executive summaries
- Letters-to-the-editor.
What it is NOT: It’s more than throwing a persuasive prompt at students every now and then.
What it IS: It’s the heart of all career-based writing.
What do we need to remember?
- The writer must take a prominent position.
- We must develop an eye for argument in students and comfort in the genre.
- We need to know how to teach and to assess it.
- We need to be familiar with the standards.
- Textual evidence is needed.
How do we get students to see connections?
- Showcase various subjects in the world.
- Post examples on the bulletin board and webpage.
- Bring in articles about the subject.
- Find examples in texts, movies, noels, picture books, life.
Needed Components
- Thesis statement (needs to taught in ELA)
- Added commentary (Expanding the evidence)
- Transition stems
- Counterarguments
Adding Commentary (expanding the evidence)
- Make a prediction on the basis of argument.
- Pose a thoughtful question.
- Connect topic to self/world/current events.
- Find metaphor.
Transition Stems
- nevertheless
- admittedly
- according to
- in other words
- conversely
- what the expert means is…
- on the other hand
- in addition
- As one may see,
Summarizing: GIST
Counterarguments:
Remember that those who disagree may have vital points. Start by recognizing authors’ and characters’ perspectives.
Let’s think about…
- How can writing teachers incorporate more content-area writing into ELA classes?
- How can content-area teachers incorporate more writing into their subjects?
An example of a topic:
Choose two civilizations. Write a paper arguing the benefits of living in one of the civilizations rather than the other. Use evidence from your text to support your answers.
Strategies for teaching argument (Remember to support claims with relevant evidence.)
- Explicit
- Active engagement
- Modeling
- Scaffolding
The biggest difference between argument and persuasion is that argument relies on evidence. Persuasion uses more of an emotional appeal. Persuasion aims to persuade the reader that the position is correct…trying to win over. Argument presents a strong claim and supports that claim with evidence and reasoning.
Is a process followed? Yes.
Pre-writing/planning is VERY important.
- Choose topic.
- Explore and decide the position.
- Predict opposing arguments.
- Who is the audience?
- Decides points of discussion.
- Write a focused thesis.
- Research for facts, statistics, and testimony from experts.
- Analyze the data. What will be used? What will be directly quoted?
Write your first draft/rough draft/sloppy copy. Revise. Edit. Make a final copy. (Information about these are in other posts.)
Stay focused. Happy writing.