Argument Writing
An Introductory Guide for High School Students
Argument – August 26
• What makes an argument?
• When putting your argument into writing, what are some
important terms that you must consider? Hint: _______
statement.
• How do you know if your argument is successful?
• What types of sources will you use for evidence that
supports your argument? What types of sources are
considered not helpful or should not be used?
• Has there ever been a time where listening, reading, or
seeing an argument or speech has made you change your
opinion on a topic? Explain why or why not.
Objectives for this Unit
•
1.a Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the
claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an
organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
•
1.b Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most
relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in
a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and
possible biases.
•
1.e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
argument presented.
•
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Essential Questions
• Why am I writing? For whom?
• What am I trying to achieve through my writing?
• Where do ideas for writing come from?
• How do ideas for writing come from?
• How do writers organize their ideas?
An argument in writing
• IS DIFFERENT THAN
ARGUING WITH A
PARENT OR FRIEND
Characteristics of Argument
Writing
• Convinces reader claim is true
• Uses evidence—facts and data
• Acknowledges counterclaims—the other side of the
argument
An Effective Claim
• Takes a clear position
• Has two sides
• Is narrow enough to be supported within essay
• Can be supported by facts or citations from a text
Addressing the
counterclaim…
• Refutes or proves wrong, another point
• Recognizes the other side’s points
• Lends credence to the writer’s claims
Components of Effective
Argument Writing?
• Clear and forceful claim
• Well-constructed argument
• Strong textual support with lucid explanations of
text support
• Addresses counterclaims
• Strong conclusion
How do I structure an
argumentative essay?
• I. Introduction
• Hook - Your introduction should start with an attentiongrabbing opening to get the reader interested in your topic.
• Background Information - You need to provide some
background information about your topic for your reader so
he/she becomes invested in the argument.
• Claim or Thesis Statement - In an argument essay, your thesis
statement is called a claim. Your claim is your viewpoint on
your topic stated clearly in one sentence.
How do I structure an
argumentative essay?
• II. Body Paragraphs
• Reasons with Supporting Evidence - Your next
paragraph should contain the first reason that supports
your claim. Your reason needs to be supported with
evidence. Evidence should be based on facts, data, and/or
logic.
How do I structure an
argumentative essay?
• III. Conclusion
• Your conclusion paragraph should recap your entire
argument. You should include some comments about
why this is an important issue to argue about and why it
is important for your audience to agree with your side of
the argument. If the argument is about a topic that is
relevant to our society at large, then you could possibly
mention how your claim could help shape the future of
our society.
Topic Brainstorm
(Community Issues)
• Bullying in schools
• Technology in the classroom
• Influence of Media
• Religious freedom
• Nutrition
• Fitness
Claim - Fitness
• What claim can we make about physical fitness?
• What evidence do we have to support that?
Claim – Bullying in
Schools
• What claim can we make about bullying in schools?
• What evidence do we have to support that?
Letter From Birmingham Jail
• Choose one line from this letter that
you believes sums up the letter in its
entirety. Be prepared to explain why
you feel this way.
Making an Argument
Graphic Organizer
• Based on MLK’s Letter
Making an Argument
Graphic Organizer
• Choose one of the examples that we discussed at the
beginning of class and fill this organizer in on your
own.
Brainstorming Topics
• Let’s brainstorm more topics that could be
considered “issues within our community or society
as a whole.”
Society's Issues – August 27
• First, brainstorm a list of any and all issues that you can
think of that breach society today. What problem needs the
most work? What is it that you see on the news or hear your
teachers, parents, etc. talking the most about? Try to think
of at least 7.
• Choose 3 of the issues that you have written down and
answer the following questions:
• 1. What is the issue? How can we fix this?
• 2. How can this issue be turned into a service project?
• 3. What evidence do we have that this is a problem? How do
you know about this particular issue?
• Be prepared to share at least one!
Persuasive Speech Video
• As you are watching the video, please answer the
following questions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
1. What is her claim or position?
2. What evidence does she have and use?
3. Does she use credible sources? How do you know?
4. What did you find most interesting about her speech?
5. What does she give as a solution to her problem?
6. Was her conclusion effective? Why or why not?
Ethos, Pathos, & Logos
• 1. Ethos - appeals to credibility of speaker
• 2. Pathos - appeals to emotions of audience
• 3. Logos - appeals to logic using reliable evidence and
logical arguments
Oprah Winfrey’s Speech
• What is the purpose of Oprah’s speech? What is her claim
to Harvard graduates?
• Identify the rhetorical appeals that we have discussed:
• 1. Ethos –
• 2. Pathos –
• 3. Logos –
Rhetorical Appeals
Example Student Essays
• On a separate sheet of paper you will be analyzing three
student argumentative essays.
• You will need to answer the following questions for EACH
essay on your own notebook paper:
• 1. Write what you believe to be the thesis statement word for
word.
• 2. List and explain any and all evidence of Ethos, Pathos, or
Logos.
• 3. What support does the student use? What evidence does he or
she have?
• 4. Is the evidence they are using credible? How do you know?
Poorly Written Essay – Exit
Ticket – August 28
• On your note card, please identify the overall problem
with this essay that I just read aloud to you.
• What was done in this essay that we discussed must
never be done in any argumentative essay?
• What happened throughout the paper that made this
essay seem poorly written?
Laws You Disagree With –
August 29
• Think of a law that is in place now whether it be in the state
of North Carolina or in the United States as a whole that
you disagree with. Write it down and explain it to the best
of your ability.
• What is it about this law that you disagree with?
• How would you like to see it changed?
• Do you believe that the changing of this law would make
the state or country a better place? Why or why not?
• How could you get other people to support your argument
about this law?
What does it mean?
• Based on the video we just viewed, write a
one sentence definition for the idea of
civil disobedience in your notebooks.
Act # 1
Act # 2
Women in Combat – Sept.
2
• Today we are going to be looking at an argumentative
topic together as a class, but first I want to know how you
feel about this topic.
• How do you feel about women in combat? By this I mean
how do you feel about women fighting on our “front
lines?” Explain your claim.
• Why do you feel that way? Do you have any evidence to
support your opinion?
• If you used this topic for your research paper, how would
you outline it? What would your focus be?
Women in Combat Video
• Recently, Congress has mandated that all branches of
the military review policies that restrict female
members service. For the Marine Corps that means
integrating women into the infantry. (Marching or
fighting on foot.) Not everyone believes that this first
steps towards equals rights is a good idea, including a
female Marine officer who has been on the front lines.
• We will be watching two videos today. There are
arguments that will be presented to you. It is your job
to answer the following questions:
Video Questions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZe
6urpHuEE
• 1. What is the claim in this video? If this video had a
thesis statement, what would it be?
• 2. What evidence is given? Data, facts, research? Write
down any and all examples.
• 3. Are any counterclaims addressed in this video?
• 4. What appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos are being
used?
Questions About Your
Topic– September 4
• Today you are going to compose five questions that you
feel that someone else would ask about your topic.
• How are you going to answer them in your paper?
• What do you think people will find most interesting about
your topic?
• After you have explained the answers to the these
questions and how you will go about answering them, I
want you to write down at least two questions that you
still have about your topic and are hoping to find out in
your research.
Pop Quiz – Ethos, Pathos,
Logos
• According to the Murphy Corporation
study, when teachers’ salaries are raised
in a district, more high quality teachers
are hired, and teacher morale is higher.
When teachers’ salaries are lowered, the
study found that more teachers left the
profession and a higher percentage of
teachers were hired without a credential.
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
• My sister is a teacher, and she often
has trouble paying her bills. She is an
excellent teacher, dedicated to her
students, funny, warm, loving, and
yet, she can only afford to live in a
tiny apartment.
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
• Advil Liqui-Gels provide up to 8 hours
of continuous pain relief.
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
• Tiger Woods endorses Nike.
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
• "As your doctor, I have to tell
you that if you don't stop
smoking, you're going to die."
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
• The anti-smoking movement has never been
louder or more prominent. Yet all signs suggest
that among the young the anti-smoking message
is backfiring. Between 1993 and 1997, the
number of college students who smoke jumped
32 percent. Since 1988, in fact, the total number
of teen smokers in the United States has risen an
extraordinary 73 percent.
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
Thesis Statement = Math Equation
• Problem + Solution because it leads to
Reason # 1
Reason # 2
or causes __________,
____________,
Reason # 3
and ______________.
Example
• Child nutrition should be monitored more closely in
schools because what a child eats can either be helpful or
harmful; good nutrition can decrease the chance of
developing obesity, can decrease the change of developing
heart disease, and can ensure proper growth and
development.
Examples of Argumentative
Thesis Statements
• “Americans should eliminate the regular consumption of
fast food because the fast food diet leads to preventable
and expensive health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, and
heart disease.”
• “Homeless people in Berkeley should be given access to
services, such as regular food donations, public restrooms,
and camping facilities, because it would improve life for
all inhabitants of the city.”
Charity Presentation
• You and a partner have been selected to represent your
chosen charity. The prize is $10,000 that will be donated
directly to help support your charity.
• You have to choose one of the listed charities and research
enough information about it to put together a thesis
statement that you will present me and your peers.
• You should take notes on the charity, including their goal,
how successful they are, any important information that
you would want someone to know who was going to
donate a large sum of money to help.
Charity Presentation Thesis
Statement
• After you have conducted your research, use the note card I
gave you to write out the thesis statement that you will
present.
• You want to include in the thesis statement why you believe
this charity is the best and why it deserves the support of
people who are donating money.
• Think about the formula that we learned and practiced with
earlier.
Anti-Smoking Ads – Sept. 5
• Make an argument for the following questions: Are antismoking ads effective?
• State your claim and prepare an argument.
• Explain why you feel the way you do about this question.
• How would you begin an introductory paragraph on this
topic?
• What would your thesis statement be for this topic?
Your Government – Sept. 8
• Do you agree with your government? Why or why not?
• Do you believe that everything the government does is just
and fair? Explain using support.
• If you were elected into the government, how would you
change things?
• Where would you start? With a particular law or
organization? Why?
Civil Disobedience Video –
Respond & Define
• 1. Based on the video, define the term ‘civil disobedience.’
• 2. Respond to the video. What were your thoughts?
Explain what was happening and how you feel about it.
• 3. Think of acts of civil disobedience. For example, Martin
Luther King Jr. How did he defy civil society? How did he
speak out against society? Now think of at least one more
person or act of civil disobedience and explain how the
person or act defied (or went against) what was expected of
them.
Successful Speeches – Sept. 10
• What makes a successful speech or presentation?
• What types of things do they do?
• Think of famous speeches that have been given throughout
the course of history. (Think about the Oprah Winfrey
speech we watched.)
• What are some famous speeches? Why were they so
successful? What did the presenter do to make the speech
interesting?
• Think of a time when a speech or presentation you have
watched or listened was not successful. Why did you not
enjoy it? What could they have done better?
Venn Diagram
• Create a venn diagram in your notes for the two speeches
that we just read as a class.
• In the circles you should identify any and all rhetorical
devices and appeals that were used.
• You should also include the claim for each speech.
• Lastly, include what stood out to you in each speech. What
caught your attention?
After Reading Questions
• 1. What was the claim made in this speech?
• 2. What support or evidence did they use?
• 3. What rhetorical appeals were used in this speech? (Ethos,
Pathos, or Logos) Explain them. How are they used?
• 4. What rhetorical devices were used in this speech? Explain
why and how they are used. (All of them may not be used)
• 5. Is a counterclaim addressed? If so, what is it?
• 6. What is most successful about this speech?