IS THAT YOUR VOICE?
Developing Argument
and Finding Voice
Michelle Stachura, Donna Powell, and Kelly Dougherty
Everything’s an Argument from
Kindergarten to Adulthood
Argument from Childhood (1 minute):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP8RB7UZHKI
Argument across Disciplines (2 minutes 14 seconds):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8XMeocLflc
Why Are We Researching Argumentation?
➔ High-stakes tests revolve around argumentation:
◆ Common Core State Standards & PARCC
◆ AP test
◆ SAT
➔ Students can articulate an argument orally but cannot craft a
compelling argument in their writing; stuck on five paragraph
➔ Students lack voice in research papers
➔ Teachers want students to write and think with passion, have original
thoughts and convince their audience of their stance.
What the Research Says
➔ Students will not use the five paragraph essay in authentic contexts
(Hill).
➔ Research indicates that requiring students to highlight and annotate
professional argumentative texts will enhance their own
argumentative writing (Lu).
➔ The I-search paper (Read-Write-Think) helps students discover what
they want to write, metacognitively reflect on the process and tell
the story of their writing; with this ownership comes a more
authentic voice
➔ How does this fit into the BCPS curriculum?
◆ end product can be one of many multi-modal, digital or
traditional products
◆ opportunity to personalize and customize
What the Research Says
➔ Inquiry and the Common Core
◆ Argument and inquiry are inextricably linked
➔ Teachers should strive to add
◆ more instruction in the information search process
◆ opportunities for media specialists to have a key role in leading
students to a better understanding of the research/argument
development process
◆ a sense that students are “information scientists”
● include observation, interviewing, surveying,
experimentation
◆ convince students that established information + new
information = original argument with a strong voice (Callison)
Suggestions for Students and Teachers
➔
Students should
◆ write
paragraphs individually then organize later
◆ reflect
◆ respond
and react to teacher comments in margins after a draft,
◆ reread,
revise, and rewrite paragraphs, and
◆ read
➔
on their thinking through marginal comments as they write,
and write aloud to peers to develop voice and catch mistakes in logic.
Teachers should
◆ offer
low stakes journal writing/meta-writing to develop an authoritative voice,
◆ encourage
◆ establish
continuous rereading of paragraphs,
critical peer and writing support groups, and
◆ emphasize
the cyclical nature of writing and feedback: write, rewrite, revise,
write again.
Key Components of an Effective Argument
➔ Subject
➔ Purpose
➔ Audience
➔ Formal or informal
➔ Personal or research-based
Classroom Activities
➔ Students can
◆ highlight and annotate published texts and model in
their own argumentative writing,
◆ follow a published columnist in order to identify and
imitate stylistic features,
◆ pair philosophical chairs with free writing,
◆ write an authentic document, such as a police report;
then rewrite the same document in a five-paragraph
essay format; compare the effectiveness of each
construction.
Where do we go from here?
➔ Compile more research about effective writing strategies.
➔ Survey teachers about current methods and struggles with
teaching argumentation.
➔ Develop and implement writing strategies.
➔ Collect student writing samples.
➔ Create digital content for online module.
➔ Unteach traditional and restrictive writing strategies (five
paragraph essay, never using “I”)
➔Track student progress and evaluate effectiveness of
strategies.
As Morpheus Would Say . . .
Resources
➔ They Say I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and
Cathy Birkenstein
➔ Everything’s an Argument by Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walters
➔ 50 Essays by Samuel Cohen
➔ Writing an Effective Argument Checklist ( get from AP Binder)
➔ Goucher Summer Institutes: AP Language and Composition
➔ Thank you For Arguing, What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach
us About the Art of Persuasion by Jay Heinrichs
➔ Instructional Chains as a Method for Examining the Teaching and Learning of
Argumentative Writing in Classrooms by Jennifer VanDerHeide and George E.
Newell
➔ http://writing.colostate.edu/comparchive/co150/08-09/phasetwoacademic.cfm
➔ https://prezi.com/-l8rquargu9e/talking-voice-writing-argument/#
Works Cited
Abrams, Elizabeth. "Harvard College Writing Center." Harvard College Writing Center. Harvard
University, n.d. Web. 31 July 2015.
Callison, Daniel. "Inquiry and Common Core: Argument PRocesses, Part 1." School Library Monthly 29.6
(March 2013): 20-22. Web. 8 Aug. 2015.
Filkins, Scott. "Promoting Student-Directed Inquiry with the I-Search Paper." - ReadWriteThink. NCTE,
n.d. Web. 11 Aug. 2015.
Hill Campbell, Kimberly. "BEYOND The Five-Paragraph ESSAY." Educational Leadership 71.7 (2014): 60.
MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Aug. 2015.
Lu, Jingyan, and Zhidong Zhang. "Scaffolding Argumentation In Intact Class: Integrating Technology And
Pedagogy." Computers & Education 69.(2013): 189-198. ScienceDirect. Web. 11 Aug. 2015.
Morgan, Glenn. "Using Funny In Farsi To Engage Student Writers In Discussions About Voice." California
English 15.3 (2010): 14-17. Education Research Complete. Web. 11 Aug. 2015.