“Should children as young as 12 be
sent to juvenile detention?”
Written Response
Prompt: Is the author's argument about the appropriate age to arrest and
jail a child convincing? Why or why not?
Some questions to consider as you decide on your stance:
● Does the article state a specific age for arrest and jail time?
● What negative or positive results come from putting a child in a detention
center?
● Is the author's recommendation convincing? Why or why not?
Graphic Organizer: Planning Your Writing
Complete all parts of the graphic organizer as a way to plan your response. You can
do this in bullet points or sentence format -- whatever works for you. Type into the
white boxes below each section.
Topic Sentence - answers the question and reflects the content of the whole
paragraph. So in this case, something like:
Yes, the author’s argument is convincing…
No, the author’s argument is not convincing,...
Reasons - In your own words, list your reasons why the author’s argument was
convincing or not convincing. Consider their use of rhetoric (pathos, ethos, and
logos) in the article.
Write your list of reasons in the box below.
●
Evidence - Find specific quotes or examples from the text that support your stance.
List them below.
●
Conclusion Sentence - wraps up your paragraph. One way is to restate your topic
sentence.
Open Response
In the box below, organize your ideas from the graphic organizer above into a well-written
response that is at least a paragraph in length. Keep in mind, you should try to pair
together your individual reasons and evidence rather than separating them like I have in
the organizer above.