SECRET CODES ABCDEFGHI JKLMNOPQR STUVWXYZ DBU=CAT bshvnf out ARGUMENT S rvbssf m Q UARREL GOAL: Define argumentative texts who gets to eat the first/last piece of cake who gets to control the tv channel/ program 5 SILLY THINGS SIBLINGS FREQUENTLY ARGUE ABOUT? who gets to do the household chores who gets to feed the pets who gets to have the toy ARGUMENTATIVE TEXT Argumentative Text • It is a text that specializes in expressing positions and ideas through opinions on certain topics. • It uses persuasive writing in order to persuade and convert the audience. • Its purpose is to share an idea that is supported by your reasoning and is intended to demonstrate the truth or otherwise of an issue. Argumentative Text • It contains the following: the claims, the evidence, the reason, and the counterclaim. • It is a text that argues in a sense that it proves a hypothesis, a proposition, a theory, or an opinion to an opposite hypothesis, proposition, theory, idea, or opinion. • It is usually written in five paragraphs to show the pros and cons, with claims and subpoints for each. Argumentative Text • It uses a declarative sentence in stating your argument. • It uses connectives or transitions to have a logical flow of ideas. • It is supported with research, statistics quotes from experts, or facts from solid evidence. • It ends with a striking conclusion, a solution, or a call to action. Direction: Write T if the given statement is True. write F if it is false. Then, write the word that makes the statement incorrect. 1. It uses interrogative sentence in stating your argument. 2. It uses descriptive writing in order to persuade the audience. 3. It is usually written in three paragraphs to show the pros and cons, with claims and subpoints for each. 4. It is a text that specializes in expressing positions and ideas through opinions on certain topics. ABCDEFGHI JKLMNOPQR STUVWXYZ DBU=CAT dmbjnt CLAIMS f wjef odf E VIDENCE sf cvuubm REBUTTAL s f g v u b u j po REFUTATION GOAL: Identify key structural elements argumentative texts Remarkable Arachnid Spiders are the best creatures. An air-breathing class of arachnids — eight-legged invertebrate arthropods — spiders are a misunderstood and widely feared creature. They are not insects, as some people believe, and they generally pose no real threat to humans. In fact, spiders contribute to the world through insect control. They also provide a source of natural beauty and wonder, and a potential source of new medicines to treat debilitating diseases. While all spiders are venomous, only 9 or 10 species of the nearly 50,000 species of spiders pose any threat to humans. Furthermore, even the more dangerous spiders do not seek to hurt humans; it is only through accidental contact that spider bites occur. Spiders do, however, pose a real threat to insects, including those that are truly dangerous to humans. For instance, spiders eat mosquitoes and cockroaches, two insects that are known to spread deadly diseases. They also eat pesky insects like earwigs and flies. Spiders are a real boon in home gardens and on large farms, too, because they serve as a natural form of pest control: they feast on aphids, moths, and beetles that can be devastating to flowers and crops. Processing Questions: 1. What is the general topic all about? 2. What is the position of the writer about the topic? 3. Cite two pieces of evidence that would support the writer’s position on the topic. Key Structural Elements of Argumentative Text Key Structural Elements of Argumentative Text COUNTERCLAIM REASON ARGUMENTATION REBUTTAL EVIDENCE CLAIM CLAIM “Argument for an opinion” It is the position taken by the writer; what the writer is trying to prove or argue. Claim: What do I think? CLAIM • Spiders are the best creatures. • Children should have cellphones. • Everyone should stop wearing belts because it would save lives. • Eating too many carbohydrates is the primary reason some people are overweight COUNTERCLAIM “Rebuttal to a claim.” It is the opposing position, the counterargument. Counterclaim: What is the other side? COUNTERCLAIM • Spiders are not the best creatures. • Children should not have cellphones. • Everyone should not stop wearing belts because it would save lives. • Eating too many carbohydrates is not primary reason some people are overweight COUNTERCLAIM • Many people argue that bullying is a natural part of our humanity and that preventative measures are ineffective against this element of the human condition; however, they fail to understand that bullying is a cycle that has been perpetuated for centuries and that all cycles can be broken. COUNTERCLAIM • Advocates of the use of E-cigarettes claim that these electronic cigarettes are not toxic to others in the smoker's vicinity because it is just water vapor that is expelled into the air; they emphasize that there is no tobacco or carbon monoxide released. While this is true, what these proponents fail to mention are the other harmful elements that are in the released vapor. REASON “What reason can you give me to believe that?” It is provided to support a claim; reasons are supported by evidence. REASON: What reason can you give me to believe that?” ? REASON • They are not insects, as some people believe, and they generally pose no real threat to humans. • Spiders contribute to the world through insect control. REASON • Liberal arts is best [claim] because it teaches students independent thinking [reason]; • Everyone should stop wearing seat belts [claim] because it would save lives [reason]. REASON • That was Newman's best [claim] because it presented the most difficult role [reason]; • Global warming is real [claim] because the most reputable science points in that direction [reason]. EVIDENCE “How do I know (proof)?” It is used to support or prove a reason; statistics, facts, quotations, surveys, etc. Evidence: How do I know? EVIDENCE “Rebuttal to a claim.” • While all spiders are venomous, only 9 or 10 species of the nearly 50,000 species of spiders pose any threat to humans. • For instance, spiders eat mosquitoes and cockroaches, two insects that are known to spread deadly diseases. REBUTTAL “My response to the other side?” It refutes or disproves the counterclaim; addresses the criticism of the claim. My response to the other side? QUESTIONS? Identify the following statements whether CLAIM, COUNTERCLAIM, REASON or REBUTTAL. 1. However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, digital books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems than print resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found that people read 2030% slower on tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read compared to people who read the same information in print. Identify the following statements whether CLAIM, COUNTERCLAIM, REASON or REBUTTAL. 2. As online learning becomes more common and more and more resources are converted to digital form, some people have suggested that public libraries should be shut down and, in their place, everyone should be given an iPad with an e-reader subscription. It is necessary for me to obtain a new cellphone. Identify the following statements whether CLAIM, COUNTERCLAIM, REASON or REBUTTAL. 3. Proponents of this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read because they won’t have to travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what they want to read and read it from wherever they are. Identify the following statements whether CLAIM, COUNTERCLAIM, REASON or REBUTTAL. 4.While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the myriad issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object. The Official Language of the United States (1) The official language of a country refers to the language that is used by the government, which includes courts, post offices, and police stations. Over half of the countries in the world have an official language. The United States currently has no official language, nor should it designate one. Although many people have pushed for English to be the official language of the country for many years, having only one language would only make things difficult for a large portion of the population. (2) Making English the official language of the U.S. ignores the diversity of languages and experiences that can be found in the country. Although English is the most widely spoken language in the United States, it is just one out of over 350 languages spoken or signed by the population. This also includes the 176 indigenous languages spoken by the various Native American tribes. Besides English, the most commonly spoken languages in the U.S. are Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic. Currently, around 20% of the American population speaks a language other than English at home. (3) Of the people who speak a language other than English, around 8.5% have limited English proficiency (LEP), meaning that they do not speak English very well. In states like California and Texas, where a large portion of the population speaks another language, businesses and communities often offer services in multiple languages. If these areas were English-only, the LEP community would have a much more difficult time completing normal tasks, such as going to the post office or getting a driver's license. (4) Promoting English as the official language of the country may be used to discriminate against minority groups. In the past, Native American children were forced to attend boarding schools and only allowed to speak and write English. They were routinely punished for speaking their own language. During World War II, many Japanese schools in Hawaii were forced to shut down because of anti-Japanese sentiments. Today, many non-English speakers have also been barred from speaking their native languages while at work even when they're not conducting any official business. (5) Making English the official language of the United States would not be beneficial for the country. It has been used in the past to discriminate against non-English speaking populations and would only make life more difficult for the millions of people in the country who have limited English proficiency. The lack of an official language in the U.S. allows the country to embrace the diversity of its people and meet their needs more effectively. Question: What is the claim in the passage above? The United States should have multiple official languages to reflect the many different languages spoken. People with limited English proficiency should put in more effort to learn English. English and Spanish should be made the official languages of the United States. The United States should not make English the official language of the country. A claim is the position that an author takes in an argumentative text. It is sometimes referred to as the main argument or thesis. The claim in the passage is that The United States should not make English the official language of the country. The position taken by the author is that making English the official language ignores the other languages spoken in the country and would make things more difficult for non-native English speakers. Currently, around 20% of the American population speaks a language other than English at home. How is this information used as evidence to support the argument? It gives examples of the different languages spoken in the United States. It provides a quote from an expert about the different languages spoken in the United States. It indicates that a good portion of the United States speaks more than just English. It tells readers the downsides of having English as the only available language in a community. Evidence refers to information that is used to support an idea or position. Evidence can include facts, details, examples, expert opinions, and anecdotes. The information from the second paragraph indicates that a good portion of the United States speaks more than just English. English is not the only language spoken in the United States, so if English is made the official language, the other languages will be overlooked, even though a large number of people speak them. Who is the likely intended audience of the passage above? Non-English speakers The general public Students learning a foreign language Medical doctors the audience of a work refers to the people or group that the author is directing his or her message toward. Sometimes, the audience can just be the general public, but other times, the audience may be more specific. The likely intended audience of the passage is the general public. The goal of the passage is to convince people that making English the official language of the U.S. is not a good idea. It does not target a specific group or organization to take action. Who is the likely intended audience of the passage above? Non-English speakers The general public Students learning a foreign language Medical doctors the audience of a work refers to the people or group that the author is directing his or her message toward. Sometimes, the audience can just be the general public, but other times, the audience may be more specific. The likely intended audience of the passage is the general public. The goal of the passage is to convince people that making English the official language of the U.S. is not a good idea. It does not target a specific group or organization to take action.
