Argumentative Writing Ideas
From Appendix C: Template Tasks
1. “Is the hybrid vehicle really good for the environment?” After reading
_________(informational texts), write an essay that addresses the question and support
your position with evidence from the text(s). L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views.
L3 Give examples from past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.
(Argumentation/Analysis)
Possible idea: battery disposal vs. fuel savings
SC-HS-1.1.8 and SC-HS-4.6.7
2. Is there a better way to organize the periodic table? After reading _________(informational
texts), write an essay that addresses the question and support your position with evidence
from the text(s). L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples from past
or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position. (Argumentation/Analysis)
SC-HS-1.1.1
3. Is there a practical alternative to a gasoline-powered car? SC-HS-1.1.8
To explain the alternatives you would have to explain the chemical reactions that make them
work.
4. Which type/example of chemical reaction is most important? SC-HS-1.1.5 & SC-HS-1.1.8
5. Is it possible for fuel efficient cars to also be safe? SC-HS-1.2.1
6. Is gravity the most important force in the universe? SC-HS-2.3.1
Role of gravity vs. other fundamental forces
7. Which natural processes have had the most impact on living things and/or the Earth? SCHS-2.3.8
8. Is the formation of the universe well understood? SC-H-EU-S-4
9. Are all forms of geological dating equally useful? SC-HS-2.3.6
10. Are all oxidative processes detrimental to living systems and/or physical systems? SC-HS1.1.8
11. Is an insulator always an insulator? SC-HS-1.1.4
12. Are all atoms of an element truly identical? SC-HS-1.1.2
13. Is water truly a universal solvent? SC-H-STM-S-11
14. Are catalyst are the best way to speed up a chemical reaction? SC-HS-1.1.6
15. Does the fittest species always survive? SC-HS-3.5.1
16. Is extinction always a bad thing? SC-HS-3.5.1
17. Are all adaptations beneficial? SC-H-BC-U-3 and SC-H-BC-S-5 and SC-HS-3.5.2
Ex. A seed cracking beak is not beneficial if the area changes
18. Is the benefit of nuclear energy worth the risk? SC-HS-4.6.11
19. Is electromagnetic radiation a wave or a particle? SC-HS-1.2.2
20. Is digital always better than analog? SC-HS-1.2.2
21. Is the best supported theory of the origin of the universe the Big Bang Theory? SC-HS-2.3.2
22. Is theory building the same as model building? SC-H-EU-U-6
23. Do organisms always maintain the same relationships (predator/prey) in an ecosystem? SCHS-4.7.1
24. Are organisms more alike or more different? SC-H-UD-U-1 and SC-H-UD-U-2 and SC-HUD-U-3 Could be considered on several different levels: For example…cell, chromosome,
function
25. Are all bacteria harmful? Are all viruses harmful? SC-H-UD-S-10
26. Should we prevent the extinction of species with insufficient ability to adapt based upon
predicted environmental conditions? SC-H-BC-S-5
27. Which provides greater adaptive capabilities, physical characteristics or patterns of
behavior? SC-H-BC-U-3
28. Is all matter recyclable? SC-HS-4.6.1, SC-HS-4.6.4
29. Can carbon offsets have an impact on carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere?
SC-HS-4.7.2
30. Is carbon sequestration an effective method of dealing with global warming?
SC-HS-4.7.2
31. Which is most important for life on Earth, Nitrogen or Oxygen? SC-HS-4.6.4
32. Does the impact of a new species always impact an environment? SC-H-I-U-3
33. Middle and high school. Which has a greater affect on population size, biotic or abiotic
factors? SC-H-I-U-4
34. What is the carrying capacity of the Earth? SC-HS-4.7.5
35. Do large forces cause more acceleration than small forces? SC-H-MF-U-1
36. Do Newton’s Laws require that motion of an object on the moon is different than motion on
Earth? SC-HS-1.2.1
7th grade
1. Can the products of chemical reactions be accurately be predicted? SC–07–1.1.2
2. Which has the greatest influence on reactions rates, temperature, acidity or
concentration? SC-7-STM-S-5
3. Do the same reactants always produce the same products in a chemical reaction? SC07-1.1.2
4. Do genetic factors have a greater impact on expressed traits than environmental
factors? SC-07-3.4.1
5. Is extinction inevitable? 3.5.1 SC-07-3.5.1
6. Is it true that when balanced forces act on an object it is not moving? SC-7-MF-S-3
7. Does it take more force (or use “energy”) to lift a big object than a small one? SC-7-MFS-5
8. Is gravity a stronger forced than magnetism? SC-7-MF-S-6
9. Are produces more important than decomposers or consumers in an ecosystem? SC07-4.6.4
10. Which has a greater impact on the number of organisms an ecosystem can support,
biotic or abiotic factors? SC-07-4.7.1
11. Which could have the greatest impact on an ecosystem? Example: Kudzu/soil erosion;
pesticides/insects SC-7-I-S-1
12. Have slow or fast changes have more of an influence on the surface of the earth? SC07-2.3.1
5th Grade
1. Do the properties of a substance change if you have more of less of it? SC-5-STM-U-1,
SC-5-STM-U-2, SC-5-STM-S-1, SC-5-STM-S-2, SC-05-1.1.1
2. Can a change in the motion of an object be predicted? SC-5-STM-S-4
3. Can we ever run out of water? SC-5-EU-U-1, SC-5-EU-S-1, SC-5-EU-S-2, SC-05-2.3.1
4. Can a model of the solar system ever be truly accurate? SC-5-EU-S-8, SC-05-2.3.5
5. Do some plants or animals have unfair advantages over others? SC-5-BC-S-2, SC-5BC-S-4, SC-05-3.5.1
6. Can an organism serve more than one function in an ecosystem? SC-05-4.7.1
4th Grade
1. Do fossils give an accurate picture of the past? SC-4-BC-S-3, SC-04-3.5.1
2. Could people exist if plants did not exist? SC-4-ET-S-1, SC-04-4.6.1
3. Are parallel circuits always better than series circuits? SC-4-ET-S-3, SC-04-4.6.3
4. Are human impacts bad? or Can human impacts be both good and bad for the
environment? SC-4-I-S-3, SC-4-I-S-4, SC-4-I-S-5, SC-4-I-S-6, and SC-04-4.7.2