Name________________________________
Period__________
Argumentative Essay
What is an argumentative essay?
An argumentative essay is a brief work in which a writer presents the case for
(called Pro) or against (called Con) a particular position. An effective argumentative
essay includes:
 A statement of the writer's position on an issue with more than one side.
 Facts, examples, and other details supporting the writer's position.
 Arguments for the opposition.
 Clear organization.
Other types of argumentative writing:
 Persuasive letters
 Editorials
 Political Speeches
 Public-Service Announcements
Determine your topic.
 Choose an issue in which you are interested and about which you care.
 Choose a topic on which there is more than one side.
Gather the evidence for your side. Use…
 Logical arguments
 Statistics
 Expert Opinions
 Personal Observations
 Charged Language and Striking images
Complete a T chart
 Create two columns. Write “Argument For” and "Argument Against” on either
side.
 Jot down arguments for your position on one side, and jot down any evidence that
might be used as arguments against your idea on the other side.
Write your draft
Use the 5 paragraph format listed below
 Paragraph 1 – Introduction
o Attention getter- Memorable quote, scenario, introduce your topic and its
importance to the reader.
o Thesis statement- Give a single, arguable thesis statement with a clear
main clause that brings the reader into the piece.
o Transition- Use a clear transitional sentence to bring the reader into
paragraph 1

Paragraph 2 – Arguments for your idea
o First point and fully support/explain it
o Second point and fully support/explain it
o Third point and fully support/explain it
o Transition from your side to the other side, also known as from pros to
cons
o *REMEMBER - Save your most important argument for Paragraph 4.*

Paragraph 3 – Arguments Against your idea
o First point against and fully support/explain it
o Second point against and fully support/explain it
o Third point against and fully support/explain it
o Transition from arguments against (cons) to your STRONGEST argument
for your side, also known as from cons to knockout pro

Paragraph 4 – Knockout round
o Use your strongest point (pro) that you did not use in paragraph 2
o You should have multiple supporting details and explanations to support
this point

Paragraph 5 – Conclusion
o Concluding transition
o Restate your thesis (your opinion/argument)
o Summary sentence (remind the reader of your 4 pros)
o Call for the reader’s awareness and/or action for your side- what do
you want them to do now that they know the facts?
Name______________________
Date________ Period______
Argumentative Essay
Assignment
Consider ideas and topics that are of interest to you, especially those which have
two or more viewpoints. Select an issue that means something personally to you and
about which you feel passionate. This issue must be one that has two points of view.
You will write an argumentative essay arguing for the value of your idea or your side of
the issue.
Use the attached T Chart to list the arguments for (Pro) and arguments against
(Con) this issue. You will use your list to write a five-paragraph persuasive essay.
Writer’s Role and Format
You are writing an argumentative essay on a personally important issue that will
be shared with peers and teachers. Excellently argued essays will be submitted to the
school newspaper or other publications, compiled in a class publication, or delivered as
speeches to classmates.
Focus Areas
Strong thesis statement
Accurate, valid, and strong statements supporting your position
Accurate and valid statements opposing your position
Correct use of direct quotations with citations
Length
-Draft- 4-5 pages DOUBLE-SPACED, HAND WRITTEN IN YOUR 3SUBJECT NOTEBOOK IN SECTION 3 DRAFTING
-Final Copy- 2 pages typed, double-spaced, 12 or 14 TIMES NEW ROMAN
font
Rough draft due:
_______________________
Final copy due:
_______________________
Parent Signature:
_______________________
Topic:___________________________________
Argumentative Essay – Topic Ideas
School Issues:
Standardized testing
Student drug testing
Year round schooling
Dress codes
Cell phones in school
Junk food in school
Student searches
Charter Schools
Banned books
Digitized books
Pledge of Allegiance
Amount of homework
Home schooling
Zero tolerance policies
Religion in schools
Cyberschooling
Media:
Reality TV
Sharing music
Violence in video games
Violence in the media
Censoring music lyrics
Are video games good for you?
Political/Legal:
Immigration
Adoption
Abortion
Lowering the voting age
Legalizing gambling
Gun Control
Health Care
Drone warfare
Teen curfews
Cell phones and driving
Rich pay higher taxes
Death penalty
War in Iraq
Driving age
Animal rights
Changing election process
Technology Issues:
Social Networking
Digital Divide
Internet Censorship
Cyberbullying
Health Issues:
Vaccines
Childhood Obesity
Antibiotics
Dieting
Drinking Age
Fast food
Sports:
Performance enhancement drugs
Should college athletes be paid?
Are athletes good role models?
Concussions
Equality in Sports
Violence in Sports
7th grade No-No List for Formal Writing
Do NOT use any of the following words in formal writing:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
get/got
good/bad
happy/sad
do/did
fun
nice
a lot
things/ stuff
okay
alright
1st person pronouns: I, ME, MY, WE, US, OUR,
OURS
2nd person pronouns: YOU, YOUR, YOURS
Contractions: don’t= did not
*Remember to use the CTRL +F feature on the computer. It
will find the no-no words in your paper, so you have no excuse
for not replacing them!* 
You CAN only use 3rd person pronouns in formal writing:
she, her, hers, he, him, his, it, they, their, theirs, them
Author’s Name__________________________
Partner’s Name___________________________
Period________
Argumentative Essay – Conferencing Activity- STEP 3:
Looking at and REVISING your work
(Is everything in the right order? Does it make sense? Does it need clarified? Do I
have mature vocabulary in every paragraph? Am I missing anything I need?)
--Author will read his/her piece aloud to partner. Sit side by side. Partner reads over
shoulder.
--Partner then answers the following …




Did the author give a clear thesis statement?
Paragraph 1
Did the author provide enough arguments
in support of the thesis?
Paragraph 2
Did the author provide enough arguments
against the thesis?
Paragraph 3
Rate the author's ending.
Paragraphs 4 & 5
1–2–3–4
1–2–3–4
1–2–3–4
1–2–3–4
Partner’s favorite part…
List at least 10 vivid vocabulary/mature word (s)…
Partner’s suggestion, make at least one…
Author, now reread your draft. Make any changes and improvements- THIS IS
WHAT REVISING IS ALL ABOUT!
Author’s Name__________________________
Period________
Argumentative Essay- STEP 3: Time to REVISE your work
1. YOU WILL NEED COLORED PENCILS, A PEN, AND A HIGHLIGHTER
2. Follow these directions exactly to receive credit:
a. Highlight your attention getter- this should be sent. 1 in intro.
b. In pen, put a rectangle around your entire thesis statement- this should be
sent. 2 or 3 in intro
c. Highlight your summary sentence in your conclusion- this should be sent.
2 in your conc.
d. In pen, circle your entire re-statement of your thesis- this should be sent. 1
of your conclusion with your transition at the beginning of it
e. In pen, put a rectangle around your call for action statement- this should
be your last sent. in your conc.
f. Using a RED colored pencil, underline your transition sentences (hintyou should have 4 of these, one from ¶ 1-2, one from ¶ 2-3, one from ¶
3-4, and one from ¶ 4-5)
g. Using a BLUE colored pencil, put a plus sign + IN THE RIGHT
MARGIN next to every one of you arguments for your side
(hint- you should find 3 of your arguments in ¶ 2, and your strongest
argument should be in ¶ 4)
h. Using a GREEN colored pencil, put a minus sign – IN THE LEFT
MARGIN next to every one of your arguments against your side
(hint- you should find at least 3 arguments against in ¶ 3)
i. Using a ORANGE colored pencil, in ¶ 4 put a smile  IN THE RIGHT
MARGIN next to every one of your supporting detail sentences for your
knock-out point
(hint- you were required to have at least 2 supporting detail sentences
added after you mentioned your K.O.P.)
j. Next, with a highlighter go back through your entire paper and highlight
every time you find one of the following pronouns : I, ME, MY, WE, US,
OUR, OURS, YOU, YOUR, YOURS
k. IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THE PRONOUNS MENTIONED ABOVECHANGE THEM TO 3RD PERSON PRONOUNS ONLY! He, she, it,
they, them, their, theirs, his, hers, him, her
l. Finally, with a BROWN colored pencil, circle EVERY FIRST WORD OF
EVERY SENTENCE. MAKE CHANGES SO YOU HAVE A VARIETY
OF SENTENCE BEGINNINGS!
Author’s Name__________________________
Period________
Argumentative Essay- STEP 4: Time to EDIT your work
Look at all of your work from STEP 3 the REVISION process.
During the REVISION time you: checked to make sure you had everything you needed,
changed the order of sentences, clarified sentences, added sentences, removed statements,
added mature vocabulary, changed all pronouns to 3rd person pronouns, and changed the
first word in your sentences to have a variety of sentence beginnings!
Now you are ready to move on to STEP 4 of the Writing Process which is called
EDITING.
Editing is often called proofreading. To edit a paper the writer must search out and fix all
the mistakes in grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
1. TO DO THIS, YOU WILL NEED A PEN!
2. Read the guidelines one at a time. If you need to make changes, mark your
changes in pen. Then, put a check mark next to that guideline once you have
finished it. Then, move onto the next guideline and follow the same process!
Author’s Name__________________________
Period________
CHECKLIST GUIDELINES FOR STEP 4: EDITING YOUR WORK
1. Check to make sure every sentence is complete. (Does it have a subject and a
verb?) Make sure it is not a run-on or fragment.
_________
2. Does every sentence begin with a capital letter?
_________
3. Does every sentence end with the correct punctuation mark? ______
4. Are commas used correctly in sentences?
_________
5. Do your subjects and verbs agree?
_________
(Hint- The puppies run- NOT- The puppies runs- Your S/V must agree!)
6. Are all of your verb forms and tenses used correctly? _________
(Hint- If you start your paper in past tense, are other verbs in past tense
too?)
7. Are your adjective and adverb forms used correctly in comparisons? _________
(Hint- Heavy, heavier, heaviest-cheerfully, more cheerfully, most cheerfully)
8. Did you use only third person pronouns?
_________
(Hint-ONLY USE- THEY, THEM, THEY ARE, THERE, THEIR,
THEIRS, HE, HIM, HIS, SHE, HER, HERS, IT, ITS, HIMSELF,
HERSELF, ITSELF, THEMSELVES)
9. Does every pronoun agree with its antecedent in number? _________
And is there a clear antecedent for each pronoun?
(Hint- An antecedent is the word the pronoun refers to.)
Example- George Bush offered his ideas for economic recovery.
His is the pronoun referring back to George Bush, so the antecedent to his is
George Bush. The pronoun his agrees in number because George is only one
person, so the pronoun used is a singular pronoun. It has to be a possessive
pronoun to show he is the owner of the idea.
10. Do you have at least 2 direct quotations, are they punctuated correctly, and did
you tell me what source they are from and/or who said them? _________
(Hint- Mr. Smith, CEO of Hunting Incorporated, said, “Hunting is essential to
survival.”
11. Is every word spelled correctly? ________
Argumentative Essay - Scoring Guideline

Focus
Single specific topic, awareness of task
1–2–3–4

Content
Relevant examples, well-chosen supporting details
1–2–3–4

Organization
1–2–3–4
Logical order & use of transitions which develop and support the topic

Style
1–2–3–4
Sentence style & structure (sophistication) that create effective tone
o NO FIRST or SECOND PERSON PRONOUNS
o NO CONTRACTIONS USED IN FORMAL WRITING
(For every 2 errors, you will lose a point.)
o At least 10 vivid/charged words underlined
PSSA Average Writing Score


Conventions
1–2–3–4
Grammar, mechanics, spelling
(For every 2 spelling errors, you will lose a point and for every 2 comma errors, you will
lose a point)
-----------------------------------------------------------Strong thesis statement
2–4–6
Clear and concise single arguable statement

Accurate, valid, strong details - 4 arguments for
Statements supporting your position (2pts each)
Remember 1 of your positive arguments is in paragraph 4
2–4–6–8

Accurate and valid details - 3 Arguments against
Statements opposing your position (2pts each)
2–4–6

Correct usage of at least 2 direct quotations
With correct in-text citations
2–4

Typed (double-spaced Times New Roman Font 12)
1–2

Works Cited checked by Mrs. Turner
1- 2- 3- 4

Any additional spelling/grammar points lost
Total _________/50
- _____
Weighted/Doubled Total- ________/100