Writing a Position Paper for History Class
What is a Position Paper?
A position paper presents an arguable opinion about an issue
The goal of a position paper is to convince the reader that your opinion is valid and
worth listening to. (It would also help if you convinced the reader that your
opinion is correct.)
It is very important that you address all sides of the issue in a way that your
reader can easily understand.
Your job is to take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you
have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented.
It is important to support your argument with evidence to ensure:
a)
the validity of your claims
b) your awareness of the counterclaims
A good position paper suggests to the reader that you are not only well informed
about the topic, but also that your opinion about the topic is right!
Organizing Your Position Paper
1.
Introduction - Your introduction should lead up to a thesis that organizes the
rest of your paper. There is no paper without the thesis. This is the reason you
are writing the paper. You should be constantly asking yourself whether what
you are writing can be related back to your thesis. Your introduction should do
three things:
a.
Engage the reader immediately in your topic & provide some
background information.
b.
Assert your thesis – choose your words with care!
c.
Provide a blueprint or outline of the arguments to follow in the body of
the essay.
<The introduction is your own work. As the author of the essay, it is YOUR
responsibility to
introduce the argument so it is best to avoid quotes from other authors here.>
2.
Counter Argument -The anti-thesis. It is a good idea to address the
arguments AGAINST your thesis in this section of your paper. This will allow
you to deal with any debate against your position and then move on to clarify
your own argument in section three. Section two should look like this:
a) summarize the COUNTER CLAIMS
1
b)
c)
provide supporting information for the counter claims
REFUTE the counter claims & provide evidence
<Be careful here. You do not want to confuse the reader or leave the
impression that you are sitting on the fence and arguing both sides. Try using
sentences that begin with “It can be argued that…” or “There are those who
believe… “>
3.
Your Argument
a) assert point #1 of your claims
b)
provide support for your claim
c) repeat a-b for the rest of your points
<A good rule to follow is one major argument per paragraph.>
4.
Conclusion - This is one of the MOST IMPORTANT parts of your paper. Your
conclusion is the last thing the reader will remember about your paper, so it
should be STRONG.
a)
restate your argument. This might involve a simple re-wording of
your thesis, or a direct re-stating of it.
b) summarize the main points you have used throughout your paper
to back up your thesis.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
The first step you should take in writing a position paper is writing an
OUTLINE.
After writing your outline it is easy to develop everything into sentences and
paragraphs
Many students have difficulty formulating proper sentences and paragraphs
because they have not started with an outline. IT MAKES A
DIFFERENCE!
Print out your final draft. Read it. Then re-read it. Make corrections - it is
not going to be perfect the first time through.
Then give a draft to someone else to read - friend, parent, teacher,
whatever. Listen to their suggestions and then make MORE
CORRECTIONS.
2
It is unlikely that anything you write will be perfect the first time. Get used
to writing and re-writing your papers. Your skills as a writer will only
improve.
Achievement
Criteria
Application:
-a clear thesis
statement
-arguments
developed and
organized
logically
-use of supporting
research,
evidence, and
examples
-introduction and
conclusion follow
arguments
presented
Communication:
-effective writing
(points are welldeveloped)
-proper notation
and/or
bibliography
-spelling,
grammar,
punctuation,
sentence
structure
conventions are
observed
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
8
limited
9-10
some
11
moderate
12-15
thorough
5
limited
6
some
7
moderate
8-10
thorough
/15
/10
3