What do you already know about
argument?
1. Which “Claim” (argument/thesis) is Best/Most Logical? Why?
2. Which is Worst?
• A) One Direction is my favorite band.
• B) One Direction is the worst band in the history of
music.
• C) One Direction has had 3 Billboard “Top 10” hits.
• D) One Direction is one of the most successful bands
of the last 10 years.
• E) One Direction is a popular band among tweens, and
while their lyrics might not be great with songs like
“Sometimes You’re Cool,” they’re still a good band for
the most part when you just think about the songs and
how good the music can be when it’s produced by
people who help the band sound like they should
sound.
• Argument/Thesis/Claim: LeBron James is the
greatest basketball player of all time.
– 3. Which reason is best?
– 4. Which is worst? Why?
• A) He averages 28.9 points per game
• B) He’s the highest paid NBA player
• C) He’s earned more awards on offense and defense than
any other player.
• D) He helps many charities
• E) His jersey sales are two times higher than Derrick Rose.
Develop a Good Reason
• Argument/Claim/Thesis: District 86 should
move the start time of school back to 9:30.
– 5. YOU develop a solid, effective, good reason (1
sentence). Then, in a sentence, explain why it’s
good.
EVIDENCE
• Argument/Thesis/Claim: It’s not worth replacing
your iPhone 5 for the new iPhone 6s.
– Reason 1: The cost is too high
– Reason 2: There are limited new features:
• 6. EVIDENCE for Reason 2: What evidence is the BEST!
Why?
– A) An article in the NY Times suggests, “The colors are extremely
limited. There are only 3 to choose from.”
– B) According to CellPhoneInsider.com, “96% of the iPhone 6s’s
features are exactly the same as the iPhone 5”
– C) My friend says the iPhone 5 has the same operating system, for
the most part.
– D) The Washington Post has reported that Apple has “multiple
human rights violations leveled against it from groups in China.”
– E) Kevin Rokusek, professor of computer science at MIT and
author of the book, iProducts, says, “while the iPhone 6s has
many of the same features as previous iPhones, it’s ultimately a
smart buy because of its sleek graphics and processing power.”