Argumentative Writing
Argumentative Writing
Think, pair, share…
 When do you persuade
people of things?
 When people persuade you,
what makes their argument
so convincing?
Argumentative Writing
You encounter persuasive
arguments every day:
 TV
Commercials
 Billboards
 Junk
mail
 Magazine
 Public
service announcements
 Brochures
 …?
ads
Argumentative Writing
What is argumentative
writing?
 Argumentative
writing
attempts to persuade
someone of something by
writing a convincing
argument
Argumentative Writing – DUE
FRIDAY 1/15, Plan due Friday 1/8
Natural Disaster Readiness
You will be writing a persuasive letter of
argument to convince a real-life, official
agency to create a more effective natural
disaster readiness plan. You will actually send
this letter – either in the mail or through
email.
 -To whom will you be writing this letter? (Be
specific)
 -What kind of natural disaster will you be
addressing? (Earthquake, tornado,
snowstorm, etc.)
 -What specific readiness methods are you
asking them to put into action? (E.g., ____?)
Argumentative Writing (DUE
FRIDAY 1/15)
Write an authentic letter of persuasion to a
real life person convincing them of what you
want to happen. You will actually send this
letter and prove to me that you sent it –
either in the mail or through email.
You will be graded on…
 Elaboration
 Use of argumentative techniques
 Acknowledging the audience’s counter
arguments
Minimum: 1 page
Argumentative Writing – DUE
FRIDAY 1/15
Write an authentic letter of persuasion to a real life person
convincing them of what you want to happen. You will
actually send this letter – either in the mail or through
email.
There are so many ideas! Here are just a few…
 A letter to the principal or school board about a rule or policy
 A letter to the city about fixing a pothole or building a new skate park
 A letter to your state’s legislature asking representatives to consider an idea you have for
a new law/policy
 A letter to a band or musician convincing them to come to your city on their next tour
 A letter to an advertising firm asking them to change their campaign (Insensitive?
Appropriative? Sexist? Etc.)
 A letter to your local waste management company convincing them to provide a
composting option
 A letter to a company about their practices (Animal testing? Non eco-friendly procedures?)
 A letter to a brand name to invent a new product or bring a certain product back
 A letter to your neighborhood grocery store to start carrying this item or that item
 A letter to one of your neighbors
 A letter of complaint to a restaurant or company (this one could earn you some $$ or
discounts)
 A plan for your own defense in traffic court
 A “open letter”
 ….?????????
Argumentative Writing
Descriptions and anecdotes
Paint your topic with plenty of
detail
 Use
anecdotes (short, personal
stories) when appropriate
 Descriptions
– involve the
reader’s 5 senses
Argumentative Writing
Quotes and statistics
 Use
statistics and
reputable studies
 Cite
experts on the topic
with quotes
Argumentative Writing
Quotes
Use quotes! But don’t misrepresent a quote
or leave out important information.
Misquote: “Crime rates were down by 2002,”
according to Dr. Smith.
Actual quote: “Crime rates were down by 2002,
but steadily began climbing again a year later,”
said Dr. Smith.
Argumentative Writing
Ethos, Pathos and Logos – Ideas by Aristotle
Appeal to your audience’s hearts as well as their minds.

Logos: Using logic to be convincing

Pathos: Getting an audience to feel emotions about a
topic

Ethos: The ethics (morally right or wrong) in an issue
AND to trust you as a trustworthy expert on the topic
Watch this video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2dEuMFR8kw
Argumentative Writing
Pop Quiz!
This quiz will be OPEN NOTES and a GROUP
GRADE. Your job right now is to make sure
everybody gets it!
Study what we’ve learned so far!
 What argumentative writing is
 The 4 types of detail
◦
◦
◦
◦

Anecdote
Description
Stats
Quotes
Ethos, pathos, logos
Argumentative Writing
Pop Quiz!
This quiz will be OPEN NOTES and a GROUP
GRADE.
What
2. What
3. What
4. What
1.
is
is
is
is
argumentative writing?
an anecdote?
logos?
pathos?
Argumentative Writing
The 6 Principles of Persuasion
Watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFdCzN7
RYbw
Take notes on what these 6 principles mean.
Be ready to define them after the video:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Reciprocity
Scarcity
Authority
Consistency
Liking
Consensus
Argumentative Writing
The 6 Principles of Persuasion
1. Reciprocity
 People are much more likely to give back if
they have received something first
 “Be the first to give; make sure it’s”
personalized and unexpected
 Give one, get one
2. Scarcity
 “People want things more” when they know
less is available
 Limited editions sell better
Argumentative Writing
The 6 Principles of Persuasion
3. Authority
 “People will follow knowledgeable, credible
experts”
4. Consistency
 “Asking for commitments that can be
made”
 A small commitment now may lead to a big
one later on
Argumentative Writing
The 6 Principles of Persuasion
5. Liking
 We are much more likely to be convinced
by people who are “similar to us, who
compliment us, and who cooperate with
us”
6. Consensus
 “People will look to the actions of others to
determine their own actions”
 Everybody else is doing it
Argumentative Writing
Know your audience!
Why do I need to “know
my audience” that I’m
trying to persuade?
You are trying to persuade
people that don’t already
agree with you.
Argumentative Writing
Be kind to your audience

Be careful not to use offensive words
(“stupid,” etc.)

Don’t lecture or talk down to your
audience

Don’t make threats or “bully” your reader

Don’t employ guilt trips

Be careful of using the second person,
“you”
Argumentative Writing
Find common ground with your audience,
i.e., things you can agree with
For example:
You might try to persuade Mr. Parker to put an
emergency kit in each classroom in case of an
earthquake.
Common ground: Both you and Mr.
Parker care about the safety and well-
being of our students.
Argumentative Writing
Find common ground with your audience.
For example:
You might support a war, whereas your
audience might not.
Common ground: Both sides want to
see their troops come home.
Note to Pre-AP students: This is also
called “Rogerian Argumentation”
Argumentative Writing
Refute counterarguments (sometimes
called a “concession rebuttal”)
For example:
Your Argument: We need an emergency kit in every
classroom in case of an earthquake
The Opposition: Earthquake kits will be too
expensive.
Refute: $9,672 is already allocated to each student’s
education per year. What is just $20 more? Our
students are our future, and their lives are worth it.
Argumentative Writing
Refute counterarguments (sometimes
called a “concession rebuttal”)
For example:
Your Argument: Organic produce from local
Farmers’ Markets is better than store-bought
produce.
The Opposition: Organic produce is too
expensive.
Refute: Cancer-causing pesticides will cost us
more in the long run.
Argumentative Writing
Avoid using “absolutes”
 An absolute is when you say something is
ALL one way or ALL another
 Using words like “always,” “never”

How could you fix the following sentences?
◦ If a girl wears a short skirt, the boys around her
will get distracted and neglect their schoolwork
◦ Gang-related colors cause violence whenever
they are worn in class, so they should be banned
Argumentative Writing
• Absolutes
Argumentative
• Common ground
writing terms we • Counter
know now!
argument
• Reciprocity
 Anecdotes
• Scarcity
 Descriptions
• Authority
 Statistics
• Consistency
 Quotes
• Liking
 Ethos
• Consensus
 Pathos
• Fallacy
 Logos
Argumentative Writing
Convincing Your Parents to…
Check out these WikiHow articles:
http://www.wikihow.com/Category:Convinci
ng-Parents-to-Buy-Something
What methods or techniques of persuasion
are they suggesting you use in each of
these articles?
Argumentative Writing
Pop Quiz!
Answer the following questions using your
notes from this week…
What is an “absolute”?
2. What does it mean to find “common
ground” with our audience?
3. Describe one of the 6 Principles of
Persuasion.
4. What is a “fallacy”?
1.
Argumentative Writing
How do I start? Introductions…
There are so many ways to introduce your
persuasive argument. It depends on the
context or audience. What will they need to
know to start off? Ideas…
 Give a bit of background information about
your topic
 Introduce yourself/who you are
 Ask a thought-provoking question
 Tell an anecdote
 Start with a moving quote
 A startling or shocking fact
Argumentative Writing
Thesis Statement
Your letter should have a thesis statement in the
introduction that states your position on the
issue and what exactly you would like to see
happen. It is usually only one sentence long.
Example: Because students gain valuable life
experience from field trips, the school board
should allocate more money to field trip funds.
Example 2: The driving age law should not be
changed to 18; it should remain 16 so schoolage students may help transport family
members and secure a job to earn money before
college.
Argumentative Writing
Tone
 All writing has a specific “tone” of voice that
shows our emotion or attitude about a topic
 Use a different tone depending on what
kind of impact you’re trying to make and
who your audience is
 Friendly? Angry? Outraged? Professional?
Upset? Disappointed? Excited? Diplomatic?
Calm?
 Your word choice will help show what tone
you are using
Argumentative Writing
Fallacy
A fallacy is the use of poor, or invalid
reasoning in an argument. Fallacies are illusions
and deceptions that we as human thinkers are
prone to. They are arguments that seem valid
but are not.
 Be careful not to use fallacies to convince
people!
 Be careful not to be convinced by people who
use fallacies to persuade you!
Check out this guide to fallacies to get an idea
of what they look like:
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/pdf/FallaciesPos
ter24x36.pdf
Argumentative Writing
Fallacy
A few examples of fallacies…don’t use them!
 Burden of Proof: Saying that because you can’t
prove something wrong, it must be right
(Bertrand declares that right now, a teapot is
orbiting the sun and that since no one can prove
him wrong, his claim is therefore a valid one).
 False Cause: Claiming that one thing causes
another when really there is no relation (Pointing
to a fancy chart, Roger shows how temperatures
have been rising and the number of pirates have
been decreasing; thus, pirates keep the world
cool).
 Ad Hominem: Attacking someone’s character to
undermine their argument (After Sally presents
an eloquent and compelling case, Sam asks the
audience whether we should believe anything
Argumentative Writing
Body Paragraphs
After your introduction, you should have 2-3
body paragraphs. Each body paragraph
should focus on a different argument
(reason) for your cause
 What reasons do you want to focus on for
your cause?
 1. First reason?
 2. Second reason?
 3. Maybe even a third reason?
Argumentative Writing
Body Paragraphs
 In the topic sentence of each body paragraph,
state the reason you are focusing on
 Example: “Another reason having an
Earthquake kit in classrooms would be useful
is to have a food supply.”
 After that, use details to elaborate on your
topic sentence.
◦
◦
◦
◦
Descriptions
Anecdotes
Quotes
Statistics
Use ethos, pathos &
logos to make each
paragraph more
convincing!
You should have 2-3 body paragraphs total
Argumentative Writing
Concession/Rebuttal
When speaking to the audience, an
argumentative paper should…
 Acknowledge (concede to) the opposite
side’s argument
 Give a counter-argument (rebut) why
your argument is better
(This is sometimes called a “concession
rebuttal”)
 “I understand that the school may want to
prevent gang activity by banning bandanas.
However, not all bandanas are symbols of
gang-related behavior because…”
Argumentative Writing
Counter
Arguments…Some
language to use!
It’s understandable
that…
I can see that…
It’s true that…
Certainly…
Admittedly…
Of course…
However…
But…
On the other hand…
Nevertheless…
On the contrary…
Argumentative Writing
Conclusion
In your conclusion…
1. Sum up your main points and arguments
2. Don’t make any new points
3. Use a call to action! This is where you
state a plan for what you want your
readers to do, and how you want them to
act (“I urge you to…”)
Argumentative Writing (DUE
FRIDAY 1/15)
Write an authentic letter of persuasion to a
real life person convincing them of what you
want to happen. You will actually send this
letter and prove to me that you sent it –
either in the mail or through email.
You will be graded on…
 Elaboration
 Use of argumentative techniques
 Acknowledging the audience’s counter
arguments
Minimum: 1 page
Argumentative Writing – DUE
FRIDAY 1/15
Write an authentic letter of persuasion to a real life person
convincing them of what you want to happen. You will
actually send this letter – either in the mail or through
email.
There are so many ideas! Here are just a few…
 A letter to the principal or school board about a rule or policy
 A letter to the city about fixing a pothole or building a new skate park
 A letter to your state’s legislature asking representatives to consider an idea you have for
a new law/policy
 A letter to a band or musician convincing them to come to your city on their next tour
 A letter to an advertising firm asking them to change their campaign (Insensitive?
Appropriative? Sexist? Etc.)
 A letter to your local waste management company convincing them to provide a
composting option
 A letter to a company about their practices (Animal testing? Non eco-friendly procedures?)
 A letter to a brand name to invent a new product or bring a certain product back
 A letter to your neighborhood grocery store to start carrying this item or that item
 A letter to one of your neighbors
 A letter of complaint to a restaurant or company (this one could earn you some $$ or
discounts)
 A plan for your own defense in traffic court
 A “open letter”
 ….?????????