Sophomore 10
Argument Essay
Introduction
Source:
http://desantisenglish.weebly.com/uploads/5/4/1/2/5412869/e_la_ass
embling_an_argument_2009_t_pe-1.pdf
Core Assessment Categories
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Claim
Development
Audience
Cohesion
Style & Conventions
DAY 1
Claim
•Clear – strong stance
•Arguable – take a side
•Can be supported by reasons and evidence
•I think, In my opinion, I agree/disagree
•Essay works to prove claim – every sentence,
every paragraph
DAY 1
Small Group Practice: Making Claims
DAY 1
Make a STRONG claim for each of the following:
1. Researchers often perform experiments on animals, but many
feel that this is wrong and should be stopped.
2. Many feel that cloning is a violation of the natural order of
things and that it should be banned, but others feel that it is a
natural progression of science and human evolution and that it
should be a priority.
3. Many high schools require students to spend a certain number
of hours each term doing volunteer work. While some believe
this promotes good citizenship and cultivates compassion,
others feel that forced volunteerism is not volunteerism at all
and, therefore, should not be required.
Development
• Sufficient data and evidence to back up the claim
• OKAY: Personal experience, common knowledge
• BETTER: Current events
• BEST: Historical references, literature (universal themes)
• Conclusion that supports the argument
• OKAY: Restate thesis
• BETTER: Restate thesis and conclude each paragraph
• BEST: Restate thesis, conclude each paragraph, and look
to the future – conclusion, deduction, prediction
DAY 1
Small Group Practice: Finding Evidence
DAY 1
Identify each of the following types of evidence for the
claim, “It is imperative that high schools require students to
spend a certain number of hours each term doing volunteer
work in order to promote good citizenship and cultivate
compassion.”:
• Personal experience
• Common knowledge
• Current events
• Historical references
• Literature (universal themes)
Small Group Practice: Drawing Conclusions
DAY 1
Draw a conclusion, deduction, or prediction for each of the
following thesis statements:
1. Animal experimentation should be allowed because alternatives
are limited and experiments yield important discoveries.
2. Performing experiments on animals should be stopped because
animals feel pain and there are other alternatives.
3. Cloning is a violation of the natural order of things and should,
therefore, be banned.
4. Cloning is a natural progression of science and human evolution
so the government and scientists should make it a priority.
Audience
• Addresses audience’s needs
• Anticipates audience’s knowledge level
• Defines technical terminology
• Answers all “how” and “why” questions
• Anticipates audience’s concerns about claim
• Addresses counterarguments throughout
DAY 1
Small Group Practice: Anticipating Questions
DAY 1
What questions might an audience have about the
following statements?
1. Experiments yield important discoveries.
2. Animals feel pain.
3. Cloning is a violation of the natural order of things.
4. Volunteerism promotes good citizenship and
cultivates compassion.
Small Group Practice: Counterarguments
DAY 1
Write a counterargument statement for each of the following
(fill in the blanks):
1. Certainly,
. However, alternatives to animal
experimentation have proven to yield more accurate data
than one might think.
2. Of course,
. However, a closer look at human
evolution shows that cloning is actually a natural innovation.
3. As might be expected,
. However, forced
community service has not necessarily always cultivated
compassion.
Cohesion
• Transitional words, phrases, and clauses between
major ideas and paragraphs
• Create unity and consistency
• Clarifies relationships between claim and
reasons, reasons and evidence, claims and
counterarguments
• EX: Certainly, ________. However, ________
because ________.
DAY 2
Small Group Practice: Employing Transitions
DAY 2
What transitional words/phrases could you use to move from
each PINK IDEA to each TEAL IDEA? You may switch the order
of the two ideas, combine two ideas into one sentence, or
keep the ideas in separate sentences.
Makeup companies often test their products on animals.
Untested products could be harmful to humans.
Cloning is a violation of the natural order of things.
Cloning might save lives.
Teens can find meaningful connections to their communities.
Community service is required in high school.
Style & Conventions
DAY 2
• Formal and objective tone
• Engaging (specific, interesting) vocabulary choices
• Standard English conventions of usage and
mechanics
• Discipline specific requirements
• ARTS (English, history, foreign language, fine art) = MLA
• SCIENCES (science, math, business, technology) = APA
Small Group Practice: Creating a Formal Tone
DAY 2
Revise each of the following statements to use more formal,
objective, specific, and interesting language, while still portraying
the same sentiment:
1. People who agree with cloning are just “playing God.”
2. Cloning is literally the best thing to happen in science.
3. The thought of poor animals being tortured breaks my heart.
4. Don’t put humans at risk just because you’re an animal lover!
5. Pretty much all teenagers would rather hang out with friends
than volunteer for community service.
6. Have you ever been forced to do something you didn’t want to
do?
Arranging Ideas
•Essay Structure:
1. Intro with thesis statement
2. Counterargument & evidence to support claim
3. Counterargument & evidence to support claim
4. Counterargument & evidence to support claim
5. Close with restatement of thesis, main ideas, &
a look to the future
DAY 2
DAY 2
Small Group Practice: Writing the Thesis
Write a thesis statement for each of the following
claims, using the following format: Although,
counterargument, claim because reason 1, reason 2,
reason 3.
1. High schools should require students to volunteer
for community service.
2. High schools should not require students to
volunteer for community service.
Body Paragraph Elements
DAY 2
• Counterargument – What would the opposition (the “other
side”) say?
• Refuting Evidence – What proof do you have that YOUR claim is
correct and the counter is wrong?
• Warrant – How does the proof you’ve presented actually show
that you are correct?
• Assumption – What would most people agree to be true
about this paragraph topic?
• Backing – Why would we all agree to this? (“After all…”)
• Effect(s) – How does your claim affect the triple bottom line:
people, planet, profit?
Arranging Ideas
DAY 2
• Paragraph Structure Options:
• Counterargument
• Counterargument
• Refuting evidence 1
• Refuting evidence 1
• Warrant this evidence
• Refuting evidence 2
• ABE
• Warrant all evidence
• Refuting evidence 2
• Assumption
• Warrant this evidence
• Backing
• ABE
• Effect(s)
“I can’t think of anything to say.”
• Examples and knowledge of the subject (from
memory) that establish your credibility as an
author: anecdotes, facts, allusions, etc.
• Watch world news.
• Read local newspaper.
• Read snooty, East Coast literary journals named
after dead white guys.
• Pay attention in history, art, science, etc.
DAY 2
First-Person Point of View
DAY 2
• The jury is out.
• “I believe/think” is implied and, therefore, redundant. ???
• Personalizes an argument, making it warmer and more
palatable. ???
• Many of the texts used by the exam itself are first person
explorations of a topic.
• You will have to decide based on your reading of the prompt
and your evaluation of the topic’s seriousness.
• AP readers are instructed to reward you for your argument, not
penalize you for your style choice.
DAY 3
Unpack the Prompt
1. Read the prompt.
2. What is the subject of the paragraph and
prompt?
3. What are the tasks of the prompt?
4. Where will the evidence for support come
from?
Make TWO Charts
Reasons to allow minors to create
personal web pages
Minors’ primarily use for web
pages to discover their world and
themselves.
DAY 3
Evidence to support your claim
Type of Appeal
Fact/Statistic: According to watchdog groups
the average blogger is a teenage girl who
communicates with 5-10 friends.
logical and ethical
Find two more reasons… and provide evidence…
and identify
appeal(s).
Reasons to NOT allow minors to
Evidence to support your claim
Type of Appeal
create personal web pages
Peer pressure often makes people Anecdotal: Current media campaign to keep logical and emotional
post things they later regret.
teens from posting revealing personal
photos.
Find two more reasons… and provide evidence…
and identify
appeal(s).
Thesis Statement
• What is the topic / question at hand?
• Make a general statement about it (summarize
both sides of the issue in your own words).
• Write a thesis statement in which you take a stand
you can defend with appropriate evidence:
Although counterargument, minors should or
should not be allowed to create personal web
pages because give a GENERAL statement of your
reasoning.
DAY 3
Introduction: Practice
• short anecdote that deals with the “big idea”
• concession
• interesting or controversial fact or statistic
• question(s) that will be answered in your argument
• relevant background material
• an analogy or image you will revisit throughout the
essay
• a definition of a term or idea that is central to your
argument
DAY 3
Introduction: Example
DAY 3
As states initiate more and more strict legislation
of cell phone use, the greater public seems to
find ever more foolish things to do with their
devices. From text messaging while driving to
blatant disregard of safety warnings, one
conclusion seems inescapable: cell phones are,
indeed, dangerous tools.
Conclusion: Practice
DAY 3
• Ask a pertinent question
• Present a final vivid and memorable image
• Provide an accurate and useful analogy
• Dismiss an opposing idea
• Predict future consequences
• Call for further action
• Return to a scene or anecdote from the introduction
Conclusion: Example
DAY 3
Whether it is because of handheld use while driving or
ignorance of the dangers of unshielded radiation, the
federal government is absolutely in the right to regulate cell
phone use in public. It is a fact that cell phones have
saturated society to the point where even elementary
school children regularly use them—they are simply too
entrenched in daily life to ban outright; however, efforts
must be enacted to control their public use to protect
society against the reckless, and to protect society’s health
against a poorly recognized danger.
Counterargument / Body Paragraph
• Use step-by-step guidelines:
• Counter & Claim
• Evidence
• Evidence
OR
• Warrant
• Assumption
• Backing
• Effect(s)
DAY 4
• Counter & Claim
• Evidence
• Warrant
• ABE
• Evidence
• Warrant
• ABE
Small Group Practice: Writing Paragraphs
DAY 4
Write ONE body paragraph for one of following thesis statements:
1. Animal experimentation should be allowed because alternatives
are limited and experiments yield important discoveries.
2. Performing experiments on animals should be stopped because
animals feel pain and there are other alternatives.
3. Cloning is a violation of the natural order of things and should,
therefore, be banned.
4. Cloning is a natural progression of science and human evolution
so the government and scientists should make it a priority.
5. Or choose one of your own thesis statements about high school
volunteerism or.