PART 1: BEGIN WITH WHAT ‘THEY SAY’
According to Graff and Birkenstein it is important to begin an argumentative essay with what others think and
say about the issue at hand, or as they put it you start with what ‘They Say’. When you begin your writing with ‘They
say’ you are entering the conversation that other writers and thinkers have begun before. Writers often forget that
writing is a conversation with often unseen readers. Because writing differs from a regular conversation, readers are
unable to ask questions of writers and must rely on the writer to provide enough information to answer any questions,
especially the question, “Why are you telling me this?” The ‘They Say’ component addresses this question and alerts
readers why the writer’s thoughts on the topic matter in the context of a larger conversation. For example, students
often write papers on why they think schools should not have uniforms. However, they only include their opinion on the
topic and do not set up their paper as part of a larger conversation. By including ‘they say’ first, writers alert readers
that their opinion is important because it is in response to a critic.
Graff and Birkenstein admit that placing the ‘They Say’ component first is contrary to traditional writing
instruction. Traditional writing instruction begins with writers expressing their claim first and then supporting it with
evidence and defending it against counterarguments. The unique arrangement of They Say I Say forces the writer to
always remember that writing is a form of communication. Because writers are communicating, they should not present
their ideas in isolation but rather as a response to a conversation.
They Say
Methods
You can introduce what they say as:
Suammarizing
what 'They Say'
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Quoting what
'They Say'
A standard view
Something you say
Something implied or assumed
Part of an ongoing debate
Summaries
Quotes
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Require close reading
Require precise verbs
Temporarily suspend your perspective
Prevent fallacious reasoning
Can be satiric if you disagree
PART 2: ADD ‘I SAY’: MOVES TO RESPOND
*Summary adapted from Rodgers, Springer, Cromwell, Harris, and Dole
Must be properly introduced
Need to have their importance explained
Should support your argument
Must be a combination of the author’s
words and yours
Once students can successfully identify and examine the claims on either side of an argument, they are ready to
make their own assertion—the “I Say” component. When students are making their own claim, Graff and Birkenstein
suggest there are only three basic directions the claim can take. They can agree with an argument given in the “they say”
component, they can disagree with that argument, or they can agree with stipulations—the “yes, but” claim. Many
students struggle as they construct a claim, only considering their gut reactions and opinions of the topic. This template
forces students to enter the bigger debate and to couch their claim in the evidence already provided by others. This
matches the direction of the Common Core State Standards, which switch from simple opinion writing to argumentation
based in evidence as students move into the middle grade level.
Note that it’s important to teach students that it isn’t enough to just agree or disagree—they must include reasons
for why they are taking their chosen side. Otherwise, they aren’t adding to the academic conversation; they are just
repeating or refuting what someone else said.
Once they have established their “I Say,” they can add another argument move from “They Say I Say,” what
Graff and Berkenstein call planting a naysayer in your text. The same move, can be found beginning in grade 7 of the
CCSS Writing Standards, where students are required to “acknowledge alternate or opposing claims.” Since the focus of
“They Say I Say” is on entering into a larger dialogue about a topic, planting a naysayer allows students to consider
opposing viewpoints and expand their understanding of the issue at hand. A successful refutation of the naysayer requires
acute critical thinking—students must see beyond their own perspectives in order to find reputable arguments to oppose
the naysayer.
I Say Methods:
Yes; No; Okay, but...
Introducing What I Say
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Distinguish what you say from
what they say
Use “voice markers”
Is it ok to use I?
So what?
Who cares?
Planting a
Naysayer
And yet...
Saying Why It Matters
Counterarguments
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Should address specific
groups if possible
Can be framed as
questions
Must be represented fairly
Should be answered with
a better argument
*Summary adapted from Rodgers, Springer, Cromwell, Harris, and Dole
Addresses the changing in
thinking of interested parties
Links your argument to larger
matters of importance