<GOT EVIDENCE? The Key to Convincing Arguments> QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS
1. In general, what are the reading and writing skills levels of the students in your school?
The largest number of respondents indicated that the range of their students’ skills levels was
wide followed by LOW and a few HIGH or AVERAGE.
2. What classes are you teaching presently (grade level, skills level, titles of courses)?
Most respondents said they were teaching 12th grade (some Regular, AP English, Journalism, ESL).
Others are teaching 9th (including honors), 10th (including honors) or 11th grade.
3. In your English department course of study, when does “instruction” and preparation begin
in the teaching and practice of the argumentative essay?
Most respondents said they began instruction in the 9th grade in their schools. Others mentioned
the first or second marking period, but didn’t indicate the grade when it was initiated.
4. What are some difficulties your students experience in the writing of argumentative
essays?
Counter claims/Addressing counter claims/Acknowledging counter claims
Digression
Text complexity (sources used)
Connecting evidence to claims/Supporting claims with evidence
Creating thesis statements/sound thesis statements/clear and powerful thesis statements
Citing evidence
Essay organization and structure/outlining/paragraph development
Identifying sound evidence/relevant evidence
Developing a thesis/Developing a paragraph (supporting the topic sentence)
Developing an arguable thesis
Understanding counter claims
Interpreting the evidence students provide/Incorporating evidence into essays
Identifying gaps in someone else’s argument
Opinionated points of view
Analyzing and explaining evidence
Basic writing (at-risk students)
5. What are your students able to handle more readily?
Claim and basic organization once the issue has been established
Identifying/Providing direct evidence in a text
Annotating texts
Narrative/explanatory/expository writing
Providing a personal response/Writing personal narratives
Finding evidence for simple arguments (often found in middle school texts for struggling
students)
Use of literary techniques
Using literature in an argumentative essay
Creating claims
Shorter and simpler texts
Oral or written discussion of the argument
6. On a scale of 1 – 10 (1 being least and 10 being most), how would you rate your students on
their ability to provide evidence in their essays?
Arranged in order of the numbers of responses: 5, 6, 7, 3, 8, 4
7. What kinds of argumentative essays have you assigned so far this semester or in the
recent past that have worked particularly well? Describe them briefly or give titles.
Argumentative Research Paper
Argumentative essays based on students’ own personal fears and/or interests
Arguments involving current events relevant and/or familiar to students
Titles
Media is or is not compromising moral value and/or diminishing social skills.
Media Violence
Genetic Engineering,
Is Lance Armstrong guilty of cheating with enhancing drugs?
Read AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOM X – Take a position on Malcolm X as a leader
The Purpose of Education
Stop and Frisk
Is our high school a safe school?
8. Have you used literary sources to support an argument? If so, list some literary works
you would recommend.
SPEAK – research signs of depression or aftermath of sexual assault and write an essay providing
evidence that the main character is a victim of one or the other
ROMEO AND JULIET – Who’s to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths?
THE CRUCIBLE. GREAT GATSBY, SCARLET LETTER, FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON,
Brutus’ and Antony’s speeches in Shakespeare’s JULIUS CAESAR
Two of Henry’s speeches in HENRY V
9. Briefly describe some of the strategies/approaches, etc. in the teaching of the argumentative
essay that have worked well with your students?
--Use of graphic organizers, templates, checklists
--One-on-one conferences
--Teacher edited written work given back to their students for revision
--If studying a class text, have students work towards the argumentative essay from the beginning
of the unit
--Having a template/format/outline to let students know where to place their claims in the
context of their writing
--Giving students adequate time in class to find appropriate evidence to support their claims
--To begin with, have students examine current controversial issues
--Engage students in Socratic Seminars to develop arguments
--Slowly introduce each part and build upon each part – a step-by-step approach
--Debates (before students write argumentative essays)
--Close reading of informational texts
--Charting evidence in small groups
--Use the seven-step strategy found on the Helena Montana High School web site
--Address counter arguments
--Cite and evaluate sources
--Pathos>Logos>Ethos (Looking at appeals)
--Assigning school wide essays in all subject areas
--Analyzing well written argumentative essays
--Write a persuasive speech before moving on to the argumentative essay
10. Estimate the percentage of time you devote to
-- the teaching and practice of the argumentative essay In weeks: 1x, 8
In general, there was a wide range in number and % from 10% - 100% with the greatest number
of respondents indicating 40%
-- helping your students provide valid, reliable, sufficient evidence
5 – 50% with several respondents indicating “constantly”
11. In order of importance, list other skills, besides providing evidence, that your students
need help with in the writing of more effective essays (i.e. paraphrasing, vocabulary building,
reading skills, structure and organization, others).
1. Structure and organization in general (and organizing evidence in order of importance,
incorporating a counter claim into in the argument)
2. Paraphrasing
3. Vocabulary building
4. Writing a good summary
5. Analyzing and explaining evidence (development of ideas)
6. Citing sources
7. Others: sentence structure, following instructions, the thesis statement, reading skills,
proper citation format
12. Do your students write synthesis essays? 20% said YES and 50% said NO
13. What kind of Professional Development could help to support you in the teaching of
the argumentative essay?
Help with determining how much time and focus should be on the argumentative essay
How to scaffold the teaching of the argumentative essay (recommended step-by-step
approaches)
Scaffolding difficult texts--especially the Common Core texts, scaffolding texts around a
specific theme to reach NYC’s diverse population—sometimes existing within the same
classroom
Workshops on structure and organization in essay writing, how to use sources effectively,
any hands-on support sessions devoted to specific resources that can be used in the
classroom—especially suggested relevant and interesting texts for students, analyzing
different viewpoints effectively, unit development, ideas and sources for synthesis essays
14. The next NYCAAPSE meeting , hosted by Random House’s World of Expression Creative
Writing Competition, will be held in early Dec. The date will be announced soon.
Suggest a focus, topic, theme…
How to integrate creative writing in the age of the Common Core
Pre-reading Strategies_