Sophomore 10 Argument Essay

IntroductionSource:

http://desantisenglish.weebly.com/uploads/5/4/1/2/5412869/e_la_assembling_an_argument_2009_t_pe-1.pdf

Core Assessment Categories

1. Claim2. Development3. Audience4. Cohesion5. 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 ClaimsMake 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.

DAY 1

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data and evidence to back up the claim •OKAY: Personal experience, common knowledge•BETTER: Current events•BEST: Historical references, literature (universal themes)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 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in order to promote good citizenship and cultivate compassion.”:•Personal experience•Common knowledge•Current events•Historical references•Literature (universal themes)

DAY 1

Small Group Practice: Drawing ConclusionsDraw 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.

DAY 1

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 QuestionsWhat 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.

DAY 1

Small Group Practice: CounterargumentsWrite 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.

DAY 1

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 TransitionsWhat 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.

DAY 2

Style & Conventions

•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

DAY 2

Small Group Practice: Creating a Formal ToneRevise 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?

DAY 2

Arranging Ideas

•Essay Structure:1.Intro with thesis statement2.Counterargument & evidence to

support claim3.Counterargument & evidence to

support claim4.Counterargument & evidence to

support claim5.Close with restatement of

thesis, main ideas, & a look to the future

DAY 2

Small Group Practice: Writing the ThesisWrite 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.

DAY 2

Body Paragraph Elements• 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?

DAY 2

Arranging Ideas

•Paragraph Structure Options:•Counterargument•Refuting evidence 1•Refuting evidence 2•Warrant all evidence•Assumption•Backing•Effect(s)

• Counterargument

• Refuting evidence 1• Warrant this

evidence• ABE

• Refuting evidence 2• Warrant this

evidence• ABE

DAY 2

“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

•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 2

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?

DAY 3

Reasons to allow minors to create personal web pages

Evidence to support your claim Type of Appeal

Minors’ primarily use for web pages to discover their world and themselves.

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 create personal web pages

Evidence to support your claim Type of Appeal

Peer pressure often makes people post things they later regret.

Anecdotal: Current media campaign to keep teens from posting revealing personal photos.

logical and emotional

Find two more reasons… and provide evidence… and identify appeal(s).

Make TWO Charts DAY 3

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

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.

DAY 3

Conclusion: Practice

•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

DAY 3

Conclusion: Example

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.

DAY 3

Counterargument / Body Paragraph•Use step-by-step guidelines:

• Counter & Claim

• Evidence• Warrant• ABE

• Evidence• Warrant• ABE

• Counter & Claim

• Evidence• Evidence• Warrant • Assumpti

on• Backing• Effect(s)

DAY 4

OR

Small Group Practice: Writing ParagraphsWrite 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.

DAY 4