Teaching Writing Strategy: Students need to learn how to identify faulty logic. Position Papers You can quickly check by having them highlight or underline their research. If your students as a group have a problem with a particular aspect of grammar, you should address it in class. A lesson that teaches students the difference between correlation and causation. Argument writing is a crucial skill for the real world, no matter what future lies ahead of a student. See what's new in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop! Verification Junkie Includes printable handout. Making an Argument: Effective use of Transition Words Ask students to clarify what makes this kind of text an argument as opposed to persuasion. Prompts by category for the student who can't think of anything to write about. The following activities are set up to help students work out the argument and supporting ideas for an essay topic, to help them write the actual essay afterward. Thanks for asking! Students will LOVE this argument essay writing unit, as well as the real-life application and mentor texts included here.Update 1: I … Columbia University. The Deviant Philosopher is a place to look for specific activities, as is Diversifying Syllabi (the reading guides often also have activity or assignment ideas). Don't miss the link to Abbot and Costello's "Who's on First?". I saw your resource on TpT “Argument or Persuasive Writing Research Notebook” and I am wondering if you have some examples of the work process that I may show to my class. Teaching students about argument, persuasion, and reasoning will benefit them for their entire lives. I want you to know that this post contains affiliate links. • How does that example support your argument? Knowing how to evaluate and create these will be important every day in their professional and social lives. When working with beginners, teachers can us… Students learn how authors support an argument using different types of evidence. plan an argument piece Each card includes: 1) a Topic/Issue, 2) Getting Started Information, and 3) a Research Planning Guide. Students become familiar with the basic components of an argument and then develop their understanding by analyzing evidence-based arguments about texts. Narrative, Argumentative and Informative Writing About Baseball How to create your yearlong plan – the easy way, Writing Workshop Activities: Everything You Need to Know, in its most simple form, it has two opposing sides, it relies on logic and evidence culled from research, it addresses counterclaims (or opposing views). Even a short speeches like the Gettysburg Address or Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” can provide students with practice analyzing an argument. The following assignment ideas come from Shivers, Levenson, and Tan’s article “Visual Literacy, Creativity and the Teaching of Argument.” They present a three-step PIE (Perception, Interpretation, and Expression) model for teaching students the process of argumentation in a way that works for students of all levels. But dealing with grammar in class is very much alive and important. 2. One way to fit problem/solution writing into the Common Core standards' argument category is by ensuring that students conclude their written pieces by choosing one of their possible solutions as the "best" one and supporting it with evidence. Sane and Simple Tools to Help You Teach Middle School ELA. What you really want to focus on is the difference between an argument and writing an argument (or argumentative writing). What's Not Fair? (*pausing for fangirl memory*) I’ve practically memorized his books and apply many of his ideas on a daily basis. Students explore and understand the use of transition words in context and write their own persuasive essay using transition words. Handout detailing introduction, narration, confirmation, refutation and concession, and summation. check in with students to make sure they are incorporating research into their writing. If it’s only a question or two, then the topic might be too shallow. : A Persuasive Text by Tony Stead with Judy Ballester and her fourth-grade class Examines the opposing viewpoints of a fourth-grade class on whether zoos are helpful or harmful to animals; written in persuasive language. Try this: pair students up. Decoding text types: One of these things is not like the others Point out that some of the speakers from the argument activity used particular words that persuaded us to think a certain way. Have the first student share his or her argument — giving the partner all the reasons why the argument is sound. Writing an Argument “Private tutoring and its impact on students’ academic achievement, formal schooling, and 5. The following activities have been contributed to this teaching guide by faculty at Colorado State University. Your teacher tries to persuade you into doing your best in school by promising you that better things in life come to those who are educated. Running Independent Reading in Middle School, Teaching Characterization using Short Videos, Teaching Propaganda and Critical Thinking, How to Write a Memoir: Personal Narrative Writing, Informative /Explanatory Expository Writing Lessons, How to Get Your Students Excited about Research, Writing Anxiety: Creating Fearless Writers. hunger — does our community need a food bank? 2. Adobe Reader required. There are other writing activities that help ESL students to recognize arguments and warrants: 1. Hey, Little Ant by Phillip M. and Hannah Hoose, illustrated by Debbie Tilley What would you do if the ant you were about to step on looked up and started talking? Lee, J.Y. Professors teaching first-year writing classes often note that their students don't understand the terms of academic argument. Argument and informational paragraph structures have several similarities. A directory of tools for verifying, fact checking and assessing the validity of social media and user-generated content. Your students will thank you. This blog explains the difference between opinion writing, persuasive writing, and argument. *See complete details for Better Score Guarantee. Ready to start teaching argumentative writing? Thus, teaching argument requires a different approach. As students begin to write their final arguments, check in with them to make sure they’re on the right track. 4. Teaching Argument Writing: Activities. Several days of your week can be dedicated to teaching argument, close reading, and rhetorical analysis with pop culture. Engaging Strategies for Teaching Persuasion, Argument, and Debate Year after year, I love teaching persuasion. Focus on: If you’ve already taught persuasion or propaganda techniques, your students need to understand the subtle differences between the two types of writing. that can be used to argue against the design argument. For example, it’s not fair to simply say, “That argument is stupid” or “I disagree.” The writer needs concrete feedback, so the listener should give specific arguments. Researching the Argument Common Core Standards indicated. Simple Questions lead to Complex Learning Give Bees a Chance by Bethany Barton 3. Introduction and 5 activities supporting study of the State of the Union Address: edit the speech, support or defend one statement from the speech, evaluate the topics chosen, write a critical response, write a catch phrase. You can even have each group of students analyze a different book. Allow students to add to keep growing their idea “trees.”. 1. Then they write their own position pieces, incorporating counterarguments to strengthen their claims. The Princess Bride Students then generate evidence-based arguments of texts using a variety of resources. A set of worksheets and activities for students to complete on the Design argument to help develop evaluation skills. The comparison will be made between the poem "Paul Revere’s Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and a description of the event written by Paul Revere himself. Consider key objections—Develop counter arguments Point out flaws/weaknesses in arguments on the other side List objections Argument essay writing is easier to teach when you have an EDITABLE unit with well-written mentor texts and a step-by-step process. Begin teaching argument writing by having your students analyze mentor texts.Picture Books: The beauty of using pictures books as mentor texts is that they are short and easy for students to analyze. This lesson is designed for grades 5-8. Step 2: Informal Argument, Freestyle. A Step-by-Step Plan for Teaching Argumentative Writing Step 1: Watch How It’s Done. Teaching Argument Writing, Grades 6-12 Supporting Claims with Relevant Evidence and Clear Reasoning. This writing task is the second of four prompts here. This activity introduces students to analyzing an argument. After hearing him speak about teaching argumentative writing to adolescents, I was not only validated in my own beliefs and practices, but I… these are the best chocolate chip cookies. These questions can be used to create tests or exams. Political speeches are a great resource for analyzing an argument since they are more complex. Looking for essay topics and ideas to help your students? If their list is long, they need to narrow the topic. fruits vs vegetables — is one better than the other? In this lesson students analyze the work of winners of the New York Times Learning Network's 2014 Student Editorial Contest as well as professional models from the Times editorial pages to learn how writers effectively introduce and respond to counterarguments. 4. State of the Union Creative Assignment e.g. Students learn how authors support an argument … Deepen students’ understanding of the components of argument by analyzing evidence-based arguments about texts. Five Ways of Looking at a Thesis Scroll down for 10 additional tips. fast food — why should our school allow fast food vendors in the cafeteria. vegetarianism — what are the health benefits for a teen? These assignments and educational argument writing worksheets make essay writing simple. Teaching Argument for Critical Thinking and Writing: An Introduction To take this activity a step further, ask students to write down their questions and hand them in. Varsity Tutors connects learners with a variety of experts and professionals. Do you think the argument is effective? This is a collection of materials and instructional ideas for teaching students how to read and analyze arguments. The Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) has a whole page dedicated to this kind of toolkit, as does Teaching Philosophy 101. “Teaching” grammar in class is mostly a thing of the past—drills, conjugations, etc. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss 4. It might be helpful to distinguish the two this way: Begin teaching argument writing by having your students analyze mentor texts. The activities address the following Common Core … So, are you ready to get into an argument (writing)?! Hi Amanda! Teacher previews key vocabulary on the cards and goes over sentence starters. A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Ide… As they write, ask them to keep a separate list for questions they have or information they need to support their claims. One of the hallmarks of argument writing is to respond to counterclaims. In other words, where do they need facts, statistics, or anecdotes to support their claim? A great writing lessonthat uses a 5 minute TED Talk video. Take each of those lists and start building ideas your students can argue. Designed for ninth grade. Arguments and middle school students go hand in hand! I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff 2. Teaching Argumentation Overview Teaching students “how to write” can seem like a daunting task on top of teaching them course content. I Don’t Think So: Writing Effective Counterarguments You have activities that can be tweaked to make all of the needed teaching possible, workable, and even fun. To be sure, it’s not the only way to culminate a close-reading lesson, but as students read, reread and break down text, analyzing author’s arguments and crafting their own can come naturally. Once students become aware of the techniques used in oral arguments, they then apply them to independent persuasive writing activities and analyze the work of others to see if it contains effective persuasive techniques. The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere: Literature v. History Links to related resources and additional classroom strategies are also provided. Before setting your students on this kind of critique, you may want to model what it looks like for them and set up some ground rules. Take those big ideas and start to narrow them into topics that a middle school students could argue: Some ideas will be better than others, but the idea here is to brainstorm as many as possible. Developing Evidence-Based Arguments from Texts Try this: ask students to generate a list of questions they need to answer for their topic. learners with whom they engage. Tutors, instructors, experts, This will provide a checklist for students as they move forward. Tags: argument, writing assignments, writing strategies, writing workshop. It is sometimes difficult to know which should come first — the draft or the research. Two pages, Adobe Reader required. Writing@CSU Teaching Activities Bank. Looking for a resource that presents both sides of an issue? A one hour critical thinking lessonthat expands argument writing by introductory the concept of questions and criteria and asks students to write an argument that answers the question, “What is a good leader?” 3. This guide provides teachers with strategies for helping students understand the differences between persuasive writing and evidence-based argumentation. (2013). Students often struggle with writing an argument if the topic isn’t narrowed enough. Why Should I Recycle Garbage by MJ Knight (There are several books in this “Why Should I” series — each proposing a different ar… Students should ask themselves where they need to “prove it.”. I am on your free resources, and I am specifically looking at support for middle school students and argument writing. It includes a lesson guide, links to articles for use with students, a worksheet, and a printable poster. What information do they need in order to argue their point? An Opinion Writing Unit It includes a graphic organizer. Students read a New York Times article about the use of sabermetrics in radio broadcasts of baseball games. What's Your Fifth Element? As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small fee from any qualifying purchases you make. Looking for activities outside of the ‘mainstream’? Questions about the value of a zoo lead to informational text, research-based writing, and critical thinking. They can look at the cards, if needed, but not read from them. Varsity Tutors © 2007 - 2021 All Rights Reserved, Are You My Mother? Some fun books you can use include: 1. Once they have completed their analysis, allow students to share what they’ve discovered. This 3-page handout asks middle school students to read an article, respond, and identify the voice. Try this: provide students with time to freewrite about their topic. You can provide students with these quick questions to get started: It is often easiest for students to work with a partner as they analyze. Our entertaining printables allow your child to argue which food is best, what type of vacation they prefer, and whether spending or saving money is a better practice. Try this one! In our school, we have to set goals for ourselves that can be measured with data. Award-Winning claim based on CBS Local and Houston Press awards. The class watches the Op-Doc "China's Web Junkies" (link included) and notes how the filmmakers build their argument. Two key differences your students should understand: While persuasive writing may include facts and address counterclaims, argument needs to explicitly include that. As of 4/27/18. It is helpful to point out those similarities for students. Procedure: 1. What is your opposition saying? Evaluating an Argument: Chevy Volt Commercials What other ideas are contained in that one thought? The Common Core State Standards support the teaching of argument writing , and students in the elementary grades on up who know how to support their claims with evidence will … This article discusses and provides a model for teaching argument. The Classical Argument This 5-lesson unit uses the Langston Hughes poem "Mother to Son" and a portrait to emphasize facts and opinions. Part of the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University, this resource is appropriate for high school students and older. Although many students might need more practice in … Identifying Voice The activities cover a range of teaching issues, including discussion starters, peer review activities, and developing arguments… 3. A quick prese… Is their topic narrow enough? This resource covers using logic within writing — logical vocabulary, logical fallacies, and other types of logos-based reasoning. Close reading naturally lends itself to teaching argumentative writing. Through constructing a necklace students visualize a plan for including the central idea, supporting facts, and a clincher sentence in a paragraph. I use this side-by-side chart to visually displays the similarities and differences between these two types of paragraphs. This is an appropriate place to discuss faulty thinking. Are You My Mother? educational inequality in Korea.” Unpublished doctoral thesis. Once students have a list of elements of argument writing, you may want them to analyze more advanced texts. Opinion/Argument Opinion/Argument Lessons that Teach Students Argumentative and Persuasive Writing Skills. Names of standardized tests are owned by the trademark holders and are not affiliated with Varsity Tutors LLC. Using an Op-Doc Video to Teach Argumentative Writing. Logic in Argumentative Writing They write a persuasive response. This is just a way to get their ideas from their head to the paper (or screen!). #3: A Paired Activity Discussion Card Purpose: To help students internalize the components of The Toulmin Model for Argument Additional Materials: Collaborative Argument Planning Sheet Full-size versions of the Indeed, our students have several misconceptions about argument: Students sometimes confuse argument with debate, taking a strong, oppositional position on a topic and then trying to "win" points. The partner’s job is to challenge the writer with questions or gaps in the argument. I love persuading my students that persuasion is a … Students can research their evidence or they use our VLE page where there are a number of resources on design in the world.