ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING

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ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING
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Elementary School? middle school

• Persuasive ? Argumentative Writing

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• Keystone Exams English Composition
• PA Common Core Standard 1.4.9-10.J
• Create organization that establishes clear
  relationships
• among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and
  evidence
• use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major
• sections of the text, create cohesion, and
  clarify the
• relationships between claim(s) and reasons,
  between
• reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and
• counterclaims provide a concluding statement or
  section
• that follows from and supports the argument
  presented.

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ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING

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• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v-lzGy5gizKg 

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Claim
Specific Evidence
Analysis
Counterargument
Rebuttal
Conclusion
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Claim

• What point will your paper try to make about
  your topic?
• The production, sale, and possession of assault
  weapons for private citizens should be banned in
  the U.S.

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Specific Evidence (support)

• Illustrates in detail how and why the claim
  is valid.
• In the argument on gun control, readers might
  expect to see
• statistics that demonstrate the severity of
  public access to assault weapons, gun control
  laws, and the expenses accumulated from these
  attacks.
• All of these might be effective kinds of support.

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Crime scene
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Counterargument/COUNTERCLAIM

• Acknowledge opposing arguments. The
  counterarguments are the most compelling
  arguments against the claim.
• Strict gun control laws won't affect crime rate.
  Criminals would still own guns.

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Rebuttal (the flaws)

• Point out the flaws to the counterarguments
  while reinforcing the claim.
• Low murder rate in Britain, Australia (etc.,
  where strict controls are in force). Any effort
  to move trend in opposite direction would benefit
  future generations.

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Conclusion (final pitch)

• The conclusion reiterates the claim. This must
  be the final pitch, so it is essential that
  this paragraph be strong.
• adapted from http//www2.winthrop.edu/wcenter/hand
  outsandlinks/toulmin.htm

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Graphic Organizer
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Introductory Paragraph

• Like a funnel, start with a broad connection to
  the topic and then hone in on your point (claim).

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Continued

• Hook -- a creative beginning, meant to catch your
  readers interest
• Background/Set-up/Brief summary -- provides
  essential background about the literary work and
  prepares the reader for your major claim/thesis
• Claim-- a sentence in your first paragraph that
  presents your argument to the reader, usually at
  the end of the paragraph

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Hook

• A creative beginning, meant to catch your
  readers interest. Ways of beginning creatively
  include the following
• A startling fact or bit of information
• A bit of dialogue between two characters
• A meaningful quotation (from the work or another
  source)
• A universal idea
• A rich, vivid description of the setting
• An analogy or metaphor
• DO NOT ASK A QUESTION!!!

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Hook examples

• No pain, no gain. This is a very popular saying
  today, especially in sports. While this
  principle can be applied to many different areas
  of our life, it is very difficult to see the
  benefits of emotional pain, such as sadness and
  loss.
• When you look out at this world, what you see
  will make you very, very sad. This is good. You
  are seeing clearly. Genuine sadness gives rise,
  spontaneously, naturally, completely, to the wish
  no, the longing to be of benefit to others.

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Background (Bridge to claim)

• No pain, no gain. This is a very popular saying
  today, especially in sports. While this
  principle can be applied to many different areas
  of our life, it is very difficult to see the
  benefits of emotional pain, such as sadness and
  loss. In Lois Lowrys The Giver, the society
  attempts to eliminate all pain and negative
  emotions in order to create a utopia. Jonas, the
  protagonist, is the only person who experiences
  painful memories, and he learns just how
  important they really are.

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claim

• No pain, no gain. This is a very popular saying
  today, especially in sports. While this
  principle can be applied to many different areas
  of our life, it is very difficult to see the
  benefits of emotional pain, such as sadness and
  loss. In Lois Lowrys The Giver, the society
  attempts to eliminate all pain and negative
  emotions in order to create a utopia. Jonas, the
  protagonist, is the only person who experiences
  painful memories, and he learns just how
  important they really are. Sadness and pain are
  necessary because they give us wisdom, allow us
  to feel even good emotions deeply, and help us
  connect with others.

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Body paragraph

• Each paragraph in the body includes
• a topic sentence that supports the claim
• integrated concrete details/examples
• analysis/explanation for evidence/details/example
  s
• a concluding sentence
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vJoBMvxgjWvE

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Sentence starters that will help you analyze your
points

• These sentence starters put the writer into
  commentary-mode
• This shows . . .
• This is because . . .
• This means . . .
• This reveals . . .
• This illustrates . . .
• This highlights the difference between . . .

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Outline for a body paragrpah

• Topic Sentence -- a major reason of support for
  claim statement.
• Transitional/Lead-in to EVIDENCE 1
  
• Evidence 1
• Analysis of evidence 1
• Transitional/Lead-in to EVIDENCE 2
  
• Evidence 2
• Analysis of evidence 2
• Concluding sentence -- summarizes paragraph

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Example body paragraph

• Emotional pain is often very difficult, but it
  is because of this negativity that the positive
  emotions can be felt so strongly. After Jonas
  had experienced the war memory, he began to
  realize the difference between his feelings and
  those of his Mother. But now Jonas had
  experienced real sadness. He had felt grief. He
  knew that there was no quick comfort for emotions
  like those (132). Jonas knows that his Mother
  cannot feel the depth of sadness he has felt
  because her emotions are only on the surface.
  She has never experienced the real heartache that
  Jonas has, so she cannot possibly feel joy,
  either Jonass friends also cannot understand
  his deep sense of caring for them because they
  have never had the disturbing memories. He felt
  such love for Asher and for Fiona. But they
  could not feel it back, without the memories
  (135). Because Asher and Fiona do not
  understand pain, they cannot have a sense of
  compassion for Jonas. They cannot truly love him
  in the way he needs them to because they cannot
  even imagine what he is going through. In the
  absence of pain, the people of Jonass community
  do not have the range of feelings that are
  necessary to experience good or bad things
  deeply.

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counterclaim

• Acknowledge opposing arguments. The counterclaim
  is the most compelling argument against the
  claim. This should be presented fairly and
  objectively, rather than trying to make it look
  foolish.
• SENTENCE STARTERS
• Many people believe that state the counterclaim
  here.
• It is often thought that state the counterclaim
  here.
• It would be easy to imagine that state the
  counterclaim here.
• It might seem as if state the counterclaim here
  .

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Continued

• These components equate to four main steps which
  must be accomplished to have a valid and
  well-constructed counterclaim
• 1) The opposing viewpoint is recognized
  (counterclaim).
• 2) Points of support from the opposing argument
  are briefly presented (1 or 2 counterpoints).
• 3) A weakness or limitation is recognized, if any
  exists (analysis).
• 4) Then, action is taken to restore credibility
  in your claim/argument (rebuttal).

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rebuttal

• The rebuttal points out the flaws of the
  counterarguments while reinforcing the claim.
• Sentence starters
• What this argument fails to consider is ...
• This view seems reasonable at first, but
• While this position is popular, it is not
  logical.
• Although the core of this claim is valid, it
  suffers from a flaw in its reasoning.

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example

• Many people believe that life would be much
  easier if no one had to experience the almost
  unbearable pain associated with such things as
  the death of a loved one or the betrayal of a
  trusted friend, and they are almost certainly
  right. These types of events leave lasting scars
  on our hearts and can lead to bitterness,
  depression, and despair. What is also true,
  however, is that easier is not always better it
  is just easier. Easier does not mean that life
  will be richer and more fully lived because of a
  lack of struggles. Not having problems does not
  guarantee feeling happiness.

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conclusion
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Argumentative Essay due 11/26/14

• In the novel The Giver, who is more heroic
• The Giver or Jonas?