Writing Argument Essays guides your students step by step through the process of generating an essay that states a position, builds a logical argument in support of it, and answers objections against the position. Instructions, activities, examples, interactives, and downloads help students think about important issues in the news, consider all sides of the issue, determine a position, and develop an argument that presents the position. Students use facts, statistics, examples, definitions, quotations, predictions, and other sorts of details to build their logical arguments. You can present this unit right from your interactive whiteboard.
First students warm up by thinking about controversial topics among themselves, their family members, and their teachers. Then students read a sample argument essay showing how one student developed an argument in support of a position. After responding to the sample argument essay, students work step by step through the process of writing their own.
- Prewriting activities help students research a controversial topic, find articles from opposing positions, and analyze the arguments. Students then decide on their own position about the issue, weigh the pros and cons of the position, and outline a logical argument.
- Writing activities teach students how to capture readers' interest and lead to their position statement. They then develop a logical argument with effective support and create an ending that sums up the position and encourages the reader to agree or take action. Students draw inspiration from a sample argument essay written by another student.
- Revising activities help students root out logical fallacies from their arguments. They also learn to revise their persuasive voice, showing thoughtful concern about the issue. Students get a peer review and use a checklist to improve their argument essays.
- Editing activities help students correct problems with pronoun usage and master the four comma rules that cause the most problems in essay writing. An editing checklist guides students in correcting punctuation, capitalization, spelling, usage, and grammar.
- Publishing activities encourage students to share their clean final copies with others and reflect on what they have learned.