The Common Core and Argument Writing

Write: What was your best writing experience? What was your worst writing experience?

Common Core: Anchor StandardsText Types and Purposes*

1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing

4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

*These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for definitions of key writing types.

Three Text Types1. Argument2. Informational/Explanatory3. Narrative

Grade-level StandardsWhat assumptions do the standards pre-

suppose?What do the standards imply? Consider

order, wording, what is omitted, what is included.

Persuasion vs. Argument

Persuasion vs. Argument"With its roots in orality, rhetoric has a bias for

viewing audiences as particular. Aristotle said, ‘The persuasive is persuasive to someone.’ In contrast to rhetoric, writing has a bias for an abstract audience or generalized conception of audience. . . . For this reason, a particular audience can be persuaded, whereas the universal audience must be convinced; particular audiences can be approached by way of values, whereas the universal audience (which transcends partisan values) must be approached with facts, truths, and presumptions.” ~Miller & Charney

Argument

Common Core: What is Argument?

Is it argument or persuasion?

Is it argument or persuasion?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v

=O9z71iNrlew

Is it argument or persuasion?

Is it argument or persuasion?

Is it argument or persuasion?

Is it argument or persuasion?

Is it argument or persuasion?

Grade-level samplesGroup by number and read associated sample. 1: Grade 12 (Freedom) 2: Grade 12 (Dress Codes) 3:Grade 10 4: Grade 9 5: Grade 7 6: Grade 6 (Pet Story) 7: Grade 6 (Dear Mr. Sandler)Discuss what the writing and annotations reveal

about characteristics of argument writing (according to CCSS).

Group by color and share your sample group’s findings. Generate a list of characteristics across samples: what are the qualities of argument writing, as revealed by these samples (in connection to standards)? Be prepared to share your group’s list.

Elements of ArgumentClaimEvidence: relevant and verifiableWarrant: explanation of how the evidence

supports the claim; often common sense rules, laws, scientific principles or research, and well-considered definitions.

Backing: support for the warrant (often extended definitions)

Qualifications and Counter-arguments: acknowledgement of differing claims

Arguing Both SidesWhat can students learn?

Arguments across disciplines“Although arguments in different fields use

the same elements (claims, warrants, etc.), fields have different goals for argumentation, degrees of formality and precision, and modes of resolution, with the consequence that evaluative judgments should be made within fields, not between fields."

 Also. . . There are "multiple differences between

academic argument and public argument."~Miller & Charney

Modes and Genres“Good writers know what kind of thing they are

making with writing. They can answer the question, should someone ask, ‘what have I read in the world that is like what you are trying to write?’ No one I know would answer that question with words like narrative or persuasive or expository. These words simply aren’t operational for people who write. They aren’t the terms writers use to talk about or think about the writing they are producing. . . . Mode words don’t actually name the kinds of things people make with writing, so by themselves they don’t give anyone a vision for writing. Genre words do that work much better.” ~Katie Wood Ray

AudienceHow do writers’ assumptions about audience affect production

of a text?1. How much to elaborate based on what they anticipate

readers know2. How much to tailor the development of claims3. How much to care, since writers’ concerns are bigger when

audience matters4. How to accommodate audiences if writers don't identify

with them “Considering the audience, therefore, is not simply a matter of

selecting the information that readers need to understand the argument. Instead, writers must anticipate objections and questions and develop persuasive appeals, including building on common ground, refuting opposing claims, offering an acceptable reader-writer relationship, and presuming upon appropriate beliefs and values."~Miller & Charney

Building a Topic BankSchool issues

Local Issues

State Issues

National Issues

Global Issues

Choosing an arguable issue

Narrowing a topic

What about your class/grade?

Common Core: What is Argument?

Creating an argument

Four cornersThe Supreme Court was right this week to

reverse the ban on the sale of violent video games to children.

Strongly Agree? Agree? Disagree? Strongly Disagree? Write for 3 minutes on your opinion.

Go to corner of room matching your response. In your groups, you have several minutes to create an argument: claim, convincing evidence (yes, you can use your laptops), and explanation to present a two-minute argument to the rest of the groups.

Point of View AnnotationYou will be reading this piece as one of the

following people: Teenager Parent Police Officer Insurance Executive President of DriveCam

Underline information that is important, surprising, puzzling or thought-provoking. For each time you underline information, jot a sentence or two about why you chose that bit to underline. The goal is to explain your role’s thoughts, opinions or questions.

What is courage?“One day while Superman is flying around the

skies of Chicago, he lands atop the Sears Tower. Using his super-telescopic vision, he sees a woman tied to a railroad track in the distant south. Squinting, he sees that it is Lois Lane. Beyond her, perhaps only fifty yards away, is a rushing freight train, which, in seconds, will cut her fragile body to pieces. Superman leaps from the Sears Tower and flies toward the train with the speed of light. He screeches to a halt on the tracks facing the train. The train smashes into his outstretched arms, and Superman stops it dead. He turns to Lois and asks, ‘Gee, are you all right?’”

Defining CourageWrite a full definition of the term:Include criteriaProvide examples that meet and do not meet each

criteriaAvoid “when” after a linking verbInstead, use constructions like this: A courageous act

is one. . . Courageous action involves the control of fear in the face of grave

danger. For an act to be truly courageous, it must meet several criteria. First, because courage is considered to be a virtue, any courageous act

must be a noble or virtuous act, such as saving a life or preventing harm to another person. Robbing a bank, no matter how dangerous and no matter how steadfast the actor, is not a noble or selfless act. Because it is not a virtuous act, it cannot be considered courageous.~ Hillocks, 170

Locavore Movement A locavore is a person who has committed

to eating locally grown or produced food. Read the materials you’ve been provided.

Discuss the ideas in your groups. Create a v-chart of pros and cons of the

movement

V-chart as pre-write

“To Locavore or Not?”A member of your city council agrees with

the perspectives of the locavore movement. He has proposed encouraging the movement through a series of ordinances and financial incentives. Using what you know from the sources you’ve studied, write a statement expressing your position on the subject that will be read in front of the city council when it has hearings on the matter.

Drawing as prewritingRead the article. Then sketch some of the key points

from the article. Get into groups of three. Share your sketches: each

person share the thinking behind the sketch. Groups make a poster that may integrate the ideas from

the individual sketches or something that came up in discussion. All group members must contribute to the drawing of the poster.

Gallery walk: In groups, use your post-its to comment or respond to the other posters. Comments should be about the ideas, not the drawing. Sign all names to your comment and move on when the time signal is given. As you move, also read the other comments and factor them into your comments.

Scaffolding instruction Day 1: explore the genre. Read samples and analyze parts. Do

fact/opinion work with essays. Day 2: Read and analyze more letters to the editor. Rank them in

order of effectiveness. Begin list of criteria for this writing. Begin to generate possible topics.

Day 3: Read and analyze some argument essays. Consider claims, evidence, organization, tone (snarl words and purr words). How do these apply to letters to editor? Homework: What do you want to write to editor about? Write your claim,why you hold the opinion and why someone might disagree with you.

Day 4: Choosing newspaper and identifying audience. Look at more letters in your target newspaper. What topics? What language? How long? How organized? What do these things tell about the anticipated audience? Note to leave class: Which newspaper? Describe audience.

Day 4: Inquiry—time in library for finding evidence. Homework, too?

Scaffolding instruction Day 5: Fill in graphic organizer; evaluate quality of

evidence. Take one piece of evidence and explain how it supports claim (teacher modeling). Turn in.

Day 6: Logic and organization, transitions Day 7: Drafting, returning to models Day 8: Peer evaluation Day 9: Revision and further inquiry if necessary Day 10: Polishing; sentence combining and word choice Day 11: Due with addressed envelope

Developing Curriculum StatementsWhat do students need to know how to do?

What understandings do they need to write this genre?

Take one of the genres you developed at the end of yesterday and write some of the curriculum statements that might come from that genre. EX: Movie review for a website:

Writer will state opinion of quality of movie.Writer will give short summary of movie.Writer will give evidence from movie (filming, story,

actors’ credibility, etc.) to support claim.

General qualities of effective writingGrouping ideas into sentences and paragraphs

that carry meaning efficiently and move ideas forward

Creating an effective thesisIntroducing an idea effectivelyConnecting ideas (between sentences and

paragraphs)Punctuating correctlyCreating and maintaining an appropriate toneConcluding meaningfullyUsing words eloquently

The structures and language of argumentIncorporating others’ words or ideasSubordinating opposing viewsOrganizing for greatest effectMaintaining an academic toneAnalyzing and explaining data/sources

adequately Recognizing the difference between

reasons and evidenceEvaluating quality of evidence/research

Connecting ideas effectivelyWhy? To establish clear relations between ideas“The best compositions establish a sense of

momentum and direction by making explicit connections among their different parts, so that what is said in one sentence (or paragraph) not only sets up what is to come but is clearly informed by what has already been said. When you write a sentence, you create an expectation in the reader’s mind that the next sentence will in some way echo and be an extension of the first, even if—especially if—the second one takes your argument in a new direction.” ~Graff & Birkenstein

Ways to make connectionsTransitionsPointing wordsRepetition of key words and phrasesSynonymsIdea hooks

Example“The only thing more dangerous than being on the

back of a racehorse was being thrown from one. Some jockeys took two hundred or more falls in their careers. Some were shot into the air when horses would ‘prop,’ or plant their front hooves and slow abruptly. Others went down when their mounts would bolt, crashing into the rails or even the grandstand. A common accident was ‘clipping heels,’ in which trailing horses tripped over leading horses’ hind hooves, usually sending the trailing horse and rider into a somersault. Finally, horses could break down, racing’s euphemism for incurring leg injuries.” Seabiscuit, Hillenbrand

TransitionsEXAMPLES: Also, besides, furthermore, in

addition, similarly, in other words, for example, for instance, although, but, despite the fact that, however, as a result, since, so, therefore, admittedly, as a result, consequently, yet

Spot is a good dog. He has fleas. Spot is a good dog, even though he has fleas.

Courage is resistance to fear.Courage is mastery of fear.Courage is not absence of fear.

Pointing wordsEXAMPLES: this, these, that, those, their, such, her,

it, etc.“Children wanted their kiddy-cars to go faster. First, the animal

design was done away with. Then off went a couple of the wheels. The two remaining wheels were greatly enlarged and then aligned down the center of the vehicle. Finally, handlebars and footrests were added. These primitive two-wheelers went much faster than the four-wheeled kiddy-cars.” ~ Toys! Wulffson

“Riders didn’t even have to leave the saddle to be badly hurt. Their hands and shins were smashed and their knee ligaments ripped when horses twisted beneath them or banged into the rails and walls. Their ankles were crushed when their feet became caught in the starter’s webbing.”~ Seabiscuit, Hillenbrand

Repetition of key words or phrases“She sighed as she realized she was tired.

Not tired from work but tired of putting white people first. Tired of stepping off sidewalks to let white people pass, tired of eating at separate lunch counters and learning at separate schools. She was tired of ‘Colored’ entrances, ‘Colored drinking fountains, and ‘Colored taxis. She was tired of getting somewhere first and being waited on last. Tired of ‘separate,’ and definitely tired of ‘not equal.’” ~ Rosa, Giovanni

Synonyms and pronouns“Candy is almost pure sugar. It is empty of

nutritional value. It is an extravagance. It dissolves in water. It melts in your mouth, not in your hands. It’s the icing on the cake. Candy is so impossibly sweet and good that eating it should be the simplest thing in the world. So how can there be anything of substance to say about it?” ~ Candy and Me, Liftin

“Religion was central to Egyptian life from the beginning, and the pharaoh played a key role in its rituals. In life, the ruler was thought to be the son of Ra, the all-powerful sun god.” ~ Secrets of the Sphinx, Giblin

Idea hooks “Mark Twain is established in the minds of

most Americans as a kindly humorist, a gentle and delightful ‘funny man.’ No doubt his photographs have helped promote this image. Everybody is familiar with the Twain face. He looks like every child’s ideal grandfather, a dear old white-thatched gentleman who embodies the very spirit of loving-kindness.

Such a view of Twain would probably have been a source of high amusement to the author himself.” ~ Lively Art of Writing, Payne

In combination“Jebel Musa in the morning is like a tiger at dawn, a cat curled up

in the shadows, its coat the color of pumpkin pie, its demeanor a misleading message: tame. As we arrived at the small plateau where climbers prep for the hike to come, the mountain seemed almost inert, waiting. At 7,455 feet, it’s not a particularly tall mountain: half as high as the tallest mountain in the Colorado Rockies; roughly as tall as the highest peak in the Appalachians. But it is impressive, completely dominating the landscape around it like a mother elephant dwarfing her babies. A mixture of red and gray granite fused together in an imposing, almost threatening mass, Mount Moses rises straight from the ground and softens slightly at the top like a drip castle. Though not as angular as Mount Ararat, nor as tall as nearby Mount Katarina, it still seems like a particularly imposing backdrop, waiting for some particularly majestic drama to take place in front of it.” ~ Walking the Bible, Feiler

Using others’ ideas appropriatelyQuoting: using the exact words of another. Words

must be placed in quotation marks and the author cited.

Summarizing: putting the ideas of another in your own words and condensing them. Author must be identified.

Paraphrasing: putting someone else’s ideas in your words but keeping approximately the same length as the original. Paraphrase must be original in both structure and wording, and accurate in representing author’s intent. It can not just be switching out synonyms in the original sentence. Author must be identified.

QuotingWhy use quotations?

when the speaker’s name and reputation add credibilitywhen the phrasing of the quotation is interesting or

revealing and cannot be stated another way as effectivelyHow effective are these examples?

Many students “improve their reading ability” by looking at a text closely and by giving their first reactions to it (Burke 46).  

Mem Fox contests, “worksheets are the dead-end streets of literacy: there’s a non-message on each line, going nowhere, for no reason” (69).

Hints: cut quotes to the core and use them like spice, sparingly

SummarizingSummaries

Should be shorter than original textShould include the main ideas of the originalShould reflect the structure of the original text

somewhatShould include important detailsIs this an effective summary of Source B?At the moment of harvest, food begins to lose vitamins,

minerals, and phytochemicals important for fighting disease and maintaining health. Because the decrease is negligible, however, even if food is days or weeks from harvest, it’s still possible to derive nutrition from it and be healthy by making smart food choices.

ParaphrasingSource: “People of African descent in the

Diaspora do not speak languages of Africa as their mother tongue.”

Inappropriate Paraphrase: “People of African descent no longer speak the languages of Africa as their first language.”

Appropriate Paraphrase: “Painter contends that cultural factors like language and religion divide African Americans from their ancestors. Black Americans speak a wide variety of languages, but usually these are not African.”

Introducing others’ ideasPut source names either before the idea [Painter

insists that the hula hoop can help fight diabetes] or after the idea in parentheses [Others find the idea ridiculous (Smith, Wilson)].

Use vivid and precise verb signals more than “says” or “believes” to show how an author feels or how an idea might relate to other ideas: agrees, recommends, insists, explains

Make sure the idea adds to the point you are making. Dropping in unrelated quotes or names diminishes your credibility. SHOW how the idea contributes to YOUR argument.

PracticeWrite a paragraph expressing your opinion

about the locavore movement using either a quote, paraphrase, or summary statement from one of the sources.

Be prepared to explain your choice: why you chose the option you did and how you incorporated it (either with appropriate punctuation and citation or by shortening or restating).

Creating lessonsDetermine what students need to know how to

doFind examples and models to show the skillTalk through the findingsGive students chances to practice in low-risk

situationsHave them talk to each other about the practicesApply the new skill to writing currently being

completedDecide on appropriate timing: when would be the

best in the learning process?

Writing Next 1. Writing strategies2. Summarizing3. Collaborative writing4. Specific product goals5. Word processing6. Sentence combining7. Prewriting8. Inquiry activities9. Process writing approach10. Study of models11. Writing for content learning

And so. . . "Findings from this study suggest that

teachers needn't teach to the test in a narrow, evaluation-focused manner; rather, they can develop tools that move students toward test-readiness while keeping writing process principles in focus.“

~ Wolman-Bonilla

Sources Caine, Karen. Writing to Persuade: Mini-lessons to Help Students Plan,

Draft, and Revise. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Daniels, Harvey “Smokey,” and Nancy Steineke. Texts and Lessons for

Content-Area Reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Dean, Deborah. Strategic Writing: The Writing Process and Beyond in

Secondary Schools. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 2006. ---. What Works in Writing Instruction: Research and Practices. Urbana, IL:

NCTE, 2010. Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves that

Matter in Academic Writing. New York: Norton, 2006. Hillocks, George, Jr. Teaching Argument Writing. Portsmouth, NH:

Heinemann, 2011. Miller, Carolyn R., and Davida Charney. “Persuasion, Audience, and

Argument.” Handbook of Research on Writing. Ed. Charles Bazerman. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2008. 583-598.

Smagorinsky, Peter, et al. The Dynamics of Writing Instruction: A Structured Process Approach for Middle and High School. Portsmouth, NH: 2010.