Strategies to Teach Argumentative Writing
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Develop a Yearlong Vision
Redefine argument in the writing curriculum
Download 11×17 document of the K-12 Persuasive/Argumentative Writing Standards | Common Core | Indiana | Ohio
Plan Essential Skills
Focus on the “trump” traits
Execute Dynamic Mini-Lessons
Clarify informative versus argumentative style
Read the world
Identify topics you care about. List things wrong with the world.
Template | Rules to change | Problems to fix |
Favors to ask | Suggestions to make
Writing-Time Handout | Template
Parent Letter requesting stamps, addresses, and envelopes
Consider debatable topics
Reveal argumentative ideas that are part of student’s everyday digital worlds. | Argument in the Real World
Students can find argumentative writing topics on www.ProCon.org.
Conduct a small argumentative activity by having students research to confirm a Snapple fact.
Read newspaper articles on everyday topics to use as a basis for debate.
Horizontal articles | Vertical articles
Consider the different perspectives for each newspaper article. Download corresponding prompts.
Check out the ABC News Report about the controversial decision to publish graphic images on the effects of smoking.
Identify character perspectives
Read mentor text to determine character opinions/feelings in literature.
Compare Perspective A versus Perspective B
Read mentor text that reveals a situation and two different character perspectives.
Farmer v. Animals
Spoon’s life | Pros v. Cons
Dog v. Cat
Duck v. Rabbit
Arnie v. Owner
Ant v. Kid
Anticipate more than two perspectives
The same topic/situation is the subject for multiple characters within these texts.
Identify author perspective within informational text
Transition from reading character feelings in literature to author viewpoints in nonfiction.
Check out additional sources for informational text.
Infer a commercial’s claim
Start with commercials where the claim is very clear.
Then move to less obvious arguments.
Choose a position in 4 steps
Teach students to first chart the perspectives before choosing a position.
Review this video clip explaining the four steps to align with the strongest position, not personal opinion.
Concord South Elementary kindergartners execute the four steps before deciding if the character is a duck or rabbit.
Identify details for all perspectives
Identify details, facts, pros/cons, strengths/weaknesses, etc. for all sides.
Identify details for both sides | Template
Organize details pulled from sources both sides | Template
List details for all perspectives | Template
List details for all perspectives | Template
List details for all perspectives | Example
State your opinion/thesis within the introduction
Introduce the various information that comprises the opening paragraph.
Purchase dry-erase puzzle pieces
State your position within a main-idea sentence
Primary teachers often provide sentence starters for the opening sentence.
State your claim within a narrow thesis sentence
A strong, narrow thesis statement is typically much longer than the broad, general one.
Find the smallest topic | Template | Strong Example | Identify strong v. weak thesis statements
Qualify thesis statements in order to strengthen their argument.