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Argumentative Writing Unit

Description: 

In this three week unit, students will practice skills related to argumentative writing. They will ultimately write an argumentative/persuasive letter to the school board regarding school safety policy.

Learning Targets: 
I can write a thesis statement that includes a concession, controversial claim, and reasons.
*I can support a controversial claim with relevant, sufficient, and credible evidence.
*I write an argument to support a claim with relevant evidence and clear reasons
*I can improve my writing by making changes based on feedback from my peers.
Link: 
Argument Writing Unit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K7vmnwnflDumxTCxWcHo8c3Ms6s3xpRdTAwWTd3ghaI/edit
Author: 
aruehlmann
Content Area: 
Language Arts
Writing
Language: 
English
Resource Type: 
Unit
Licensing: 
All rights reserved.
Grade: 
7
8
9
Common Core Language Arts
Tags: 
Argument
argument writing
argumentative writing

How are the standards/objectives assessed?

The final product is an argumentative letter.

Student prerequisite skills and knowledge

*Letter writing basics

*What is an argument

*What is evidence

*What is reasoning

*What is a thesis

How is the concept or procedure explained or demonstrated?

Students work through lessons practicing argument through an imagined scenario about school security and safety. 

What concepts or procedures are being explained or demonstrated in this lesson object?

*I can define argument.

*I can identify argumentative writing.

*I can analyze how authors develop argument writing.

*I can create a rubric for argumentative writing.

*I can evaluate argument writing by becoming familiar with and using the rubric.

*I can write a thesis statement that includes a concession, controversial claim, and reasons.

*I can support a controversial claim with relevant, sufficient, and credible evidence.

*I can support a controversial claim with a variety of types of evidence.

*I can provide an unbiased summary of the problem related to my topic as background knowledge for my essay.

*I can write a counterargument that both acknowledge and refutes the opposing claim.

*I can cite my sources using a standard citation format.

*I can give my essay a fitting title, write an engaging hook for my introduction, and create a thought-provoking closing thought for my conclusion.

*I can use transitional words, phrases, and clauses, to create cohesion in my writing.

*I can provide my classmates with feedback on their essay by participating in peer editing

*I write an argument to support a claim with relevant evidence and clear reasons

*I can improve my writing by making changes based on feedback from my peers.

What was your experience, both successes and challenges, using this lesson object with your students?

My students were very engaged by the data sets for MSHS. I found that many of them wanted to do something other than agree or disagree with the new policy, so I adjusted the directions for future use so that students could create a more nuanced argument somewhere between "agree" and "disagree."