Writing an Argumentative Paragraph In only 7 sentences!

It only takes a few steps:  Step 1: Read texts associated with your Essential Question  Step 2: Understand what kind of opinion your Essential Question wants you to consider  Step 3: Decide what your opinion is  Step 4: Find evidence that supports your opinion  Step 5: Explain HOW your evidence supports your opinion  Step 6: State your conclusion  Step 1: Read texts associated with your Essential Question  Step 2: Understand what kind of opinion your Essential Question wants you to consider  Step 3: Decide what your opinion is  Step 4: Find evidence that supports your opinion  Step 5: Explain HOW your evidence supports your opinion  Step 6: State your conclusion

Step 1 – Read Text  Read texts associated with your Essential Question  Your teacher should provide you with handouts, articles, passages from the book, or other excerpts that you will be expected to read and understand.  Use iRead techniques to help you better understand what you’re reading.  Read texts associated with your Essential Question  Your teacher should provide you with handouts, articles, passages from the book, or other excerpts that you will be expected to read and understand.  Use iRead techniques to help you better understand what you’re reading.

Step 2 – Understand Essential Question  “Decode the Prompt” and understand what opinion your Essential Question wants you to answer.  KNOW what are you being asked to do or consider.  Hint: It’s best to know the E.Q. before you read so you can keep an eye for potential evidence as you read.  “Decode the Prompt” and understand what opinion your Essential Question wants you to answer.  KNOW what are you being asked to do or consider.  Hint: It’s best to know the E.Q. before you read so you can keep an eye for potential evidence as you read.

Step 3 – Decide your Opinion  There is no wrong answer to an argumentative paragraph, only unsupported arguments or potentially poor logic being used.  If you can’t find evidence to support your opinion, you might need to change your mind.  Whatever you do don’t “create” evidence!  There is no wrong answer to an argumentative paragraph, only unsupported arguments or potentially poor logic being used.  If you can’t find evidence to support your opinion, you might need to change your mind.  Whatever you do don’t “create” evidence!

Step 4 – Find evidence  To find evidence that supports your opinion you will NEED to understand what the text is trying to say or explain.  Use the iRead technique to IDENTIFY, READ, EXAMINE, ASSESS, and DETERMINE information.  Make sure you use annotation to help you do the above.  Using annotation will help you save time as you “swim” through the words.  To find evidence that supports your opinion you will NEED to understand what the text is trying to say or explain.  Use the iRead technique to IDENTIFY, READ, EXAMINE, ASSESS, and DETERMINE information.  Make sure you use annotation to help you do the above.  Using annotation will help you save time as you “swim” through the words.

Step 5 – Explain your evidence  Explain HOW your evidence supports your opinion.  This is the MOST important part of writing an argument.  HOW you explain the connection between the evidence and your opinion will make or break your paragraph, or paper, if you were writing an essay.  Make a LOGICAL link. Thesis Statement: Goldilocks was rude, because she went into the bears’ house uninvited. Topic (Essential Question): What kind of character was Goldilocks? Goal (your opinion): to prove that she was rude How (evidence): She went into the house uninvited.  Explain HOW your evidence supports your opinion.  This is the MOST important part of writing an argument.  HOW you explain the connection between the evidence and your opinion will make or break your paragraph, or paper, if you were writing an essay.  Make a LOGICAL link. Thesis Statement: Goldilocks was rude, because she went into the bears’ house uninvited. Topic (Essential Question): What kind of character was Goldilocks? Goal (your opinion): to prove that she was rude How (evidence): She went into the house uninvited.

Step 6 – State your conclusion  Before you can end your paragraph, you NEED to state what your over conclusion is. There are many ways to conclude, but some are more boring/better than others.  A really good way to finish is to explain how the information you gathered effected you personally. Ask yourself: how did the evidence make you think or feel about the topic? Did the evidence make you think differently? What new connections involving other topics can you now make?  Before you can end your paragraph, you NEED to state what your over conclusion is. There are many ways to conclude, but some are more boring/better than others.  A really good way to finish is to explain how the information you gathered effected you personally. Ask yourself: how did the evidence make you think or feel about the topic? Did the evidence make you think differently? What new connections involving other topics can you now make?

But what format should you use?  For the purposes of Ms. Berumen’s class. I’m expecting you to use the following format:  Sentence 1: Topic Sentence (Thesis Statement including the Essential Question)  Sentence 2: Overview or Background Information  Sentences 3-4: Citation #1 with explanation  Sentences 5-6: Citation #2 with explanation  Sentence 7: Concluding sentence So, I want 2 reasons why you believe what you believe, or 2 pieces of evidence to support your argument.  For the purposes of Ms. Berumen’s class. I’m expecting you to use the following format:  Sentence 1: Topic Sentence (Thesis Statement including the Essential Question)  Sentence 2: Overview or Background Information  Sentences 3-4: Citation #1 with explanation  Sentences 5-6: Citation #2 with explanation  Sentence 7: Concluding sentence So, I want 2 reasons why you believe what you believe, or 2 pieces of evidence to support your argument.

Sentence 1: Creating a Thesis or Topic Sentence:  Topic Sentence (Thesis Statement including the Essential Question) After reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears, I believe Goldilocks was a very rude little girl. Your opinion is that she’s rude. Now you have to prove it!  Topic Sentence (Thesis Statement including the Essential Question) After reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears, I believe Goldilocks was a very rude little girl. Your opinion is that she’s rude. Now you have to prove it!

Sentence 2 Creating an Overview or Background  Don’t let the reader begin your argument “cold”. Give them some information about what you read so they’ll understand better what your writing about. One day, while walking in the woods, Goldilocks came upon a cute little house and decided to go inside uninvited.  Don’t let the reader begin your argument “cold”. Give them some information about what you read so they’ll understand better what your writing about. One day, while walking in the woods, Goldilocks came upon a cute little house and decided to go inside uninvited.

Sentences 3-6 Creating an explanation  This is the hardest part of writing an argument. If you don’t clearly state your explanation, your meaning might not be understood by your reader.  Your goal is to create a LINK between the fact and your opinion. If the citation is: Goldilocks ate “all the bowls of porridge belonging to the owner’s of the house”. Then your explanation should go something like this… It was very disrespectful for Goldilocks to eat someone else’s food without permission and therefore rude. Disrespectful = to eat stranger’s food = rude Explanation = proof = opinion  This is the hardest part of writing an argument. If you don’t clearly state your explanation, your meaning might not be understood by your reader.  Your goal is to create a LINK between the fact and your opinion. If the citation is: Goldilocks ate “all the bowls of porridge belonging to the owner’s of the house”. Then your explanation should go something like this… It was very disrespectful for Goldilocks to eat someone else’s food without permission and therefore rude. Disrespectful = to eat stranger’s food = rude Explanation = proof = opinion

Creating a Citation  Only by reading the text can you find a citation.  What is a citation? Any “word for word” quote from the text that you use in your work.  But, you must put the citation IN your sentence, never in a sentence by itself! Goldilocks ate “all the bowls of porridge belonging to the owner’s of the house”. Your words in your sentence Word for word quote from the text in quotation marks  Only by reading the text can you find a citation.  What is a citation? Any “word for word” quote from the text that you use in your work.  But, you must put the citation IN your sentence, never in a sentence by itself! Goldilocks ate “all the bowls of porridge belonging to the owner’s of the house”. Your words in your sentence Word for word quote from the text in quotation marks

Sentence 7 Creating a conclusion:  For some students, writing the conclusion is difficult because it’s tempting to just restate the topic sentence. Don’t do that! It’s boring to repeat!  Instead think about HOW reading the text or discovering the evidence made you FEEL or THINK differently about the topic.  Strong writing doesn’t just clarify. It also reveals how the author was affected by the work. (The author in this case is YOU) In the end, Goldilocks got what she deserved. I bet she’ll never go into a stranger’s house again! Yes, this is 2 sentences. Having more is fine! End  For some students, writing the conclusion is difficult because it’s tempting to just restate the topic sentence. Don’t do that! It’s boring to repeat!  Instead think about HOW reading the text or discovering the evidence made you FEEL or THINK differently about the topic.  Strong writing doesn’t just clarify. It also reveals how the author was affected by the work. (The author in this case is YOU) In the end, Goldilocks got what she deserved. I bet she’ll never go into a stranger’s house again! Yes, this is 2 sentences. Having more is fine! End