Argument and Academic Writing Teaching Argumentative Thinking Kristen Hawley Turner krturner@fordham.edu

Your somewhat conservative parent has yet to meet the latest love of your life, but today is the day. You anticipate, though, that this meeting could lead to some discord—for reasons that will be obvious to you shortly. Knowing you must be prepared, you write out a detailed argument you expect you will have to deliver to your parent. Your goal is to get your parent’s blessing for the relationship. After you have identified your love from the photos you are about to see, take 3 minutes to write out the details of the argument you feel will help you achieve your goal.

John Mary

The Point… Teens argue all the time. They can do so effectively.

The Problem

The Problem Lack of substance Lack of logic Lack of analysis and overall thinking

Formal Logic and Aristotle The Syllogism All male students will fail my class. Dan is male. Therefore, Dan will fail my class. If A is predicated of all B and B is predicated of all C, then A is predicated of all C.

Formal Logic and Aristotle The Problem All tragic heroes fall from grace. Othello falls from grace. Therefore, Othello is a tragic hero. If A is predicated of all B and B is predicated of all C, then A is predicated of all C. Hmmmm...

The way people really think. Toulmin Model BACKING Warrant Claim Evidence The way people really think.

Conversational Partners What’s your point? CLAIM What have you got to go on? EVIDENCE So what? WARRANT

How does your argument hold up? With a partner, follow the Toulmin conversational pattern to see whether you have a strong argument to convince your parent to bless your relationship.

Toulmin and the Teaching of Writing Thinking about the Model Toulmin, S. (1958) Kneupper, C. W. (1978) Hillocks, G., Jr. (1995) Fulkerson, R. (1996) Lunsford, A. A. & Ruszkiewicz, J. J. (1999) Using it in the Classroom Hillocks, G., Jr. (1995) Yeh, S. S. (1998) Joliff, W. (1998) Johannessen, L. R. (2001) Lunsford, K. J. (2002) Smith, M. W. & Wilhelm, J. (2006)

So how do I do this? Consider declarative and procedural knowledge. Hillocks, 1995

Declarative Procedural Form Substance What is an argument? How do we create an argument? Substance What is the content? How do we get the content?

So how do I do this? Consider declarative and procedural knowledge. Develop gateway activities to engage students in the strategies and features of argument Hillocks, 1995

Taking a Stance Four Corner Debate All schools should create dress codes for teachers and students. Move to the corner that best represents your opinion. Talk with the people in your corner and record your thoughts. One person will present your thoughts (30 seconds) to the class. Change corners (if you want). Write a paragraph stating your opinion.

Creating Claims Debatable More than one point of view Controversial Worthy of being discussed Clearly Stated Easy to understand; unambiguous

Scenarios Predicting the outcome of the World Series Convincing others of the merits of a movie Deciding who should be the next President Run the test: debatable, controversial, clearly stated?

Locating Evidence Class Volley (Ping-Pong Debate) “The Lady or the Tiger” Was it the lady or the tiger? Assign sides Read and locate details Volley Write the ending

Developing Sub-Claims (Nested Arguments) One-on-one debates Any Content Pairs select topic to argue and read background information Together develop a claim Select opposing sides of the claim and individually prepare sub-claims to support the individual positions Present claims in a one-on-one debate Partner evaluates the sub-claims that make up the nested argument Pair reports what they learned about argument

Articulating Warrants Fit to be King?

Locating Evidence and Articulating Warrants Slip or Trip After Margaret and her husband Charles got into a fight, she stormed out of the house and left him at home alone. Margaret drove to her country club where a party was going on. Everyone there complimented Margaret on her dress and how well it fit her slender figure, and this made her feel a little better. Margaret left just before one in the morning and invited a few friends to follow her home for one more drink. She got home ten minutes before they arrived but when her friends rang the doorbell Margaret ran outside, saying, “Something terrible happened! Charles slipped and fell on the stairs. He was coming down for another drink – he still had the glass in his hand – and I think he’s dead. Oh my God, what should I do?” The police concluded that Charles died from a wound on the head, and they confirmed the fact that he’d been drunk. What do you think happened? You are a member of the investigative team. Analyze the evidence in Margaret's story and the picture, and look for clues for how and why the incident occurred. Once you’ve gathered the evidence, make your claim.

Locating Evidence and Articulating Warrants Moral Dilemmas

Analyzing Arguments Letters to the Editor Any local newspaper Bring in a clipping Highlight claim Document evidence Articulate warrant Make a judgment

Letter to the Editor - Keep the drinking age at 21 By M. C. December 03, 2008, 3:32PM To the editor: Whether the government should lower the drinking age back to 18 instead of keeping it at 21 has been a very debatable topic. According to an article recently published on DontServeTeens.gov, "More than 10% of eighth graders, 22% of sophomores, and 36% of seniors report recent binge drinking." Would you want your high school child to be one of these percentages that have the highest risk of drug addictions, alcoholism and serious health problems? Alcohol can also lead to poor academic performance. Research shows that the human brain develops well in to a person's early 20s and exposure to alcohol consumption may increase the likelihood for them to become alcoholics and have learning disabilities. For teens, alcohol is doubly crippling because it also interferes with motivation. Alcohol is a leading cause in death and injury among teens and we should do more in our power to try and stop it from ever happening. Drinking should only be legal at the mature age of 21. This will keep the death count low, stop future alcoholism, and stop many serious health problems. http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2008/12/letter_to_the_editor_keep_the.html

Whether the government should lower the drinking age back to 18 instead of keeping it at 21 has been a very debatable topic. According to an article recently published on DontServeTeens.gov, "More than 10% of eighth graders, 22% of sophomores, and 36% of seniors report recent binge drinking." Would you want your high school child to be one of these percentages that have the highest risk of drug addictions, alcoholism and serious health problems? Alcohol can also lead to poor academic performance. Research shows that the human brain develops well in to a person's early 20s and exposure to alcohol consumption may increase the likelihood for them to become alcoholics and have learning disabilities. For teens, alcohol is doubly crippling because it also interferes with motivation. Alcohol is a leading cause in death and injury among teens and we should do more in our power to try and stop it from ever happening. Drinking should only be legal at the mature age of 21. This will keep the death count low, stop future alcoholism, and stop many serious health problems. Warrant?

Evaluating Evidence Hierarchy of Evidence Scientific Law Statistical Data Expert Opinion Opinion of Noted Individuals Anecdotal Evidence Notes Organizer Descriptions

Strategies and Features of Argument Discussed Today Taking a Stance Creating Claims Locating Evidence Developing Sub-claims Articulating Warrants Analyzing Arguments Evaluating Evidence

Transfer to Writing Policy Argument Literary Analysis

Thank you for your time!