Have you ever thought of a great topic for an essay, but then wondered, “How do you gather evidence to support your argumentative essay?”

Let’s review the steps for writing an essay Let’s review the steps for writing an essay. Now that we’ve chosen a topic, it’s important that we start gathering evidence that will support a strong argument. We have to have that evidence before planning, drafting, and editing. CUE FILL IN OF SECOND STEP?

A common mistake that writers make is that they will make a claim, but not have enough evidence to back it up. For example, if the topic is school lunches (CUE), one of the supporting reasons may be (CUE) “Not enough food”. A writer may write (CUE) “Because I said so” as their reason. Is this good evidence that will make the reader believe the argument? The simple answer is, no. It is important that a writer gathers enough evidence to convince the reader of the argument being made.

Before we begin, let’s look at the steps FOR HOW TO COLLECT STRONG SUPPORTING EVIDENCE. (Cue and Read)

Let’s first take a look at the thesis statement for my essay Let’s first take a look at the thesis statement for my essay. “School lunches need to be improved, because the food does not taste good, students are not given choices, and the food is not healthy.” The thesis statement was written as a way to guide my research, but since I’m ready to now start my search for evidence, I have to ask myself, (CUE) “What evidence will I need to make a convincing argument?” Hmmm . . . Where might I be able to find some information. Well, I think that I could ask my classmates, so I’m going to write that down (CUE). Also, I think if I’m talking about the lack of choices, it may be good to look at my school’s menu (CUE). How about the nutritional information for the food that they are serving us at lunch? (CUE) Hmmmm . . . Everyone also talks about why it’s important that I eat healthy, so what if I take a look at information on the benefits of healthy eating? (CUE) I think that this may get my research started, but I can always add to the list as I go through resources.

I want to move on and think about where I may be able to find evidence about the nutrition of school lunches. (CUE) “Maybe I can do an internet search?” This might help me find some good information, but I really need to know what to search for. I want to make a list of possible (CUE) “Search Phrases”. How about. . . (CUE) School lunch . . . (CUE) nutrition, and . . . Since I’m arguing that school lunches are not healthy, maybe I should use (CUE) “unhealthy”. By using this string of words together in a search engine, I will be able to find some information I can use. For example, I found an article that pointed out that (CUE) “Many school districts serve lunches that have twice the recommended amount of sodium.” I know that sodium is salt and too much of it isn’t good for me. Therefore, this could be an excellent piece of evidence that I can use.

Now that I have my list of possible sources that I can use to find evidence, I have to ask myself (CUE), “How do I use the source I selected?” Well, I’m going to start with the top of my list and think about getting quotes from some of my classmates. With interviewing my classmates for their thoughts, I will need to think of questions that are relevant to my argument. So, let me think here. Well, one of the points I am trying to make in my essay is that school lunches do not taste good, so it may be good to see what my classmates think about that idea. So, I am going to ask (CUE), “What do you think about the taste of school lunch?” Also, another thing I want to know is what my classmates think of the choices they have at lunch, so I would want to ask, (CUE) “How do you feel about the options that the cafeteria offers?” The third point that I need to find evidence to support is about the healthiness of the school lunches, so maybe I can ask, (CUE) “Do you think our school lunches are healthy?” I have a list of questions to ask, so maybe I should try it out. I ask a classmate (CUE circle) “How do you feel about the food options that the cafeteria offers?” The response: (CUE) “I’m always hungry after lunch” This type of answer offers a problem, because the answer leaves us wondering (CUE) “Why?” This is a key question that I may need to ask in order to get more complete responses. By asking “Why?” I may get a more complete answer, (CUE) “I’m always hungry after lunch, because the I don’t want to eat the same food everyday.”

Monday: Chicken Fingers; Tuesday: Cheeseburger Wednesday: Chicken Patty; Thursday: Pizza; Friday: Turkey Sandwich Many school districts serve lunches that have twice the recommended amount of sodium. Now that I made the decision on what type of evidence I may need to make my argument, I’m going to start gathering evidence for a variety of sources. As I do that, I’m going to want to write this evidence down. First, I came up with . . . (Cue and Read) Secondly, I found . . . (Cue and Read) And . . . (Cue and Read) This does not mean that I HAVE TO use this evidence in my essay, but it is better to have it and not use it, rather than not having enough evidence.

“ ” Monday: Chicken Fingers; Tuesday: Cheeseburger Wednesday: Chicken Patty; Thursday: Pizza; Friday: Chicken Nuggets Many school districts serve lunches that have twice the recommended amount of sodium. Now that I have some evidence for my essay, I cannot help asking myself, (CUE) “How do I get people to believe my evidence?” One of the main things that will cause my reader to believe what I have to say is that they know that I did not make up the evidence. Therefore it is highly important that I cite from where I got each piece of information. I can do this simply. Let’s look at my first piece of evidence (Read). I have to think, where did I get this? Oh, I interviewed my classmate, Susan Otero. I should write down her name next to what she said. (CUE) Also, she said it, so I should add quotations, so that way I can show that those were her words. (CUE) Ok, now, I want to look at my second piece of evidence. I want to make sure that I jot down that this is from my school’s lunch menu. (CUE) Alright, the third piece of evidence could easily be claimed that it is made up if I forget to say where I got that piece of information. My source is from the internet at parents.com, but it is information they got from the USDA. I think I better write down both pieces of information jut to be safe. (CUE) I do not want anyone thinking I made up anything.

Before we begin, let’s look at the steps FOR HOW TO COLLECT STRONG SUPPORTING EVIDENCE. (Cue and Read)

this slide!