Paragraph Writing, Week 12 Arguing from Two Points of View, Pt. 1

Overview This last writing activity for the course is perhaps the most complex one of all. Instead of students taking a single point of view, in this essay they must discuss two opposing points of view without bias against one or the other. There are four possible choices of topic for this assignment. Students will choose one of the four and then organize themselves into groups. Each group will brainstorm both sides of the issue under discussion. In small groups of 3-4, students will then compose an essay in which the goal is not to argue for or against the issue but to demonstrate that there are two equally defensible points of view.

First Hour Write the four possible topics for writing on the board: Are large cities or are villages the main source of Moroccan culture? Is the best time to marry in your early 20s or early 30s? Should there be laws controlling what people wear, or not? Should African immigrants who come without a visa be deported or allowed to stay in Morocco? Point out to students that there is no right or wrong answer to these questions. A thoughtful person could make an argument for either of them. The writing assignment for the next two weeks is to write an essay in which students consider both sides of one of these questions. Poll the students to see which of these questions the students are interested in. If students do not choose equally or there is one large group for one question, divide that group in two to create four or five roughly equal groups.

First Hour, Cont’d Have the students brainstorm reasons in support of both sides of a question by using a two-column format (large cities/villages; 20s/30s; laws/no laws; deported/allowed to stay) with the reasons listed below. Have the students rank the reasons from most convincing to least convincing. Hold a discussion about how to organize these ideas. There are basically two possible ways: All the reasons for one side, then all the reasons for the other; or comparing and contrasting the issues. How the essay is organized depends on whether the reasons on both sides are comparable. Have students begin to write their essays in groups of 3-4. Have them draft on regular paper and transfer to large sheets of paper when finished.

Second Hour As the students write, circulate. Stop if needed to remind the students of the structures they learned in previous lessons for comparing, contrasting, and arguing. Stop to read aloud particularly good sentences to the class, modeling the use of these structures. Have the students share their drafts toward the end of class. Collect all drafts (this is a small group assignment and you want to make sure the drafts reappear next week).