Bell Ringer Prompt: What parts of an argumentative essay’s structure do you remember?

1. I ntroduction i.Hook ii.Claim (opinion + 3 reasons) 2. B ody Paragraph i.Reason 1 a.Evidence b.Commentary 3. B ody Paragraph i.Reason 2 a.Evidence b.Commentary 4. B ody Paragraph i.Reason 3 a.Evidence b.Commentary c. C ounter- C laim 5. C onclusion i.Restate Claim ii.Call-to-action

This is what your essay might look like when you are finished. Hook claim Body Paragraph Counter-claim Restate Claim Call-to-action

Playdoh Rules: The Playdoh is a tool, not a toy. Do not use it to create anything other than what I tell you to. Do not mix the colors. The Playdoh stays on the desk. When you are finished, put the color back in its container and seal it tightly. The Playdoh does not leave the classroom!

How to make your Playdoh essay: 1. Without taking the Playdoh out of the containers, choose one color of Playdoh to represent the parts of the essay, and then write the colors you have chosen down on your worksheet. color #1: hook color #2: opinion color #3: reason 1 color #4: reason 2 color #5: reason 3 color #6: transitions color #7: counter-claim color #8: call-to-action 2. Take the colors out of the containers and split them in half between you and your partner. 3. To “write” your essay, you will make snakes out of the colors. A short snake symbolizes a word, a medium snake symbolizes a phrase, and a long snake symbolizes a sentence.

Introduction: 4. Take color #1, and make three long snakes. Place at the top of your desk. This is your hook. 5. Take color #2, and make one medium snake. Place it underneath the hook. This represents your opinion, or stance, for the essay. 6. Take colors #3, #4, and #5 and make three medium snakes. Place them next to the opinion. These represent your reasons for arguing that stance. Make sure you keep them in the right order.  Your opinion + 3 reasons = claim statement

Body Paragraph 1: 7. Take color #6 and make one short snake. Place this underneath the introduction. This represents the transition word. Make sure you leave space between the two paragraphs. 8. Take color #3 and make one medium snake. Place it next to the transition word. This represents the topic sentence for reason Next, take color #3 and make 4 long snakes (Make sure you leave enough of the color to make a small snake). Place these 4 long snakes underneath the topic sentence. They represent the text evidence and commentary.

Body Paragraph 2: 10. Take color #6 and make one short snake. Place this underneath the second paragraph. This represents the transition word. Make sure you leave space between the two paragraphs. 11. Take color #4 and make one medium snake. Place it next to the transition word. This represents the topic sentence for reason Next, take color #4 and make 4 long snakes (Make sure you leave enough of the color to make a small snake). Place these 4 long snakes underneath the topic sentence. They represent the text evidence and commentary.

Body Paragraph 3: 13. Take color #6 and make one short snake. Place this underneath the third paragraph. This represents the transition word. Make sure you leave space between the two paragraphs. 14. Take color #5 and make one medium snake. Place it next to the transition word. This represents the topic sentence for reason Next, take color #5 and make 3 long snakes (Make sure you leave enough of the color to make a small snake). Place these 3 long snakes underneath the topic sentence. They represent the text evidence and commentary. 16. Take color #7 and make one long snake. Place this under the last commentary sentence for color #5. This represents the counter-claim.

Conclusion: 17. Take color #6 and make one short snake. Place this underneath the fourth paragraph. This represents the transition word. Make sure you leave space between the two paragraphs. 18. Take color #2 and make one medium snake. Place it next to the transition word. This represents the opinion. 19. Next, take colors #3, #4, and #5 and make 3 medium snakes. Place these 3 snakes next to the opinion. They represent the reasons.  We do this to restate our claim statement 20. Last, take color #8 and make two long snakes. Place these snakes under the restated claim statement. They represent the call-to-action.

How did you do? Hook claim Body Paragraph Counter-claim Restate Claim Call-to-action

Bell Ringer Prompt: Why do you think it’s important for an argumentative essay to be organized well?