Claims supported by relevant evidence and clear reasoning ARGUMENT WRITING

 Evidence:  Man hanging two feet above stool  Piano cord is ripped  He said he was sad and old and could not play piano anymore  He said he was playing a happy song  Rule/Warrant  Usually, 90-year-olds don’t jump that high  When people commit suicide, they stand on something with the rope around their necks first  Weak people cannot rip piano cords  When people are sad/old, they could be depressed and kill themselves  Usually, people who are feeling happy don’t kill themselves THE CASE OF THE DEAD MUSICIAN

1.Evidence: Facts, observations, testimony, documents, objects, etc. 2.Rule/Warrant: General statement. Explains why evidence is important to your claim. FOUR COMPONENTS OF AN ARGUMENT 3.Conclusion: Your claim/recommend ation about this particular case 4.Qualification: Be realistic, and show that your conclusion is probably true

 Who is the audience? What is your point of view?  Writing to the judge; investigator’s/police’s point of view  When we arrived at the scene…  What should be included in the report? (Outline)  Description of what you could see (when we arrived, what we found)  Description of testimony or document (what Queenie said, journal entry)  Test results (e.g. autopsy, description of body damage)  Claim (is Queenie lying/did the musician hang himself)  Explanation of support/evidence  Recommendation re: what happens next or what more evidence is needed WRITING A REPORT

How good are these school mascots? SCHOOL MASCOTS

 Discussion: What should a mascot be? Come up with at least five rules a new school should use to select a mascot.  Represent the school/school’s qualities/make sense  Should be strong/courageous but not scary  Historical significance  Unique/original RULES/WARRANTS

 Read the directions and look at the possible mascots for John L. Lewis Elementary School.  Discuss the traits of each of the mascots first.  Next, compare these traits to the rules you created previously.  Write a paragraph justifying the best choice of mascot for Lewis Elementary. ASSIGNMENT: THE MASCOT PROBLEM