1. Tuesday September 13th
In an argument essay, the writer takes a stand on a particular issue and develops a logical presentation of the issue to persuade the reader to his point of view. The writer can take a serious or humorous tone, but always tries to convince the reader that his assertion is valid. The writer may use irony or sarcasm to subtly persuade the reader. The thesis (position, claim, assertion, stand, conclusion) that the argument is built around must be an arguable or debatable statement.

2. should high school start an hour later?
Bell Ringer
Topic:
should high school start an hour later? OR
Would you rather have a 10 hour school day if it meant we only went to school Monday – Thursday?
Answer one of the questions and Develop 3 reasons to support your argument.

3. Supporting Arguments
Logical Appeal (Logos)—Does the author’s proposal make sense?
Ethical Appeal (Ethos)– Is the author’s proposal the right thing to do?
Emotional Appeal (Pathos)—Will accepting the author’s proposal make me feel better?

4. What is an Argumentative Essay?
The purpose of an argumentative essay is to persuade the reader to accept—or seriously consider--your opinion on a controversial issue
Has three parts: Claim, Counter Claim, Rebuttal
(plus Introduction and Conclusion)

5. CLAIM Your opinion or position on an issue
Must be supported with evidence
(quotes, facts, data)
Evidence must be explained

6. Rhetorical Devices: Ethos, Pathos, Logos

7. Arguable or Not Arguable?
Marijuana should be legalized.
Arguable
Smoking is harmful to people’s health.
Not Arguable
NSBHS is the best school in the district.
Emissions hurt the ozone.
Not arguable
Decide whether each of the statements is arguable or nor arguable. Then practice writing a few of your own statements.

8. Gather Data to Support Your Claim
Complete research by doing the following:
As you read articles:
Makes notes in the margin
Underline information that you find useful
Select statements from research that can be used to support your claim and CITE your source.
Because there is so much information on the web, it is important to validate your sources. Your teacher will help you in determining which sites are good for your assignment.

9. Complete Pre-writing Chart Pro Con
Topic: Should school begin an hour later?
Pro
Con
Collect data for both sides of the issue. Your answer to the question will become your position statement. Include all arguments for the position on the Pro side and all of the arguments

10. Introduction Get the attention of the audience
Attention Getter or Hook
Provide background information to orient the reader to the issue
What does the reader need to know about this issue?
Define terms
Create a thesis statement or assertion to guide the reader
There are a variety of ways to form an argument. As you develop more sophistication and style in your writing, you might experiment with different strategies. A person writing about gun control, for example, might begin with an anecdote to appeal to the sympathy (pathos) of the reader. The more formal introduction may be later in the piece. Some writers get to the thesis at the end of the argument essay OR the thesis may be inferred.

11. COUNTER CLAIM Consider the opposite side Argues against your claim
Turn against your argument to challenge it
Then turn back to reaffirm your position

12. The Antithesis (opposition between 2 things)
Address the case of the opposition
Several paragraphs at the beginning or weaved throughout the paper (argument-concession)
Concede points which can not be refuted
Use signal words and phrases such as Admittedly, While it is true that etc.
Offer refutation for claims which can be countered
Use signal words and phrases such as It has been argued, However etc.
In order to provide a convincing argument, you should be aware of and ready to address the claims of the opposition. The arguments you make for your assertion are often referred to as pro arguments. The arguments you address that are against your position are referred to as the con. In a formal debate the team that is arguing for the proposition is Pro and the side that is arguing against the proposition is Con. The more you know about the case of the opposition, the better prepared you will be to craft your own argument.

13. Counter Claim Key phrases to use: One might object that...
It might seem that...
It's true that...
Admittedly...
Of course...

14. REBUTTAL Turn back to your original position
Responds to and refutes issues presented by the counterclaim

15. REBUTTAL
Key Phrases to use:
but
yet
however
nonetheless
still