1. Evidence and Elaboration
Building Support for your Claim

2. Types of Evidence-Based Elaboration
DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLE
Explanation
Explain the evidence provided. (Often used when a direct quote is given.)
Evidence: According to authors, Africa lost more than 60% of its elephants to poachers over the last ten years.
Elaboration: That is more than half of all the elephants in the country, meaning that at this speed, the elephants could soon die out.
Evaluation
Evaluate the evidence based on other facts in the passages.
Evidence: Surveys indicate that many citizens do not even realize that the elephants die when poachers get the ivory.
Elaboration: However, this is not a good enough reason to let this practice continue, since groups like CITE educate their citizens with such facts.
Definition
Defining concept or idea to help your reader better understand the evidence.
Evidence: Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is one possible reason why honeybees are disappearing.
Elaboration: Colony collapse disorder is when bees leave their nest but never return. Scientists are searching for the cause.

3. Types of Evidence-Based Elaboration
DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLE
Analyze (Compare)
Provide a comparison to the evidence.
Evidence: As the polar ice melts, polar bears become less afraid of humans as they look for food.
Elaboration: The graphic provided shows a polar bear trying to get into a truck. Thus, as their habitat disappears, they search elsewhere, finding food wherever possible.
Analyze (Prediction)
Analyze the evidence and make a prediction based on evidence in the text.
Evidence: Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is one possible reason why honeybees are disappearing.
Elaboration: If this continues to happen and bees keep leaving their hives, crops will fail, costing farmers millions of dollars.
Analyze (Cause/Effect Relationships)
Analyze the evidence to show a likely cause and effect relationship.
Evidence: Experts say that the coral reefs are disappearing at a rapid rate.
Elaboration: Therefore, many aquatic creatures like the clown fish will become greatly in danger of losing their natural habitat.

4. Here is your task!
“Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth & “All Together Now” by Barbara Jordan both shed light on equality and being able to help one another out.
Let’s imagine that these two texts appear as our two sources for an FSA prompt.
Here is the information you need:
Passage Set Title: The fight for equal rights
Source 1: “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth
Source 2: “All Together Now” by Barbara Jordan
Prompt: Write an argumentative essay on whether or not equal rights should be granted to everyone regardless of race or gender. Include evidence from both texts.

5. Practice, Practice, Practice! YOUR TASK:
Select TWO pieces of evidence below and practice your elaborative techniques. (You may change the wording, the signal phrase, or the transition into the evidence provided if needed.)
According to source 1, paragraph 3, it states, “If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?”
Barbara Jordan points out in Source 2, “As our society becomes more diverse, people of all races and backgrounds will have to learn to live together.”
In Sojourner Truth’s speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” she states, “Look at me, look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman?”
“The best way to get this country faithful to the American dream of tolerance and equality is to start small.” (Source 2, Paragraph 10).

6. The Essentials: Write a sentence that states your claim
Provide 2 pieces of evidence (one from each source) to support your claim AND elaborate on your evidence
Write a paragraph addressing the counterclaim to your argument. Use evidence from the text to support your answer in the rebuttal.
Answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper (we will be placing these in your Data/Writing Folders).
*It might be important to remember these questions as you may see them at the end of the unit…hint hint!*

7. Alright, let’s get started….Introductory Paragraph!
Writing Essentials:
CLAIM needs to be addressed in the Intro
Look back at your writing notes
Address the COUNTER CLAIM (as a transition, for now)
Absolutely NO EVIDENCE in your Introduction
NO FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW….EVER!
When FINISHED with Introductory paragraph, use your anonymous number and post to Padlet. Your number will go in the title section.

8. Now, to the Body Paragraph(s)…
Writing Essentials:
Transitional Devices
Address the COUNTER CLAIM (as a transition, and sporadically throughout…)
Text-Based Evidence
Proper Citation / Text Reference / Parenthetical Citation
(source #, author’s name, title, etc.)
Elaboration- we just took notes so use them!
Appropriate Style, Objective Tone, and Vocabulary
Varied Sentence Structures (simple, complex / short, long)
When FINISHED with BODY paragraph(s), use your anonymous number and post to Padlet. Your number will go in the title section.

9. To conclude, you must always have a conclusion…
Writing Essentials:
Remember:
Transition + Topic
Restate the claim
NO EVIDENCE should be presented
Gerbils! (I’ll explain)
DO NOT USE FIRST PERSON!
When FINISHED with the CONCLUSION, use your anonymous number and post to Padlet. Your number will go in the title section.

10. FINAL TASK
Now that you have feedback on ALL of the pieces of your writing, you must construct your final draft.
Open up a Microsoft Word Document
Click “File” and “Save As”
Find the EETT2 drive and find the “Zarcone” folder.
Open the “7th Grade” folder and your Class Period
Save the document as your First and Last Name!
Now, put your essay together!