1. Argument Essay Writing
The Flavored Milk Debate

2. How Do you Plan and Write an Argument Essay?
Follow these steps every time you write an argument essay.
Read
Brainstorm (pro/con)
Choose your claims
Choose your counterclaim
Write your thesis
Plan your essay
Write!!
Let’s try it together!
This is just an overview of the steps that we’re about to cover.

3. Should Schools Serve Flavored Milk? Text #1
Some people want to see chocolate milk, and other flavored milks, banned from public school cafeterias because of the childhood obesity epidemic in America. Their concern is justified and understandable, but targeting chocolate milk is not the answer to childhood obesity. While there is some added sugar in flavored milk, there are still lots of vitamins, like calcium, vitamins A and D, and protein. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the School Nutrition Association argue that the nutritional value of flavored low-fat or skim milk outweighs the harm of added sugar. A joint statement from those groups points to studies that show kids who drink fat-free, flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs and are not heavier than non-milk drinkers. Additionally, a study conducted by the Milk Processors Education Program shows that milk consumption drops by 35% when flavored milks are removed from schools. It’s obvious that flavored milks are important to help kids drink milk and get the vitamins they need, so they should stay in school cafeterias.
Read the text with students.

4. Should Schools Serve Flavored Milk? Text #2
Do you think the chocolate and strawberry milk served in the school cafeteria is harmless? It’s not. According to The National Dairy Council, an 8oz. carton of flavored milk typically has 4 teaspoons of added sugar, in addition to the 3 teaspoons of lactose, a natural sugar, found in milk. A student who drinks a carton of milk at both breakfast and lunch is getting 8 teaspoons of added sugar, the same amount as in a glass of soda. In a 180 day school year, that’s almost 8lbs. of extra sugar that a student consumes. The food industry insists that kids need the nutrients in milk, so it’s worth the added sugar, but Chef Jamie Oliver claims that kids can get their calcium from other dairy products, as well as leafy greens, soy, nuts, and beans. It’s clear that kids drink a lot of flavored milk in school. The Milk Processors Education Program reports that 80% of the flavored milk sold in America is to schools. In each school, 70% of the milk they sell is flavored. If schools stopped selling flavored milks, some people believe that kids wouldn’t drink milk at all, but school districts across America that have dropped flavored milks (New Haven, CT; Boulder Valley, CO; Ventura, CA; Washington, DC) report that while milk sales initially dropped, sales went back up after students got used to only having white milk as an option. It’s entirely possible to remove all this additional sugar from students’ diets to the benefit of their health and nutrition.
Read the text with students.

5. The Task/Question
Write an argument essay answering the question of whether flavored milk should be banned in schools.

6. Brainstorm
The very first step before writing anything is brainstorming, which is the process of compiling all your ideas.
When brainstorming for an argument essay, a Pro/Con chart works best.
Pro = For (Yes)
Con = Against (No)
After you’ve got all your ideas together, then you organize them into a plan.

7. Brainstorming: Flavored Milk
Pro Con
(Yes – In favor of chocolate milk in schools) (No – Against chocolate milk in schools)
Using your whiteboard or Elmo, review the passages with students and complete the Pro/Con chart. After the class has done it together, compare it to the answers on the next slide.

8. Brainstorming: Flavored Milk
Pro Con
(Yes – In favor of chocolate milk in schools) (No – Against chocolate milk in schools)
Flavored milk still has vitamins A, D, calcium, and protein.
Nutritional benefits outweigh added sugar.
Milk drinkers meet more of the nutritional needs and are not heavier than others.
35% of kids stop drinking milk when flavored milk is removed.
4 tsp of added sugar per carton
Two cartons of milk = a glass of soda
Kids can get their nutrients from other foods.
70% of kids choose flavored milk in schools.
Kids in districts that removed flavored milk started drinking white milk.

9. Now What?
After you’re done brainstorming, use your Pro/Con chart to decide which side of the argument you’re going to support in your essay.
This step is very important! You want to choose the stance that will be easiest to support with the information from the text.
BE CAREFUL to avoid ideas that overlap! If your ideas are too similar, the whole essay will feel repetitive.
At this point, go back to the pro/con list to decide which claims would be easiest to support without overlapping.
Note: “Flavored milk still has vitamins A, D, calcium, and protein” and “Nutritional benefits outweigh added sugar” on the Pro side overlap some.
“4 tsp of added sugar per carton” and “Two cartons of milk = a glass of soda” on the Con side overlap as well.

10. Choosing Claims
Look back over the Pro/Con chart to choose which two claims you will use in your essay.
For this example, let’s choose the CON side of the issue!
I think the two claims should be:
Kids can get their nutrients from other foods.
Kids will still drink white milk if you take away flavored milk.
Once you know your claims, you’re ready to write your thesis statement.
Kids need to know that: 1. This particular essay could be written from either side of the issue because there is enough evidence on both sides.
2. They do not need to go with their actual, honest opinion. It’s best to let the text guide this decision. If the text presents more evidence for something you disagree with, do it that way anyway. REMEMBER, the bottom line here is to write the best possible essay!

11. Thesis
The thesis statement answers the question that you’ve been asked and introduces your claims.
It’s usually the last sentence of your introduction.
“Serving flavored milk in schools is a bad idea because kids can get the same nutrients from other foods, and they won’t quit drinking milk entirely if flavored milk is removed.”
So, are we ready to plan now?
The thesis is like a road map for your essay. It tells the reader what to expect from the rest of your paper.

12. Counterclaims Wait! We need to mention a counterclaim!
A counterclaim is an argument that is opposed to, or against, the argument you’re writing about.
Your argument will be stronger if you bring up something the other side says, but then show how they’re wrong.
Which claim from the Pro side of our chart would be easiest to prove wrong?
35% of kids stop drinking milk when flavored milk is removed. – Our claim about school districts finding that white milk consumption went back up disproves this claim.
Let’s address this counterclaim when we talk about those school districts!
6th grade doesn’t have to address counterclaims, so you can skip/remove this slide and the counterclaim in the next slides, if you’d like.

13. Plan
Introduction (will give background on the topic and include the thesis)
Body Paragraph 1 –
A. Claim (The point this paragraph is making)
1. Evidence
2. Evidence
Body Paragraph 2 –
IV. Conclusion
Explain that this outline works for ALL essays. If students follow this format they can effectively plan for any essay they’ll ever have to write. So, let’s try it together.
We’ll start by filling in the claims that we’ve already chosen and the thesis statement. AND WE NEED TO DECIDE WHERE TO FIT THE COUNTERCLAIM IN OUR PLAN!!! In this case, our counterclaim is in opposition to our second claim, so we’ll put it in that paragraph.

14. Plan
Introduction - Serving flavored milk in schools is a bad idea because kids can get the same nutrients from other foods, and they won’t quit drinking milk entirely if flavored milk is removed.
Body Paragraph 1 –
A. Claim – (T) – Kids can get their nutrients from other food.
1. Evidence – (Q)
2. Evidence – (A)
Body Paragraph 2 –
A. Claim – (T) – Kids will still drink white milk without flavored milk being offered.
1. Evidence – (Q) -
2. Evidence – (A) –
3. Counterclaim - Supporters of keeping flavored milk in schools claim that milk consumption falls by 35%, but these school districts have proven that it doesn’t stay that way.
IV Conclusion
Now, let’s go back and find the evidence we want to use, the Q = the quote and plan for the A=Analysis.
It might help to have students generate their own quote and analysis before going to the next slide.

15. Plan
Introduction -Serving flavored milk in schools is a bad idea because kids can get the same nutrients from other foods, and they won’t quit drinking milk entirely if flavored milk is removed.
Body Paragraph 1
A. Claim – (T) – Kids can get their nutrients from other food.
1. Evidence – (Q) – “kids can get their calcium from other dairy products, as well as leafy greens, soy, nuts, and beans. “
2. Evidence – (A) – Schools could offer to serve more of the nutritious foods that are high in calcium and other vitamins, replacing sugary milk with healthier food.
Body Paragraph 2
A. Claim – (T) – Kids will still drink white milk without flavored milk being offered.
1. Evidence – (Q) – “school districts across America that have dropped flavored milks…report that while milk sales initially dropped, sales went back up after students got used to only having white milk as an option”
2. Evidence – (A) – The transition may be difficult at first, but kids get used to and will start to drink the healthier option, white milk, if given time.
3. Counterclaim – Supporters of keeping flavored milk in schools claim that milk consumption falls by 35%, but these school districts have proven that it doesn’t stay that way.
IV Conclusion
Planning DONE!

16. Intro
An introduction should open with giving some basic background information on the issue and end with the thesis.
There has been an ongoing debate over the last several years about whether or not flavored milk, like chocolate and strawberry milk, should be served in public school cafeterias. Students, parents, and health officials have all shared facts and opinions on both sides of the issue, but throughout the country, very little has changed in most school districts. Despite all this uncertainty, it’s clear that serving flavored milk in schools is a bad idea because kids can get the same nutrients from other foods, and they won’t quit drinking milk entirely if flavored milk is removed.
This is a very general, basic introduction. Point out that my thesis didn’t flow with my paragraph the way it was, so I had to alter/rephrase it. In this case, I added the transition “Despite all this uncertainty, it’s clear that” to the introduction. Students should plan their thesis before they write, but sometimes it has to be rephrased or given a transition phrase once you’ve written your paragraph.

17. Body Paragraphs
T – topic sentence
I – Introduce quote
Q – Quote
A – Analyze quote
Body Paragraph 1
Sugary flavored milk is not a necessity for kids’ nutrition because they can easily get the same nutrients from other sources. According to Chef Jamie Oliver, “kids can get their calcium from other dairy products, as well as leafy greens, soy, nuts, and beans.” School cafeterias would be better serving students’ nutritional needs by preparing a variety of those other healthy foods, than by relying on heavily sweetened milk to provide kids with vitamins. An increase in the servings of leafy greens, soy, and beans would ensure that students not only receive the calcium and vitamins that are present in milk, but also that they cultivate healthy eating habits to carry them through their lives. A well-rounded diet would go a long way toward ending obesity in America, and eliminating flavored milk in favor of healthier alternatives would be a fantastic start.

18. Body paragraphs
Did you see how that paragraph followed the TIQA structure?
T I Q A
Sugary flavored milk is not a necessity for kids’ nutrition because they can easily get the same nutrients from other sources. According to Chef Jamie Oliver, “kids can get their calcium from other dairy products, as well as leafy greens, soy, nuts, and beans.” School cafeterias would be better serving students’ nutritional needs by preparing a variety of those other healthy foods, than by relying on heavily sweetened milk to provide kids with vitamins. An increase in the servings of leafy greens, soy, and beans would ensure that students not only receive the calcium and vitamins that are present in milk, but also that they cultivate healthy eating habits to carry them through their lives. A well-rounded diet would go a long way toward ending obesity in America, and eliminating flavored milk in favor of healthier alternatives would be a fantastic start.
Note that the very end of the paragraph is a concluding statement, which brings it back to the thesis (chocolate milk should be banned).

19. Body Paragraphs Body Paragraph 2
T – topic sentence
I – Introduce quote
Q – Quote
A – Analyze quote
Body Paragraph 2
Even though kids don’t need milk to meet their nutritional requirements, many will still drink white milk if flavored milks are removed from the menu. Opponents of the flavored milk ban cite a Milk Processors Education Program study that claims that kids drink 35% less milk when there is no flavored milk in schools. However, a variety of school districts that have instituted such bans report that “while milk sales initially dropped, sales went back up after students got used to only having white milk as an option.” It may be a difficult transition for kids at first, but many of them will return to drinking white milk, thus ensuring that they will get the nutritional benefits without the added sugar. A ban on flavored milk will help guide kids to making the healthier choice.

20. Body Paragraphs
Did you see how that paragraph followed the TIQA structure?
T I Q A
Even though kids don’t need milk to meet their nutritional requirements, many will still drink white milk if flavored milks are removed from the menu. Opponents of the flavored milk ban cite a Milk Processors Education Program study that claims that kids drink 35% less milk when there is no flavored milk in schools. However, a variety of school districts that have instituted such bans report that “while milk sales initially dropped, sales went back up after students got used to only having white milk as an option.” It may be a difficult transition for kids at first, but many of them will return to drinking white milk, thus ensuring that they will get the nutritional benefits without the added sugar. A ban on flavored milk will help guide kids to making the healthier choice.
Point out to students that the paragraph still follows the TIQA structure, but the counterclaim is not highlighted. It’s added into the TIQA paragraph in a place where it fits being discussed.

21. Conclusion
A conclusion should restate the thesis and take one last chance to make the audience understand your stance on the issue.
Schools should very seriously consider eliminating sugary flavored milks from their cafeteria menus. A ban on flavored milk will only serve to help students lead healthier lives, whether they continue drinking white milk or whether they get their vitamins from other sources, they will be better off without all that added sugar.

22. Wrap Up Read Brainstorm (pro/con) Choose your claims
Follow these steps every time you write an argument essay.
Read
Brainstorm (pro/con)
Choose your claims
Choose your counterclaim
Write your thesis
Plan your essay
Write!!