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Recognizing Counterarguments in Nonfiction

Lesson Plan

Recognizing Counterarguments in Nonfiction

Objectives

Students will learn how to identify counterarguments in persuasive text. Students will:

  • explain what a counterargument is.
  • identify and analyze counterarguments in persuasive text.

Essential Questions

  • How do strategic readers create meaning from informational and literary text?
  • What is this text really about?
  • How does interaction with text provoke thinking and response?
  • How do readers know what to believe in what they read, hear, and view?

Vocabulary

  • Propaganda Techniques and Persuasive Tactics: Propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics are used to influence people to believe, buy, or do something. Students should be able to identify and comprehend the propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics listed below.
  1. A claim is a statement that a person asserts as true.
  2. Name-calling is an attack on a person instead of an issue.
  3. A bandwagon appeal tries to persuade the reader to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or because “everyone” is doing it.
  4. A red herring is an attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument.
  5. An emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of to logic or reason.
  6. A testimonial attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or an idea (for instance, the celebrity endorsement).
  7. Repetition attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again.
  8. A sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information.
  9. A circular argument states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument.
  10. An appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true.
  • Counterargument: An argument used in opposition to another argument.

Duration

135–180 minutes/3–4 class periods

Prerequisite Skills

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Materials

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Related Materials & Resources

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Formative Assessment

  • View
    • The goal of this lesson is to build on students’ understanding of how to recognize a counterargument in persuasive text and how that helps the reader better understand the text. To assess students’ understanding of the concepts, make notes during the class debates and determine if students are successful in meeting the goal of recognizing counterarguments in nonfiction text. Provide additional instruction if needed.
      • Identify and analyze counterarguments in persuasive text.
      • Explain how recognizing a counterargument helps a reader better understand persuasive text.
    • Observe students during their discussions with partners. Evaluate students’ ability to do the following:

Suggested Instructional Supports

  • View
    Scaffolding, Active Engagement, Modeling, Explicit Instruction
    W: Review the characteristics of an argument and persuasive text, have students explore a persuasive letter and trace the reasoning for or against a topic, and then have students look at the response letter to find the counterarguments.
    H: Have students work independently to identify the arguments in a letter to the editor and in the response.
    E: Provide an opportunity for students to work in groups to discuss what they have found and how they determined what the counterarguments were.
    R: Provide opportunities for students to discuss their understandings with a partner, share with the larger group, and defend their understanding or change it.
    E: Observe students to assess their understanding of recognizing counterarguments in nonfiction text.
    T: Provide opportunities for students to use texts at varying levels of complexity to demonstrate understanding of how to evaluate counterarguments in nonfiction text through an independent activity and through small-group and large-group participation.
    O: The learning activities in this lesson provide for large-group instruction and discussion, small-group exploration, partner interaction, and individual application of the concepts.

     

Instructional Procedures

  • View

    Focus Question: What is a counterargument?

    Review the terms argument, claim, reasons, evidence, and persuasive text. Revisit various persuasive techniques. You might use a PowerPoint presentation or copies of the Persuasive Strategies from Lesson 1 (L-6-3-1_Persuasive Strategies.doc).

    Part 1

    Say, “Suppose I am having an argument with someone about which chocolate bar is better—Snickers or Kit Kat. I say that Snickers is better because it has peanuts in it. The other person responds by claiming that peanuts aren’t good because lots of people are allergic to them. What would you call the other person’s response?” (counterargument) If necessary, introduce and define the term. Explain that a counterargument is an argument against the original argument. Emphasize that a counterargument is not simply a claim on the other side of the issue, but one that is directly against the original argument.

    Display the Letter to Parents (L-6-3-2_Letter to Parents.doc) on an overhead projector/document camera. Have students read the letter and discuss the following question with a partner: “What reasons and evidence has Brandon used in this letter?” Have students share their answers with the class. Underline the reasoning and evidence in the letter.

    Say, “With your partner, predict what counterarguments you think Brandon’s parents might offer in response to his request.” Have students share some of their answers with the class.

    Display the Letter to Brandon (L-6-3-2_Letter to Brandon.doc) on an overhead projector/document camera. Have students read the response letter and identify the counterargument and reasoning posed by Brandon’s parents. Underline the reasoning and evidence in the letter. Have students match Brandon’s reasoning with that of his parents.

    Part 2

    Arrange students into groups and provide an editorial for each group. Have students identify the claim in the editorial and write a counterargument. Then discuss the responses with the class.


    Part 3

    Explain how a debate works. The following Web site is a good resource: http://library.thinkquest.org/C005627/Learn/Instruction/HOWADE_1/howade_1.HTM

    Brainstorm a list of possible debate topics with the class. Encourage students to suggest topics they feel strongly about, such as the following:

    • Should iPods be allowed in school?
    • Should students who bully be expelled from school?
    • Should students have to wear uniforms to school?

    Arrange students into teams of three or four and pair the teams. Write the suggested debate topics on slips of paper and place them in a box. Have each pair of teams choose a topic to debate. Flip a coin to see which team is arguing for the topic and which team is arguing against the topic.

    Give students the Debate Planning Sheet (L-6-3-2_Debate Planning Sheet.doc). Allow students time to plan their arguments, predict the arguments the other side will present, and plan their counterarguments.

    Allow each team to participate in a debate. Select a chairperson for each debate and conduct a vote at the end of each debate to see which team had the most effective arguments. For example, ask students to stand up if they were persuaded by a team’s arguments.

    Extension:

    • To reinforce concepts from the lesson, encourage students to cut out letters to the editor and responses from a local newspaper. Have students create a bulletin-board display in the classroom that can be used for discussion.
    • As a class, write a letter to the principal about a school issue or to a local politician about a community issue such as recycling, parks, or curfews. Have students analyze why the arguments are effective.

Related Instructional Videos

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Final 03/01/2013
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