Activities

1. Define the purpose of argumentative/persuasive writing.
   
   
2. Define the concept of alternate or opposing claims.

3. Determine a cause you wish to persuade people about.  Summarize the reasons why your audience should believe your claim.
   
   
4. For each of your reasons, determine an alternate or opposing claim that others who may disagree with you may cite as reasons not to believe your argument.

5. Develop a logical argument that cites specific details in support of your claim. 
   
   
6. Critique a written or spoken argumentative piece for evidence of supporting the claims and acknowledging alternate or opposing claims.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Students define argumentative/persuasive writing as a piece of writing in which the writer clearly identifies a stance on a subject and provides adequate facts in support of that claim.  Writers also acknowledge that others may not agree with their stance and provide a brief discussion of those claims as well.  The purpose of argumentative writing is to persuade readers to agree with or at least acknowledge the points made in the writing.
   
   
2. Students define alternate or opposing claims as facts or opinions that are in direct contrast to their own beliefs.  These claims are not necessarily right or wrong but rather are different from the beliefs of the writer.
   
   
3. Student identifies a topic which he/she feels strongly about and then provides sufficient reasons in support of his/her beliefs.
   
   
4. Student identifies possible opposing or alternate views on the topic.  Evident in this discussion will be an understanding of multiple views of the topic.  Student knowledge and/or research on the topic will be especially helpful and the degree by which they understand the topic will determine how in-depth these counter claims will be.
   
   
5. Student demonstrates an ability to build a strong argument in support of his/her beliefs on a topic.  Students will write a thesis statement in which they clearly discuss their position on a topic.  Students will use ample evidence in support of that thesis statement.  Students will acknowledge, even briefly, opposing or alternate views.  Students will write a concluding statement or paragraph (depending on length of this writing) that reinforces their beliefs on this topic.
   
   
6. Student will demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of argumentative writing/speech and will be able to identify a writer’s/speaker’s claims.  Students can critique the argument looking for a thesis statement, evidence in support of a claim, acknowledgement of a counter claim or opposing view, and a summary.