Evidence and Reasoning

Thanks,  , for sharing this great strategy for helping students to get that key component of organizing an argument of explaining the reason why the cited evidence supports the claim. I can see sharing this strategy with my middle school team, introducing it in my 6th grade class and having it be reinforced as our students move through the grades. I like the idea of also giving them lots of shared experiences to learn and get the hang of the strategy before we apply it to content.

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Parents
  • I borrowed the Tom Brady example used in the track talk - my kids ate it up! However, in their recent LEQ it was clear that there was a disconnect between what was evidence vs. reasoning in actual practice of analyzing and making historical claims. Anyone have any suggestions for helping them understand this concept in practice? 

    I did use one of the Crash Course video transcripts and have them pull claim, evidence, and reasoning out of it and even here it was clear that there was a disconnect. 

  • I like to keep this idea simple.  When I introduce claim testing in the beginning of the year I ask for my students help.  I tell them that I'll often let my own children eat something even after it fell on our kitchen floor as long as it's been there for less than five seconds.  My wife won't have it, she thinks its disgusting and that our kids could get sick.  I try to reason with her and explain that there is no way that anything that could make them sick could get on something if it's only been there for a second or two but she wants evidence.  There's the challenge:  find me the evidence I need because reasoning with her won't work OR take her side if you find the evidence to support her argument.  

    We are then able to apply this to something like writing. I've found that the OER writing assignments help my students the most in understanding how to use evidence to support a claim or thesis.  The feedback is extremely beneficial for them and they can see how credible evidence from the texts works to support a thesis. 

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  • I like to keep this idea simple.  When I introduce claim testing in the beginning of the year I ask for my students help.  I tell them that I'll often let my own children eat something even after it fell on our kitchen floor as long as it's been there for less than five seconds.  My wife won't have it, she thinks its disgusting and that our kids could get sick.  I try to reason with her and explain that there is no way that anything that could make them sick could get on something if it's only been there for a second or two but she wants evidence.  There's the challenge:  find me the evidence I need because reasoning with her won't work OR take her side if you find the evidence to support her argument.  

    We are then able to apply this to something like writing. I've found that the OER writing assignments help my students the most in understanding how to use evidence to support a claim or thesis.  The feedback is extremely beneficial for them and they can see how credible evidence from the texts works to support a thesis. 

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