As you gear up for the start of the school year (or maybe you're already in the swing of things), we'd love to pick your brains on the topic of argumentative writing. We certainly know that students like to argue, but backing those arguments with evidence and a clearly structured claim is often a whole different beast. What kinds of challenges do you run into when you put an argumentative writing assignment in front of your students? Share your questions and roadblocks and/or tips and tricks!
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This is certainly a timely topic! One of the biggest struggles I have is getting students accustomed to considering nuance in their arguments. For example, in the Columbian Exchange document set, the docs do a nice job of presenting both positive and negative impacts. Students’ first inclination is to make an argument that the Columbian Exchange was universally good or bad. They don’t always know what to do with documents that present pros AND cons. It takes some work to get them to acknowledge that the effects can be complex. Sentence frames and argument builders can be helpful for getting them to structure a more nuanced argument.
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Chelsea Katzenberg adding to what Anne Koschmider wrote, I incorporate argumentative writing in preparation for debates. I teach Big History and one of the debates I hold is if acceleration helped humanity solved problems or made them worse. I divide the class in two groups, each supporting one position, but I also ask them to foresee possible rebuttals from their opponents so they will have to think further and wider. Here is a template where students build their arguments and counter arguments using evidence to support their claims.
