John-Michael De La Cerda

SJVWP ISI 2016

This lesson, which is a glimpse of the bookends of a unit on argument, aims to use writing to first engage students
by allowing them to collect their thoughts through notetaking, then to have them expand on their notes as they participate in
the drafting process, and ultimately demonstrate how writing can help solve everyday, real world experiences. When I teach
argument, inevitably I have students who say that they are good at arguing. I joke that they are good at being disagreeable,
and that argumentation requires a few extra steps many are not willing to follow in their everyday debates. By requiring them
to write an email or a letter to the editor, I am both exposing them to the process of identifying issues that can be debated but
requiring them to be judicious as they go beyond a research essay and reduce their in depth work into a precise, cohesive,
substantiated and considerate claim as is called for by the state standards.
While the supporting research is embedded in the accompanying slide presentation, essentially my method relies
on striving for a classroom community that contains all of the identifiable elements provided by Tompkins, Gail, et. al (2014).
By bringing games into the classroom and incorporating playing cards into my assessment, management, and accountability
protocol, I can provide students with a safe environment where they will risk putting forth their ideas and at the same time
require them to take ownership of their learning experience. With the skill that is argumentation, I have distilled the problem
identifying strategy delineated by Flower (1989) into a process more accessible to my students. The idea, however, is to
understand that we must first look to the world around us to provide the data that will help us shape our claims (Hillcock
2010). Too often today, people run with the noise of TV and social media without sifting through the data to help generate an
informed stance. Even worse, rarely do we see people willing to accept, let alone concede, an opposing viewpoint. It simply
does not seem to be the American way to admit that you might be wrong. My goal is to produce critical questioners who are
not afraid to wrestle with the complicated situations that arise everyday, many of which do not have one clear, right answer.

Top Ten
Things Employers Look for in New College Graduates
1. The ability to work well in teams
2. Understanding of science and technology and how these subjects
are used in real-world settings
3. The ability to write and speak well
4. The ability to think clearly about complex problems
5. The ability to analyze a problem to develop workable solutions
6. An understanding of global context in which work is now done
7. The ability to be creative and innovative in solving problems
8. The ability to apply knowledge and skills in new settings
9. The ability to understand numbers and statistics
10. A strong sense of ethics and integrity
Association of American Colleges & Universities (www.aacu.org)

RI 1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
SL 1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 9
10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
c)

Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader
themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas
and conclusions.

d)

Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and,
when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of
the evidence and reasoning presented.

L3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective
choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

W1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
a) Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create
an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons and
evidence.
b) Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the
strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audiences knowledge level
and concerns.
c) Use words, phrases, and clauses to like major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify
the relationships between claims(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between
claims(s) and counterclaims.
d) Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and
conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
e) Provide a concluding statement of section that follows from and supports the argument
presented.

Friday, May

th
27

Objectives - SWBAT:

cite strong and thorough textual evidence.

participate effectively in collaborative discussions by asking and responding to relevant

questions.
write an argument to support a claim that

Agenda

Channel One News

Identify a Problem/Take a Stance
Letters to the Editor
Outline an Argument

A classroom community, as
defined by Tompkins,
Campbell, Green, and Smith
(15-16), has identifiable
characteristics such as

Responsibility,
Opportunity, Engagement,
Demonstration, Risk-Taking,
Instruction, Response,
Choice, Time, and
Assessment.

Analyzing a problem is detective

work and requires one to discover
the key issues that are hidden
under a situations noisy details.
In order to identify the problem,
do the following:

1. Define the Conflict, 2. Place

the Problem in a Larger Context,
3. Make Your Problem Definition
More Operational, 4. Explore the
Parts of a Problem, then 5. Come
to an Open-Minded Conclusion
(Flower 136-42).

Lets just do this:

1. Pick a Topic
2. With a partner,
Identify a Problem
3. Take a Stance

Hillcock says, good

argument begins with
looking at the data
that are likely to
become the evidence
in an argument and
that give rise to a
thesis statement or
major claim(26).

He also asserts that [w]hen

the data are curious, do not
fit preconceptions, they
give rise to questions and
genuine thinking. Attempts
to answer these questions
become hypotheses . . . the
process of working through
an argument is the process
of inquiry (Hillcock 26).

A
is anything
intentionally created that
can be internalized and
processed, to which we will
produce a response.

 As we internalize todays text, take notes.

Together, well develop a brief summary of each
headline before you share with a partner.

President Obama visits Hiroshima

Take five minutes to respond to one of todays headlines in
your journal.
Write at least one complete sentence for each step of our
Inquiry Cycle.
Summarize What are the facts of the story? What did we learn?
Question What dont we understand? What more do we want to know? What
do we wonder about?
Reflect What do we think? How do we feel? Why? How does this relate to or
impact us?

President Obama visits Hiroshima

Take five minutes to discuss todays headlines with a partner.

Be prepared to share out your partners questions and reflections.

Summarize What are the facts of the story? What did we learn?
Question What dont we understand? What more do we want to know?
What do we wonder about?
Reflect What do we think? How do we feel? Why? How does this relate to or
impact us?

Now that youve discussed a story in-depth, take a

minute to brainstorm possible problems that may arise
because of this event.
Questions to consider:

What are the effects on others, the economy, or the

environment?
Why would it be good/bad if that happened here or to us?
Why are(nt) we prepared to deal with them/it?

Choose the problem you feel is most pressing or that

you are most interested in addressing.

In your journal, write a complete sentence that offers

your stance on the matter.

Sentence frames:
I believe we should (not) _________________________.
I feel that ________________ is ___________________.
I agree/disagree with ____________________________.

A statement about a
topic that requires
evidence to be proven.

A reason that supports

your thinking. This is
the because.

The research or data

that will serve as
proof.

Between the previous activity and the next, we would

have lessons on/reviewing:
Analyzing a prompt
Addressing a counterclaim and providing a rebuttal
Researching a topic
Planning, outlining, and drafting a response
Peer/self editing, and revising
MLA format
The next activity would use the completed argument
essay.

 Written by readers of a newspaper, magazine, or other source,

on topics relevant to the audience.
Address diverse topics, from commentary on current events
to responses to opinions and previous stories.
Because editors have limited space, letters typically must be
brief (e.g. 100-200 words).
Writing a letter to the editor is a useful exercise in creating a
succinct but persuasive argument.
https://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/letter_to_editor.pdf

 With your partner, read through your published letter.

What are your initial reactions?
On you second read, identify and highlight the authors
claim, and any warrants or evidence present.
What do you notice about their tone?
Overall, how persuasive would you say this letter is?
Be prepared to share.

 Based on a problem you identified from topics covered

on a Channel One broadcast, write a brief letter (150-200
words) to the editor of the Fresno Bee in which you:
1. Give context
2. Provide a claim with warrants (and possibly supporting
evidence)
3. Offer a solution or conclude with a call to action
4. Bonus: Address a counterclaim

Questions to consider:
Why is your issue important?
Who is your audience and what do you need them to know?
How do the published letters look? (Think tone/diction)
What kind of persona do you want to present?

https://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/letter_to_editor.pdf

Works Cited
Flower, Linda. Problem-solving Strategies for Writing. 3rd ed. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989. Print.
Hillocks, George, Jr. "Teaching Argument for Critical Thinking and Writing: An Introduction." English Journal July
(2010): 24-32. Web. 16 July 2016.
"Letters to the Editor." Thompson Writing Program. Duke University, n.d. Web. 17 July 2016.
<https://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/letter_to_editor.pdf>.
Tompkins, Gail, et al. Literacy for the 21st century. Pearson Australia, 2014.
"Top Ten Things Employers Look for in New College Graduates." Association of American Colleges & Universities.

N.p., 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 July 2016.