Argumentative Writing Resources
GRAB THE HOW TO TEACH ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING REFERENCE SHEET HERE
Example Teacher Directions for an Argumentative Writing Project
Sometimes, we just need to see how someone else is teaching argumentative writing or have a sort of guide to follow. This is one example way (out of hundreds of ways) to teach argumentative writing. It is a starting point. My hope is that you find inspiration from an example process and make it your own for your own classroom.
Argumentative Writing Project Example Instruction Steps:
Assign a general topic that can be argued.
Show mentor papers as examples. Students should see an end goal before they jump into the project to show them that writing is 1.) possible and 2.) directions are clear.
Help students narrow down a topic with reasons for why they think the way they do.
Review argumentative essay vocabulary terms.
Students develop a claim statement.
Introduction paragraph lesson. An introduction has 3 parts: A hook/opener/attention grabber, a summary of the topic, debate, or reading material, and the claim statement.
Body paragraphs lesson. A typical argumentative body paragraph has 6 parts: A topic sentence that goes back to the claim, an introduction to evidence, a piece of evidence, an explanation or elaboration of evidence, an address of counter-claim or opposing idea, and a transition to a new topic or idea.
You may have to show students how to find source information and how to insert sources into their writing if they are using an outside source for support.
Students can outline body paragraphs and organize their writing.
Students can revise their introductions and create drafts of their body paragraphs.
Conclusion paragraph lesson. A conclusion typically has 3 parts: A review of the claim or argument, a “what does the reader do with this information now,” and a call to action.
Students can create a complete draft of their argumentative paper.
Revise and edit.
Free Example Argumentative Essay Guide
Now with Canva Template Link! Modify the packet for use in your own classroom!
Lesson Ideas
Example Assignment #1: Should People Own Wild Animals/Exotic Pets?
Example Assignment #2: Should Parents or Other Adults Be Able to Ban Books from Schools and Libraries?
Example Assignment #3: Multi-Genre Project Using Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
Example Introduction Sequence: How to Make an Introduction Paragraph
Example Body Paragraph Support: Using Sentence Frames to Help Build Body Paragraphs
Blog Posts
I first became familiar with the pre-writing portion of this assignment during a C3WP session I attended in 2019 through the National Writing Project. C3WP stands for College, Career, and Community Writers Program. If you are unfamiliar with the National Writing Project, it is an amazing network of literacy educators that often think outside of the box when it comes to teaching reading and writing. There is also a mission entrenched in the idea of “teachers as writers,” and continuing professional development as an integral way to continue building skills as an educator. Many of the writing sessions that are geared toward both adults and children focus on the inspiration from the life of the writer as a way to access the entire writing process.
Back in 2019 when I first wrote about generative writing, I said:
“...generative writing really is at the heart of all writer’s workshops because it uses the students’ interests and personal experiences to create the topics, provide the organization, and make the connections that are so necessary for engagement and comprehension.”
The term “generative” writing has a few different meanings in the world of writing.
It can take the form of an idea brainstorming in creative writing. It is often unedited and looks like a stream-of-consciousness exercise where the writer is not concerned with conventions like grammar, spelling, or punctuation. The cool thing about generative writing is that the students are the prompts. Your job as a teacher is transformative when you help facilitate the writer to discover their own writing process-including idea generation. Generative in the sense of this post means the ideas are generated from the writer’s life and then transposed into a variety of genres. This post will walk you through how to do this with argumentative writing, and then apply it to a writing workshop.