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Building Arguments With Evidence

Part 2: Constructing Arguments
Keristy Nieto
Published by K20 Center
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 License

Grade Level 10th – 12th Grade Time Frame 100 minutes

Subject English/Language Arts Duration 2-3 class periods
Course A.P. Language and Composition, Composition

Essential Question
What techniques do writers use to convince their readers?

Summary
This lesson is designed to take place after completion of another K20 lesson, "Arguing With Evidence."
Students will read an article from the New York Times and integrate knowledge of key terms to construct an
argument based on a claim, evidence, and reasoning.

Snapshot
Engage
Students watch a video on important issues facing young people today in order to activate prior
knowledge.
Explore
Students choose writing prompts from the New York Times to serve as the topic of their argumentative
essay.
Explain
Students use the Why-Lighting strategy to annotate articles chosen from the New York Times.
Extend
Students use the C-E-R strategy to begin constructing essays.
Evaluate
Students develop a five-paragraph argumentative essay with a thesis, claims, evidence, and reasoning.

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Standards
Oklahoma Academic Standards: English Language Arts (Grade 10)
10.2.W.1: Routinely and recursively prewrite (e.g., develop and organize ideas).
10.3.W.3: Compose argumentative essays, reviews, or op-eds that:
introduce precise, informed claims
include a defensible thesis
acknowledge counterclaims or alternate perspectives
organize claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a logical sequence
provide the most relevant evidence to develop balanced arguments, using credible sources
use sentence variety and word choice to create clarity and concision
use style and tone that suits the audience and purpose

Attachments
Argument Essay Evaluation Rubric—Building Arguments with Evidence - Spanish.docx
Argument Essay Evaluation Rubric—Building Arguments with Evidence - Spanish.pdf
Argument Essay Evaluation Rubric—Building Arguments with Evidence.docx
Argument Essay Evaluation Rubric—Building Arguments with Evidence.pdf
Argument Outline—Building Arguments with Evidence - Spanish.docx
Argument Outline—Building Arguments with Evidence - Spanish.pdf
Argument Outline—Building Arguments with Evidence.docx
Argument Outline—Building Arguments with Evidence.pdf
C-E-R—Building Arguments with Evidence - Spanish.docx
C-E-R—Building Arguments with Evidence - Spanish.pdf
C-E-R—Building Arguments with Evidence.docx
C-E-R—Building Arguments with Evidence.pdf
I Know, I Notice, I Wonder—Building Arguments with Evidence - Spanish.docx
I Know, I Notice, I Wonder—Building Arguments with Evidence - Spanish.pdf
I Know, I Notice, I Wonder—Building Arguments with Evidence.docx
I Know, I Notice, I Wonder—Building Arguments with Evidence.pdf
Lesson Slides—Building Arguments with Evidence.pptx

Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
I Know, I Notice, I Wonder (attached; one per student)
C-E-R (attached; one per student)
Argument Outline (attached; one per student)
Argumentative Essay Evaluation Rubric (attached; one per student)
Computer, projector, and internet access
Student devices (Chromebook, laptop, tablet, etc.; one per student)
If devices are not available, you may print the articles for students
Highlighters (if devices are not available)
Pencils

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Engage
Using the attached Lesson Slides, introduce students to the essential question on slide 3 and the objectives
on slide 4.
Go to slide 5. Provide students with a copy of the attached handout, I Know, I Notice, I Wonder. To access
prior knowledge, students will use a modified form of the I Notice, I Wonder strategy. Ask students to list
three things they learned during the previous lesson, "Deconstructing Arguments."
Go to slide 6. Provide the instructions to students: they will complete the middle section of the handout as
they watch the approximately 6-minute YouTube video, "The Greatest Issues Facing Young People." They will
be writing what they notice as they watch the video, located on slide 7.
When the video is finished, go to slide 8. Have students complete the final section of the handout, writing
down two things about which they still wonder. Encourage students to share what they wrote on the
handout with an Elbow Partner and then ask volunteers to share with the entire class.

Alternative Option
If showing the video is not possible, engage the class in a discussion using the Evaluation section of the
preceding lesson, "Deconstructing Arguments." Then, ask students what they believe is the most
important issue facing youth.

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Explore
Go to slide 9. Pass out a laptop, tablet, or Chromebook to each student.
Explain to students that they will be constructing a written argument on a topic that they find important.
They may choose any writing prompt and accompanying "New York Times" article located at
http://www.tinyurl.com/arguingwithevidence.
Allow approximately 10 minutes for students to skim available topics and articles. Students will only choose
one topic and accompanying article.
Instruct students they are to write on a scrap sheet of paper for 1 minute. The purpose of writing is to
explain why they are choosing their article. Assure students they will not be graded on grammar or spelling,
but on ideas.
After 1 minute is up, have students turn to their Elbow Partner and explain why they are choosing the
specific article.

Alternative Option
If technology does not allow for each student to have a device, print writing prompts/articles from
various topics and allow students to choose from those.

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Explain
Go to slide 10. After students have each chosen a writing prompt/article, instruct them to copy and paste it
into Google Docs. Students will use the Why-Lighting strategy to annotate the articles. In why-lighting,
students highlight any passage they find important. They then comment on the chosen passages in the
margins and explain why they chose those passages.
Allow students approximately 20 minutes to read the prompt/articles and complete why-lighting.

Teacher’s Note: Modifications

If students are in need of assistance, model how to copy/paste an article into Google Docs and why-
light. Highlight the entire article, right click and select copy. Open a Google Doc, right click and select
paste. To annotate within the Google Doc, highlight any text, then click the "add a comment" button on
the right side. A small box appears where the student can type their comments.

Assessment Option
As a formative assessment, instruct students to why-light a certain number of passages. Students will
then click the "share" button and share the document with you.

Alternative Option
If technology does not allow for copying/pasting into Google Docs, instruct students to why-light on the
paper prompts/articles. The strategy is the same; students will use a highlighter to why-light any
important passage, and a pencil to write why in the margins.

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Extend
Go to slide 11. Pass out the C-E-R handout.
Explain to students that at the bottom of each prompt/article, there is a "STUDENTS" section with questions
for student evaluation. Instruct students they are to choose three of the questions to answer. They are to
write each question in the "question" section of the C-E-R handout.
Go to slide 12. Remind students that in the previous lesson, they learned the terms claim and evidence.
Students are to answer each question with a claim of their own, support it with evidence from the article,
and explain why in the reasoning section.

Teacher’s Note: Modifications

If students are in need of assistance, model how to complete the C-E-R handout with one of the
prompts/articles. Choose an example article from the New York Time's Website and locate the
"Students" section at the bottom. Walk students through choosing a question to answer, constructing a
claim, providing evidence from the article, and constructing a reason.

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Evaluate
Go to slide 13. Students will then complete the Argument Outline handout. Remind students of the term
thesis learned in the previous lesson.

Possible Extension
After the outline is completed, students could transfer the information into a five-paragraph
argumentative essay. Pass out the Argumentative Essay Evaluation Rubric when students begin writing.
Essays can be typed into Google Docs and shared with you.

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Resources
200 Prompts for Argumentative Writing. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2016, from
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/200-prompts-for-argumentative-writing/?_r=0
K20 Center. (n.d.). Claim, evidence, reasoning (CER). Strategies.
https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f506fc09
K20 Center. (n.d.). Elbow partners. Strategies.
https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/ccc07ea2d6099763c2dbc9d05b00c4b4
K20 Center. (n.d.). I notice, I wonder. Strategies.
https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f507d1a7
K20 Center. (n.d.). Why-Lighting. Strategies.
https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f505e7d5
Nieto, K. B. (n.d.). K20 LEARN. Retrieved July 15, 2016, from
https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/lesson/1c2bb46ffdf0fed14bcbaaaf490768c9
Itsyourcalltv's channel. (2010, October 26). "The Greatest Issues Facing Young People."
https://youtu.be/y59kKzzbh5U

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