Argumentative Text

Argumentative Text

Learning Target: 

I can identify the author’s purpose for writing and claim in an argumentative text

Open Ended

What do you know about argumentative text?

Parts of An Argumentative Text

Claim

The claim is the opinion on the topic. It is like an opinion statement. It is what the author is trying to convince the reader of.

Reasons

The reasons are used to support the claim. They support the opinion that the author is telling the reader.

Supporting Evidence

The author uses supporting evidence to give more information about the claim and the reasons.

Multiple Choice

What evidence supports the claim: Students should read outside of school.

• Reading outside of school can improve reading comprehension.

• Students don't like to read

• Reading is fun

Multiple Choice

Which reason supports the claim: Dogs make good pets.

• Cats are fun to play with

• Dogs are fun to play with

• Dogs have a lot of energy and need a lot of attention.

Multiple Choice

Which reason supports the claim: Water is healthier than soda.

• Soda is bubbly

• Soda tastes good

• Soda can have a lot of calories, water has none.

Multiple Choice

Which reason supports the claim: Pencils are better to write with than pens.

• With pencils, you can erase if you make a mistake.

• Pens come in a variety of colors

• Pens write smoothly

Multiple Choice

What reason supports the claim: Frozen Yogurt is better than ice cream.

• Ice cream comes in a lot of different flavors.

• Ice cream cones are good with ice cream.

• Frozen yogurt doesn't taste good.

• Frozen yogurt is creamy and has a lot of toppings.

Multiple Choice

What is the claim?

• A fact or detail

• Taking something

• An opinion about the topic

• A reason to support the opinion

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of an argumentative text?

• To entertain the reader

• To convince the reader

• To inform the reader

• To start an argument with the reader

Open Ended

What do you think of when they hear the word “art”?

Poll

Do you think graffiti is art?

• yes

• no

Poll

People sometimes paint pictures, symbols, or words on the sides of buildings in cities. Does this graffiti make a city more beautiful?

Graffiti makes cities more beautiful.

• Agree

• Disagree

I can recognize characteristics of an argumentative text.

• examine the parts of the text

• identify the genre

• make inferences

• identify the claims

• identify the facts

• paraphrase

• explain the authors purpose

Poll

campaign (noun)

• I can define this word.

• I’ve seen or heard this word.

• I don’t know this word.

Poll

critic (noun)

• I can define this word.

• I’ve seen or heard this word.

• I don’t know this word.

Poll

mural (noun)

• I can define this word.

• I’ve seen or heard this word.

• I don’t know this word.

Poll

unique (adjective)

• I can define this word.

• I’ve seen or heard this word.

• I don’t know this word.

What is Art?

SÃO PAULO, Brazil (Achieve3000, April 18, 2017). When words and pictures are painted on city walls, is it art or is it a crime? São Paulo, Brazil, is known for its graffiti. Now, some of the city's graffiti has been painted over. Some people say this has made the city more beautiful. Others say it has made the community less unique.

The graffiti in question included 70 murals. They stretched for more than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) along a road that heads into the city's downtown. The graffiti was removed in January 2017. This was part of a campaign. It's known as the "Pretty City" campaign. It was started by São Paulo Mayor João Doria. He wants to make the city more beautiful. His campaign also includes picking up garbage, getting new trash cans, and planting trees. Doria says he wants to clean up São Paulo. He also wants people to be proud of their town.

São Paulo is not the only city to cover up its graffiti. In 2015, the mayor of Lima, Peru, had some murals painted over. In the U.S., New York City has removed much of the graffiti on its subway cars.

In all three cities, anti-graffiti efforts have sparked disagreements. Some people argue that graffiti is street art. It shows that the city's people are creative. They say that street art makes art available to everyone. It also makes a city unique. Still, critics of graffiti say it shows that a city is struggling and has problems like poverty and crime. In fact, many people argue that creating graffiti itself should be a crime. After all, it is damaging someone else's property. They say that cleaning up graffiti makes a city better for everyone.

São Paulo officials know that its graffiti has become a tourist attraction. Some visitors have praised the murals and called them art.

But supporters of the Pretty City campaign say there's a difference between creative street art and ugly graffiti. They believe that the campaign is aimed at a style of graffiti known as pichação. Pichação is usually all one color. It's often made up of words and symbols. The mayor's office says city officials removed murals that were covered in pichação. Others were just in poor condition.

Those who oppose the campaign say that even pichação has a place in the city. Artists sometimes use this form of graffiti to raise awareness about problems like poverty and crime. Besides, many say, the murals that were covered up were colorful graffiti art. This art deserved to be preserved, they argue.

Further, critics of the Pretty City campaign say they think the mayor is cleaning up the city's downtown area to get new businesses there. But they think this is the wrong approach. For one thing, the clean-up campaign erases the work of the street artists. For another, it does not directly help people who live in the city's poorer areas. Some critics say they would rather see the mayor fix up the city's poor areas or improve school and health systems.

Doria has promised to work on poverty, education, and health care. He also says he wants the artists' work—the street art—to be appreciated. The mayor has promised to create a "museum of street art" to showcase murals.

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Multiple Choice

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Multiple Choice

• A

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Open Ended

I can edit the date, salutations, closing, and signature in my letters.

Focus Statement: When writing letters, writers follow a particular format, so the reader can identify the composition as a letter

Focus Question: What English conventions are applied to the composition of a letter?

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Letter Writing

• Who will I write a letter to?   

• What should be the purpose of my letter?

• What kind of words should I use? 

My letter has:

• ❐ date

  ❐ heading

  ❐ greeting

  ❐ body

  ❐ closing

  ❐ signature

Greek Roots

What is a root of a word?

A root is the basic part of a word that gives a word its meaning. You can use what you know about root words to determine the meaning of an unknown word.

Greek Roots

Phon = sound

Open Ended

Write 1 word that has the Greek root "phon"

Greek Roots

Astro = star

Onomy = the study of

Multiple Choice

What do you think astronomy means?

• The study of baseball teams

• The study of stars

• The sun

Greek Roots:

Bio = life

Graph = something drawn or written

Open Ended

What do you think biography means?

Here are some more examples of Greek Roots

tele = at a distance

scop = see

Multiple Choice

Using what you know about Greek roots, what do you think telescope means?

• To see at a distance

• To see close up

• To drive far away

• To come closer

Many root words come from ancient Greek.

• dem= people

• cracy= rule

Multiple Choice

Using what you know about the Greek roots dem and cracy, what do you think democracy means in this sentence:

Everyone has the right to vote in a democracy.

• Rule by the people

• People are ruled by a king