Argumentative Essay Lessons

Which of the following describes the process of writing an argumentative essay?

• Establishing a claim and then proving it

• Sharing a strong thought and then asking to be proven wrong

• Proving something false and finding people who agree

• Using logic and then using ethos and pathos

MULTIPLE ANSWER: Select all that applies. Why is organization important in an argumentative essay?

• It guides audience through your train of thought.

• It clearly explains each argued point.

• It demonstrates your credibility as a writer.

• It keeps opinions and facts separately.

• It processes reasoning in real time.

Match the simplified tasks to the appropriate portion of an essay.

• Tell them what you just told them

• Introduction

• Tell them what you're going to tell them

• Body

• Tell them

• Conclusion

The claim in your argumentative essay's thesis statement needs to be factual.

• True

• False

• Depends on the situation

Avoid raising new claims in your conclusion.

• True

• False

• Depends on the situation

Which of these is NOT heavily based on your opinions?

• Evidence

• Thesis statement

• Claim

• Commentary

Jack's claim for his argumentative essay:

A good lemonade is always good on a hot day.

Is this a good claim?

• Yes

• No, it is taking the quote too literally.

• No, it is talking about his personal preference.

• No, it does not relate to the quote at all.

Jack's claim for his argumentative essay:

I believe that if we remain resourceful and optimistic, we can turn any negative experiences into a positive one.

Is this a good claim?

• Yes

• No, it is taking the quote too literally.

• No, it needs to be assertive by removing "I believe that" from the response.

• No, it just rephrases the quote without adding anything new to the argument.

Jack's claim for his argumentative essay:

We are told that "lemons" can be turned to "lemonade" to perpetuate this idea that we should acquiesce to the injustices of our life rather than actively fighting against them.

Is this a good claim?

• Yes

• No, it is disagreeing with the message of the quote.

• No, it needs to be assertive by removing "we are told that" from the response.

• No, you should not use quotation marks when writing your claims.

Jack's body paragraph for his argumentative essay:

We should not let "lemons" hold us back. When the army rejected me, I instead focused on being a PE teacher so the next generation can be prepared for the military if that's the path they want to take. This shows that setbacks can be turned into something positive. By adjusting our perspective and goal, we can have a meaningful impact in ways we might not have originally planned.

Is this a good argumentative paragraph?

• Yes

• No, the commentary just repeats the claim and adds no new insight.

• No, these are all opinions with no specific evidence.

• No, the evidence does not sufficiently prove the claim.