Lesson 1: Understanding an Argument

Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify ways to establish an evidence based opinion.

Standard(s):
W.5.1, W.5.4, W.5.7, W.5.8
RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.7
SL.5.1, SL.5.3, SL.5.4
L.5.1, L.5.2.d, L.5.3

Materials:
Packet - articles on both sides of the milk issue
Post-it notes
Anchor Charts - How to Write an Argument; For and Against Chocolate Milk

Duration: 9:20 - 9:55 (35 minutes) on day 1 - and maybe another 35 minutes on day 2

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
I received a letter from the principal this morning. After reading it he handed it to me and asked if I could help
him. While reading the letter, I realized that although I couldnt give him much help, you might be able to.
Read note from the principal and ask for the classs help.

Dear Teachers,

There has been some controversy about our policy of offering chocolate milk for school lunch. We need to make a
decision about whether or not we should continue offering it in the cafeteria. Will you let me know what you think
about this? Thank you!

The Principal

We need to let the principal know whether or not we should serve chocolate milk in the cafeteria. Honestly, I
havent been too worried about whether chocolate milk is a good or bad thing to offer kids. In fact, Im a bit
lactose intolerant so milk doesnt really agree with my stomach. After reading this letter, Ive been giving it
some thought and I realized that you can help me think this through. So what do you think? Turn and talk to
each other.

***After a few minutes ask students to share, after a few responses remind students that their opinions need to come
from evidence so they have to suspend judgement.***

Its not that hard to have an opinion. In fact, its really easy to have an opinion. You just have one opinion,
right? Either you love chocolate milk and think we should serve it. Or, you dont like it and think we shouldnt
serve it.
So what is an opinion? Your opinion is the first thing that comes to mind. You love chocolate milk so why not
serve it? Or maybe youre allergic so you think no one should have it.
The thing is, often what we think right away isnt the whole story and that isnt all there is to know or think
about an issue. When we offer an opinion it is important that we arent self-centered or shallow about our
answers. What does it mean to be self-centered?

**How to Write an Argument Anchor Chart**

1. Suspend judgment
Teaching Point:
Today I want to teach you that when you are composing an argument, it is important to look at all sides of an
issue carefully in order to collect evidence that will help you make an informed decision.

Teaching:
Lets try this together. In order to build strong arguments you need evidence. So youll have to do some
research. What are experts saying about chocolate milk? To find this out, you have to collect and organize
information.

**How to Write an Argument Anchor Chart**

1. Suspend judgment
2. Collect evidence for both sides

Although there are many ways to organize information, this is how I set up my notes. **Display anchor chart on
the board and ask students to copy the chart in the back of their writing notebooks.**
I found an interesting article online, its called Nutrition in Disguise: What the Midwest Dairy Council Says Has
to Say about Chocolate Milk. This title gives us a sense of what side the author supports. Will this article argue
for chocolate milk in school or against it?
Im going to use these Post-Its to write on so that I can easily move the details around later.
Read the first two paragraphs aloud - jot down two notes: 1. chocolate milk has nutrients 2. chocolate milk got
kids to drink more milk - stick those notes on to the for chocolate milk side. Since I got both of these from this
article, Im going to write from Nutrition in Disguise at the bottom of each post it. It is important that I know
where I got each note from. That will make it much easier to organize them later.
Read the next two paragraphs aloud - think aloud - highlight the last sentence in the fourth paragraph:
Research shows that children who drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs, do not consume
more added sugar, fat, and calories, and are not heavier than non milk drinkers.
Hmm I didnt know that. Kids who drink chocolate milk dont consume more sugar, fat, or calories. That detail
clearly supports for chocolate milk, let me write that down and stick on the for side. Well stop here for now,
youll finish this article on your own later.
What did I just do that you could do too? - I took information from the text, thought about it to see which side
it would help and I wrote down some information on the correct side of my paper. Right now Im not sure what
my position is, but Im collecting evidence from the text that may guide my decision.

Active Engagement/Guided Practice:

Now its your turn. The trick is to read the text and think about which details clearly support one side or the
other.
Heres another article. This one is titled Chocolate Milk: More Harmful than Helpful. From this title what
position do you think the author supports?
Reading something from the other side will prevent us from focusing on only one side of the debate. Ill read
the beginning of this article aloud and when I stop youll have a chance to talk to each other about the
information you gathered and where you placed it.
As students are conversing, Ill walk around and listen to their conversations in order to make sure that they
understand what theyre doing and to answer any questions that may arise.

Link/Closure:
When I was younger my mom hated sleepovers. That was her opinion. Every time I asked her if I could go to a
sleepover she said no. I tried to convince her but she never wanted to hear my side. Do you know someone like
that? Someone who is set in their ways and refuses to consider another way of looking at things?
If we want to be wise people it is important that we listen and learn about all sides of an issue before making a
judgment.
Connect to Social Studies:
 In Social Studies, youve been given a government role. Either youre in the House of Representatives
or the Senate. No matter where you are, what is your role in government? What have you been elected
to do?
In order to be the wisest people in Congress and make the best choices, you have to study the
situation, gather information from multiple perspectives and build an opinion with evidence.
One of your goals is to convince the president to sign a bill into law. How will you do that? One way to
be convincing is to present your argument with evidence.
Although you may have an opinion about chocolate milk, I hope you are willing to consider other positions.
Here is a packet of articles that support both sides of the chocolate milk debate.
**If there is time, start this now and have a class discussion afterwards.**
Tonight for homework, you will:

Homework:
1. Finish reading all three articles.
2. Take notes and place them on the appropriate side (for or against) in their writing notebooks.
a. Write the source of each note taken.

Tomorrow you will have the opportunity to talk with each other and defend your choices.

Day 2 or continuation of day 1:

Review yesterdays lesson.

Students will review their evidence list and decide which side they would like to defend. Afterwards they will
explain to a partner why they made that choice.
As students are discussing, encourage them to use evidence to support their position and to ask each other
questions to further their explanations of their position.
Point out that the students have just rehearsed their positions by listing their reasons point by point. Add this
to the chart.

**How to Write an Argument Anchor Chart**

1. Suspend judgment
2. Collect evidence for both sides
3. Rehearse point by point

Lesson 2: Position Statement

Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will apply their knowledge of elements of a position statement to construct
a statement that expresses their position on serving chocolate milk in schools which includes a thesis and one
piece of evidence.

Standards:
W.5.1, W.5.4, W.5.10, W.6.1.a,d
RI.5.2
SL.5.1, SL.5.3, SL.5.4
L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3

Materials:
Packet of articles
Post-it notes with text based evidence
Duration: 11:50 - 12:15 (25 minutes)

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
On Thursday, I realized that I wasnt too clear in my teaching about creating a thesis and what should be
included in one. Today, I would like to clear up some things and make sure were all on the same page.
Lets start with this: after reading and taking notes youve made a decision. Take some time out to write your
position in your writers notebook. There are many ways to start the statement. One way is to start is by
saying: I think Dont worry about the reasons that support your position. I want you to focus on simply writing
out what you think at this point. It should be a simple statement. Write down whether or not you agree with
serving chocolate milk in school.
When youre done writing your statement, put your finger on your nose.
Now that you wrote your position one way, think of a different way of writing it. When youre done this time
put your hands on your head.
Start a list on the board of ways to start a position statement:
I think ; I believe ;
Schools should (should not) serve chocolate milk
Chocolate milk should (should not) be served in schools
Ask students to share their responses...call on those with different ways of starting to share with the
class.

Teaching Point:
Today we will develop and expand your thesis by including at least one reason that supports your position.

Teaching:
Take a moment, think about the articles you read. Look over your notes. What is one reason you think supports
your position. When you think of a reason put your thumb up.
Call on a few students to share their reason cannot be a fact or quote...
Explain that because each reason will eventually develop into a paragraph, it is important for them to be
broad. If your reason is too specific (for example a fact or a quote), you wont be able to expand it into a
paragraph.
Show examples on the screen of student writing. Pick the paragraphs apart, pay attention to the reasons noting
that the reasons used are broad. Show the class that the student goes on to write an essay explain each of
those readings. Do the same for another students writing.
Emphasize that their reasons should be broad and wide like an umbrella, and the facts and supporting
details should be placed underneath the umbrella.
Now that weve looked at these, Im going to give you a chance to practice. You already have the first part
down (gesture to the list on the board), all you need to do is come up with the first reason. Coming up with
reasons that are broad, umbrellas can be challenging. So youll be working together to come up with reasons.
All the students who think chocolate milk should be served in schools stand at the back wall. All those students
who dont think we should serve chocolate milk in school move to the area by the computers. (Ill break the
larger group into workable groups).
Task: work together to come up with at least one reason and a list of facts and quotes that support.
Strategy: Gather all your post it notes and organize them. For example, if there are multiple things
that ares similar, stick them together and come up with a reason that includes all those facts and
quotes from the article.
Model this for them.
Circulate the classroom and offer support and guidance while they are working in groups.
Although they are working in groups, everyone should have their own reason written down by the end
of class. For example, I think schools should serve chocolate milk because [reason A]. They need at
least one reason.

Link/Closure:
To conclude the lesson:
 What do we know? What do we still need to know in order to have a strong position statement/thesis?
Homework:
Come up with one more broad reason to support your position!

Lesson 3: Sending Invitations

Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will apply their knowledge of elements of a position statement and their
knowledge on writing introductions to construct an introductory paragraph that includes an invitation, and
their position statement.

Standard(s):
W.5.1, W.5.4, W.5.10, W.6.1.a,d
RI.5.2
SL.5.1, SL.5.3, SL.5.4
L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3

Materials:
Packet - articles on both sides of the milk issue
Post-it notes
Anchor Charts - How to Write an Argument; Sending Invitations

Duration: 9:20 - 9:55 (35 minutes) - may need additional time

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
Was the position statement you wrote last night an introduction?
Turn and talk to your table groups.
Support your thesis with evidence.
If you say yes it was an introduction, give evidence to support that. If you say no it wasnt an
introduction, give evidence to support that.
It is NOT an introduction.
How do you know?
Whats included in an introduction?
Take some time to jot down in your writers notebook what you know about sending
invitations.
Who would like to share?

Put up anchor chart, go over if anything is missing. Emphasize the one difference! **POSITION STATEMENT is
included in the introduction.***
The position statement is usually the very last sentence in the introduction of an argument.

Teaching Point:
Today I want to teach you that when you are writing an essay, it is important to have an inviting introduction
that makes the reader excited to read more. Youll have a good chunk of time to write an introduction.

Teaching:
Weve been talking a lot about how to write an argument. So far weve:

**How to Write an Argument Anchor Chart**

1. Suspend judgment
2. Collect evidence for both sides - choose a side
3. Rehearse point by point
 Last night you came up with a position and you provided at least two broad reasons that support your
statement. What you did was p lan your claim or position statement with supporting reasons. Turn back to
that list in the back of your writers notebook thats titled How to Write an Argument write this next bullet
point down.
After youre done writing, turn to the page where you wrote your position statement last night.
You have your very last sentence of the introduction already done. For the next ten minutes or so, I want you
to beginning writing an introduction that leads to your position statement.
Dont forget to incorporate some of the things we went over from the chart.

Active Engagement/Guided Practice:

Students will write independently for about 10 minutes.
If they are finished writing their introductions--write them a different way.
Who would like to volunteer to share their introductions?
Read introductions to whole class over the projector.

Link/Closure:
What youve done today is simply the first draft of your introductions. I see very good things in your
introductions. Take a minute or two and think about how you would improve your introduction. Did you see
something in another students introduction that you would like to try? Write about it.

Homework:
For homework tonight, continue working on your introduction.

Lesson 4: Using Evidence to Build Arguments

Objective: By the end of this lesson, students will gather and analyze text in order to classify/categorize the
information into at least three broad reasons that support their position statement.

Standard(s):
W.5.1, W.5.7, W.5.8, W.5.9.b,W.6.1.a
RI.5.1, RI.5.2
SL.5.1
L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3

Materials:
Packet of articles
Post-it notes

Duration:
8:00 - 8:35 (35 minutes) & 10:40 - 11:15 (35 minutes)

8:00 - 8:35

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
What did we do yesterday? Turn and talk to your neighbor.
Call on students to share.
Yesterday we drafted introductions that include position statements. Within those statements you included
your position and at least two broad reasons that supported your position.
Teaching Point:
Today I want to remind you that in order to write a good argument, you have to provide compelling evidence
that proves your point. To do this, you have to examine research materials--like the ones in this packet--to find
evidence that will really support your claim.

Teaching:
Reading and finding evidence in the text can be challenging so this is what I do:
Take out Nutrition in Disguise
Do you remember this article? I read part of it in class during my first lesson and you may have finished
reading it at home.
Since weve already discussed that this article is for chocolate milk in schools, Im going to skim it in
order to find evidence that supports this claim.
Place Nutrition in Disguise on the projector and think aloud
Make notes, underline, draw arrows, etc.
Model taking notes on post-its and organizing them into categories.

Active Engagement/Guided Practice:

All the students who think chocolate milk should be served in schools stand at the back wall. All those students
who dont think we should serve chocolate milk in school move to the area by the computers. (Ill break the
larger group into workable groups).
Task:
Work together to find evidence from the text that support your position
Organize the evidence into categories
If there are multiple things that are similar/related, stick them together and come up with a
reason that includes all those facts and quotes from the article.
Circulate the classroom and offer support and guidance while they are working in groups.
If they run out of time, dont worry:

First Link/Closure:
Take a minute to write down any last minute thoughts. Remember where you left off, well pick this up again
later this morning.

10:40 - 11:15

Active Engagement/Guided Practice, Continued:

Get back in your groups and continue working where you left off.
After a few minutes, Offer both groups more information:
For chocolate milk in schools
Direct them to http://gotchocolatemilk.com/
Explore the website to find more information that supports your thesis
Against chocolate milk in schools
TFK - the science of sugar
Continue working with your groups to gather as much information as you can to support your thesis. Dont
forget to write down where you found your information as you continue to organize and categorize your notes.

Link/Closure:
In your writers notebook, write one thing you learned today and one thing you would like to learn or you need
more information on. (Maybe on a separate sheet of paper to hand in?)
Lesson 5: Drafting Arguments

Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will apply what they have learned about argument writing in order to
classify research information into three broad reasons which they will utilize to compose three body paragraphs
that each include one broad reason and two pieces of evidence to support that reason.

Standard(s):
W.5.1, W.5.4, W.5.10, W.6.1.a,d; RI.5.2; SL.5.1, SL.5.3, SL.5.4; L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3

Materials:
Packet - articles on both sides of the milk issue
Post-it notes

Duration: Day 1 - 10:40 - 11:15 (35 minutes) & Day 2 - 11:50 - 12:15 (25 minutes)

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
Around the World
Students gather in a large circle.
Throw the ball to a student who then has to state one thing they wrote on their post-its over the
weekend. Then they throw it to another person. You can only throw the ball to someone who hasnt
had a turn yet.

Teaching Point:
Today I want to teach you that when you are writing an argument, it is important to organize your opinions and
reasons.

Teaching:
As I checked your homework this morning I noticed that you had so much information written on these post-its!
Im thrilled that you were able to find so much information. Now that you have this information it becomes
necessary to sort it all.
If you already have broad reasons in mind, organize what you found out into piles that support each reason. Or
if you dont you can look at your notes and stick the ones that are similar together.
Model this process using the projector.
Organize the notes that I found into groups so that the students know what is expected of them.

Active Engagement/Guided Practice:

Break the students into groups, they can work together to organize their notes. Each student must have three
groups of post-its clearly labeled with the broad reason they support.
After the students have organized their notes, they will take time out to rewrite their position statements.
Ask students to share their position statements with the whole class using the proper format.
I think.because [reason A], because [reason B], because [reason C].
Emphasize three broad reasons, along with their position.
Those students who do not have three broad reasons need more research.

Now that you have your position statement/thesis in place, its time to start thinking about the three body
paragraphs of your letter.
Take out the chocolate milk packets - turn to the last page
Go over the sheet. (Emphasize the triangle: Me - Evidence - Evidence)
 Before we begin to write the body paragraphs it is important to include the evidence that you gathered in each
paragraph[Show Me the EVIDENCE anchor chart] - go over some of the ways they can integrate text based
evidence in their letter.
Give them about 5 minutes to practice their first body paragraph with their partner.
Circulate the room asking individual students talk me through their first body paragraph.
Emphasize the importance of using evidence in the text. Redirect them to the Show Me the EVIDENCE
anchor chart.
After a few minutes, ask the class to move on to their second paragraph and then their third. As the students
are discussing their reasons and the evidence, circulate the room to coach. Remind students to use for
example, also, and in addition.
Give them the rest of the class time to write their first draft. Make sure they include an introduction/hook
along with the three body paragraphs and a conclusion.
Youve already thought this through and rehearsed your paragraphs out loud. Now its time to put those
thoughts on paper. Write everything you can quickly. Remember this is just the first draft--theres a lot more
to do before these letters are ready.

Link/Closure:
What youve done today is simply the first draft. Take a look at your letters right now. Think of some ways you
can improve. Does your letter have an introduction that includes a hook? Did you include your position
statement in your introduction? Did you include evidence from the text and let the reader know where you got
that information? Do you have a conclusion? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself. Take
some time now to make a list of ways you can improve your letter.

Homework: Choose one way you can improve and make those improvements.

Lesson 6: Balancing Evidence with Analysis

Objective: By the end of this lesson, students will identify the elements of PEEL and be able to locate the elements
within example paragraphs.

Standard(s):
W.5.1, W.5.9.b, W.6.1; RI.5.1, RI.6.1; SL.5.1, SL.5.3; L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3

Materials:
First draft of letter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqftVOgDprk

Duration: 9:20 - 9:55 (35 minutes)

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
Draw the following image on the board:
Talk to your table groups
Use what you know about the regular triangle to make a prediction about this image.
After a few minutes, call on a few students to share.

Teaching Point:
Today I want to teach you how to balance your arguments by adding your own thinking and explanations.

Teaching:
Yesterday you wrote your first draft. Writing is a process that we have to come back to a few times before we
have a final project. Weve done a lot of work so far:
 We suspended judgement
We examined evidence from both sides and made a decision
We rehearsed point by point
We planned our claims and constructed broad reasons for those claims
We used evidence to support our claims and broad reasons
Today were going balance the evidence that we collected with our own analysis
Analysis comes from the Greek word that means loosen
When we analyze were answering the question: So what?
Yes youve stated your broad reason and given at least two details that support it. So what?
Why should the reader care?
When we analyze we are making our thinking clear. The reader should know what exactly why
weve included the evidence we have. Your job is to explain, in your own words, how the
evidence youve included supports your broad reason.
Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqftVOgDprk
Pay attention, jot down some notes on what each letter of PEEL stands for.
This is a lot of information to take in. I tried to make it a little bit easy for you. Each paragraph in your letter
should include the following:
Point - make your point - broad reason
Evidence - support your point (broad reason) with evidence and examples
Explain - make a connection between your evidence and your point/broad reason
Link - connect this point/broad reason to the next point/broad reason in the following paragraph
Connect PEEL to the triangle and inverted triangle figure above:

Active Engagement/Guided Practice:

Students will work together to find the parts of PEEL in the following body paragraph.
Have students come up to the projector and underline, highlight and discuss why they selected the part
of the paragraph. What part of PEEL is it? Why is it important?

Example:
Recess should stay in schools because it helps children stay active. According to Dr. Aaron Beighle, an
exercise specialist, children get about forty percent of their daily activity during recess. Research shows that
children who have recess are less likely to be overweight. Recess is a time where children can run around and get a
lot of energy out. For most children, recess is one of the only times they get to exercise so its important that it
stays in schools. The more children exercise the more fit they are. These are some of the reasons why I believe that
recess helps children stay active. Although recess helps children stay active, there are a few more reasons why it
should stay in schools.

Link/Closure:
Weve learned a lot today. Pretend you just got home and your parents asked you what you learned in writers
workshop today. What would you tell them? Take a few minutes to write this in your notebook.

Lesson 7: Lets PEEL!

Objective:
 By the end of the lesson, students will apply their knowledge of analysis to identify the elements of PEEL in
example argument paragraphs.

Standards:
W.5.1, W.5.9.b, W.6.1; RI.5.1, RI.6.1; SL.5.1, SL.5.3; L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3

Materials:
Handout

Duration: 10:15 - 11:15 (60 minutes)

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
Review PEEL.
What do you remember about PEEL. Turn and talk. Ask a few students to share their thoughts.

Teaching Point:
Today I want to take some time out to clarify the second E in PEEL. Explain. The so what? part.

Teaching:
Using the projector, open up a word document where I will type a paragraph which includes all the parts of
PEEL. During this process, I will emphasize the explain aspect of PEEL.
I will show the students a stack of post-its that I have taken notes on. Included in that stack is a broad
reason (point), and evidence I have gathered that supports that broad reason.
Through a think aloud, I will model the process of making connections between the evidence and the
point.
Point: Research should stay in schools because it improves behavior.
Evidence: Students who have at least 15 minutes of recess are better behaved than those who dont.
Explain: This gives me the idea that the more recess a child has the more behaved they are in
school. This is important because better behaved children pay attention during class which
means that they are able to learn more.
Evidence: Dr. Barros, a pediatrician, says that kids need a break and that recess is an important part of
a childs learning.
Explain: When I stay in one place for a long time or do the same thing for a long time I get
restless. Sometimes I just want to move around and take a break! When I come back from my
break I can focus on what Im doing better. Everyone needs a break sometimes especially
students. Having recess helps students stay focused and helps them learn more.
Link: Recess helps students behave better in schools because it gives them a break and helps them stay
focused. This means that children who have recess are able to learn more. This is one reason recess
should stay in schools, but there are more.

Active Engagement/Guided Practice:

Pass out PEEL handout. Students will work independently for 5-10 minutes. When almost all students are done,
compare your answers with your table groups. Well go over the handout as a whole group.
Students will glue this handout in the back of their writers notebook so that they can use it as a
reference when writing their letters.

Link/Closure:
Take a few minutes, look over your writing. Make some notes about what you have done and what you still
have to do.

Homework:
Take one body paragraph and rewrite it using the PEEL method.
Lesson 8: Developing Body Paragraphs Using PEEL

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will apply what they know about PEEL to write body paragraphs
emphasizing the analysis of evidence they have collected.

Standard(s):
W.5.1, W.5.9.b, W.6.1; RI.5.1, RI.6.1; SL.5.1, SL.5.3; L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3

Materials:
First draft of letter
Anchor charts
Worksheet

Duration: 11:50 - 12:15 (25 minutes) - may need an additional day

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
Weve been talking a lot about analysis. What does it mean to analyze something?
Take a few minutes to write about what it means to analyze evidence.
After a few minutes discuss the definition with your table groups.
Call on a few students to share.

Teaching Point:
Today we will apply what weve learned about PEEL in order to revise some of our body paragraphs.

Teaching:
When we analyze we are answering the question so what? Analyzing is explaining why your evidence is
important and there are a few ways writers do this. One way writers analyze evidence is asking themselves
predictable questions. Predictable questions are the kinds of questions researchers ask themselves when doing
research. Some of the questions are:
Why did I include this evidence?
How does this evidence relate back to my claim/thesis/position statement?
What makes this particular quote or statistic so important?
How has this evidence changed my thinking?
When you revise your essay to include the analysis, asking yourself these questions will help to push your
thinking.
Once youve thought about these questions, you can use the following list to explain the evidence
youve included:

I see... To add on...

In other words... This connects to...

That is... The thought I have about this is...

The important thing about this is... The reason for this is...

As I say this, Im realizing... Another reason is...

This is giving me the idea that... This is important because...

An example of this is... On the other hand...

 This shows... This is similar to...

Another example is this... This is different from...

This makes me think... This proves...

Active Engagement/Guided Practice:

Knee to Knee Conferences
Now, with your partner, I want you to try asking each other some of these predictable questions. Dont
be afraid to use this list to begin your answers.
With about ten minutes left of class, have the students start writing their body paragraphs using the worksheet
provided.
The students will revise their letters to include analysis or the Explain section of PEEL. Students should also
work on the Link part - how can I connect this paragraph to the next so that it flows.

Link/Closure:
Take a few minutes, look over your writing. Make some notes about what you have done and what you still
have to do.

Homework:
Rewrite the three body paragraphs using the PEEL method on a separate sheet of paper to hand in.

Lesson 9: Rebuttals, Responses, and Counterclaims

Objective: By the end of this lesson, students will apply their understanding of counterarguments in order to revise
their argument essay.

Standard(s):
W.5.1, W.5.9.b, W.6.1; RI.5.1, RI.5.6, RI.6.1; SL.5.1; L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3

Duration: 9:20 - 9:55 (35 minutes)

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
Write counterclaims on the board. Think of some other words that begin with the prefix counter. What do
you think the prefix counter means?

Teaching Point:
Today I want to teach you that good argument writers anticipate what the other side will argue, acknowledge
that counterclaim and make a rebuttal.

Teaching:
When youre arguing or debating something in a conversation and someone says something that contradicts
your claim it can make you sweat a little right? When someone says, Yes, but and lays out a counterpoint,
you have to work harder. You have to produce even more evidence that supports your point or prove that your
opponent's point is irrelevant. That work that you do--arguing in the face of resistance--is called coming up
with a rebuttal that proves your point. When you offer a rebuttal, you strengthen your argument.
Let me give you an example. Take this paragraph I wrote quickly this morning:

Dogs should be allowed to run loose in the park in the early morning. They should be allowed to run loose because
 they need their exercise. They should also be allowed to run loose because dogs need social time with each other.
Above all, the parks are for dogs too.

In this paragraph theres no resistance against any point Im making. Im not anticipating what someone with
an opposite opinion may argue. Although this argument isnt horrible, it could be much stronger.
One way to include counterarguments is by reading your letter pretending to be someone who disagrees.
For example:
Dogs should be allowed to run loose in the park in the early morning. They should be allowed to run
loose because they need their exercise.
Well people need their exercise too. If dogs are running all over the place, theyll get in the
way of people who are trying to be healthy and exercise.
They should also be allowed to run loose because dogs need social time with each other.
I disagree because its not important for dogs to have social time with each other. Theyd
probably fight with each other and get in a lot of trouble.
Above all, the parks are for dogs too.
I challenge that! Parks are for people not dogs!
Alright, for every point in this essay, I came up with a possible rebuttal. My original position (that dogs should
be allowed to run loose in the park in the early morning) seems so much weaker after all those rebuttals.
In order to strengthen my argument, I have to anticipate and then rebut or shoot down the
counterclaims.
For example: Lets look at the first counterargument: If dogs are running all over the place, theyll
get in the way of people who are trying to be healthy and exercise.
Some may say that dogs get in the way of people exercising but I challenge this! I dont think
they get in the way. Dogs are living creatures who need to exercise to stay healthy just like
people do. Theres enough space in parks for both people and dogs to exercise and stay
healthy.

Active Engagement/Guided Practice:

Now think about the other counterclaims I added. Write a sentence or two that can acknowledges the second
or third counterclaim and the rebuts it.
Use the following phrases to do so:
Some people disagree, saying I challenge this. I dont think
Critics argue that While it might be true that, still, all in all,
Others may say that but I argue
You might think but
A common argument against this position is but
Its easy to think but when you look at the facts...
While some might say nevertheless it turns out that
Give students some time to write independently.
After a few minutes, ask students to share. They can read their paragraphs aloud or share them under the
projector.

Link/Closure:
So whats the point? As an argument writer, you need to imagine how a person will argue against your claim.
Once you do that you can rebut or shoot down that counterclaim. Doing this will make your argument even
stronger!
Take a few moments to look over your body paragraphs, what are some counterclaims a reader might make
while reading it? How can you rebut those counterclaims?
Lesson 10: Putting It All Together

Objective: By the end of this lesson, students will have all the information needed to compose a complete argument
letter that includes an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Standard(s):
W.5.1, W.5.5, W.5.10, W.6.1
RI.5.1, RI.6.1
SL.5.1
L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3, L.5.6

Materials:
Draft of argument letter

Duration:

Anticipatory Set/Connection:
We have done a lot of work over the past few weeks in writers workshop. Youre all on your way to becoming
great argument writers. Take a few moments to look over your writers notebook. What have we done so far in
this writing unit?
Students should write their responses first. The share with the class.

Teaching Point:
Today, were finally going to put it all together. Today were going to go over exactly what needs to be
included in the final draft of your letter.

Teaching:
Lets talk. What do you know about writing an essay? What should be included?
Start a class discussion and formulate a list on the board.
These are some very good ideas. To help you write your final draft, I have created a checklist that you can use
to make revisions.
As a whole group go over the checklist, clarify any misconceptions.
This is the rubric I will use to grade your presentations. If you include all the things you are well on your way to
earning a 5. I want everyone to get a 5 so thats why Im telling you exactly what Ill be looking for in your
essay.
Each student should get a copy of this to attach to their completed argument letter.

Name:
Argument Writing Checklist

Do I have an inviting introduction?

Did I include my position statement?
Do I have 3 broad reasons?
Did I use evidence to support my reasons?
Did I include the other sides point of view? (Rebuttal)
Have I used and identified 3+ sources?
Did I conclude my essay with HEART?
Did I connect my conclusion to my position statement?
 Are all my sections connected?
Have I used 4+ transition words?
Did I use clever subheadings?
Did I use storytelling elements?
Do my sentences vary in length?
Did I pay attention to grammar and spelling? (capitalization, punctuation, indents, etc.)

So now that we understand the checklist, lets go over letter writing.

What do you know about how a letter is structured? Talk with your table groups to come up with a list of
things.
Call on students to share. Start a list on the board.

Dear ________,

Introduction
Body paragraph 1
Body paragraph 2
Body paragraph 3
Conclusion

Sincerely,
(Your Signature)

Active Engagement/Guided Practice:

Students will go over checklist and begin to revise their letter.

Link/Closure:
Weve done a lot of hard work in this unit. As we close I want you to remember that good writers always edit
their work and make sure their final copy is their very best work.