Argumentative

Essay outline
1. Introduction paragraph
A. Hook
B. Background Information
C. Thesis Statement

2. Body paragraph 1
A. Present your first point and it’s supporting evidence
B. Prove one of your opposition’s claims to be false (argue the
other side of the argument… why should people believe your
side?)

3. Body paragraph 2
A. Present your second point and it’s supporting evidence
B. Prove one of your opposition’s claims to be false (argue the other
side of the argument… why should people believe your side?)

4. Body paragraph 3
A. Present your third point and it’s supporting evidence
B. Prove one of your opposition’s claims to be false (argue the other
side of the argument… why should people believe your side?)

5. Conclusion Paragraph
A. Restate thesis statement
B. Review 3 main points
C. Leave the reader with an interesting thought about your
argument- remember: you want them to BELIEVE YOU!!!
 Argumentative
Essay Notes
*Introduction*
*Begins with a “hook”- a sentence that grabs your reader’s attention.
Example: Let’s pretend I’m writing an argumentative essay about why American
people should start eating insects. My hook would be:
*“For those interested in improving their diets and the environment, say
“goodbye” to eating chicken, fish, and beef and “hello” to eating silk worms,
crickets, and caterpillars.”

*Next step: background information on your topic

~Try to answer the following questions:
*What is the issue at hand?
*Who cares?
*Where is this issue important?
*Why is it important?
~Example: “Insects are abundant, nutritious, and environmentally sustainable.
Currently, people in the United States shun the idea of eating insects as part of
their diets, favoring instead less nutritious and environmentally destructive food
options, such as beef and pork. The UN recently issued a statement calling for
more world citizens to embrace the many benefits of eating insects.

*Next step: Thesis statement (last sentence in intro.

paragraph)
*Example: “A diet of insects can help fix problems related to starvation, obesity,
and climate change, and therefore, United States citizens should learn to rely on
a variety of insects over chicken, beef, and fish as their main source of protein
and nutrition.”
 *My thesis statement sets the stage for my argument as well as sets up the
three claims I’m going to expand on later: a diet of insects can help fix
problems related to starvation, obesity, and climate change.

Thesis
Statements
For
Argumentative
Essays
*Purpose:
-You must convince your reader that your position on the issue is valid.
-Your thesis statement must be logical and reasonable. Clearly, if you want
your reader to “listen” to what you have to say, you need to show that you
have thought out your argument from ALL angles.
-You will give your opinion WITHOUT using 1st person
-Your thesis statement should be DEBATABLE (someone else may disagree
with you)
*Examples :
-Bullying has extended far beyond school and into cyberspace. Even though these
acts of aggression take place outside of school boundaries, school officials should
have the authority to discipline students who engage in cyber bullying without
fear. Doing so will help improve the online behavior of students and decrease
incidences of cyber bully-related suicide attempts.

-A diet of insects can help fix problems related to starvation, obesity, and climate
change, and therefore, United States citizens should learn to rely on a variety of
insects over chicken, beef, and fish as their main source of protein and nutrition.

-Americans should eliminate the regular consumption of fast food because the fast
food diet leads to preventable and expensive health issues, such as diabetes,
obesity, and heart disease.

-It is too late to save earth; therefore, humans should immediately set a date for
their relocation to Mars where, with proper planning, they can avoid issues of
famine, war, and global warming.

Argumentative
Essay notes
*Body paragraphs*
1. (T) Make a claim: A statement you make to support your argument
Example: “Bugs are highly nutritious and eating them can fix the
problem of hunger and malnutrition in the United States.”

2. Great! I’ve made my claim. But now who’s going to believe me? This is where
evidence comes into play!

3. (I) Evidence: For each claim (reason) you make, you need to provide supporting
evidence. Evidence is factual information from reliable sources.
 Example: In the article, lines 8-10 state, “Researchers at the Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United States state that ‘Termites are
rich in protein, fatty acids, and other micronutrients. Fried of dried
termites contain 32-38 percent proteins.’”

4. (D) Prove your opponents’ arguments to be wrong!!!!! (Opposing views)

Example: “Opponents of insect eating from the Beef Council Of America
say that it is too difficult and time consuming to catch crickets, so it is not
easy to gather enough food for a meal, whereas a cow is large and
contains a lot of meat for many meals.”

5. (E) Now it’s time to set the opponents straight with some evidence!
Example: “According to researchers Cerritos and Cano-Santana, the
best time to harvest crickets is to catch them in the hour just before
sunrise when they are least active. What’s more, it is easy to develop the
infrastructure to farm crickets in a way that is more sustainable than
cattle farming.”