CLAIM AND

COUNTERCLAI
N PATTERN OF
IDEA
 OBJECTIVES
1. Learn how to define both claim and counterclaim
2. Practice making strong claims and strong counterclaims
3. Analyze informational texts
4. Locate evidence
5. Identify different grammatical signals for claim and counterclaim
pattern of idea.
 CLAIM

A claim persuades, argues, convinces,

proves, or provocatively suggests something
to a reader who may or may not initially
agree with you.
 COUNTERCLAIM

A counterclaim is the argument (or

one of the arguments) opposing your
thesis statement. In your thesis
paragraph, you make it clear to the
reader exactly what you plan on
proving and how you plan to go about
proving it.
 THE HOMING
FIGHT OF PEGIONS
Have you ever wondered how a
homing pigeon finds its way
home? Scientist have two
hypotheses to explain the homing
of flight pigeons. ( THE FIRST, THE
BEST) hypothesis involves an
“odor map”.
(One theory, This theory ) proposes
that young pigeons learn how to
return to their home by smelling
different odors that reach their
home in the winds from varying
directions.
(They, It) would (in other words, for
example) learn that a certain odor
is carried on winds blowing from
the east. (If, But) a pigeon were
transported eastward, the odor
would tell it to fly westward to
return home.
(The next, The second) hypothesis
states that a bird may be able to
extract its home’s latitude and
longtitude from the earth’s
magnetic field. (Although,
However) neither of these
hypotheses, has been proven to
the satisfaction of all the experts.
(Perhaps, For example, it may be
proven in the future that neither
theory explains the pigeon’s
navigational abilities. (On the other
hand, For instance) it may be
plausible that some synthesis of
the true theories would be made.