Unit 3: Bonus Materials

Student Work

• Example of 12th Grade Written Brief (Large PDF, 5.2 MB)
  Similar to the Learning Activities published in Lesson 4: Creating a Good Argument, but the teacher modified and created their own format

Links

• Can My Sikh Student Carry a Sword?
  By Jackie Walker for Teaching Tolerance
• We Honor Sikhs by Learning about Them
  By Maureen Costello for Teaching Tolerance
• You Be the Judge: Kirpans and Free Exercise
  By Kevin Williams, Examining U.S. History
• Parent Permission Slips – Spanish

Argument Writing Standards

• Grade 6

  Text Types & Purposes

  1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

  1. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
  2. Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
  3. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
  4. Establish and maintain a formal style.
  5. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.
• Grade 7

  Text Types & Purposes

  1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

  1. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and address alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. CA
  2. Support claim(s) or counterarguments with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. CA
  3. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.
  4. Establish and maintain a formal style.
  5. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
• Grade 8

  Text Types & Purposes

  1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

  1. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
  2. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
  3. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
  4. Establish and maintain a formal style.
  5. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
• Grades 9–10

  Text Types & Purposes

  1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

  1. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
  2. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
  3. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
  4. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
  5. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
• Grades 11–12

  Text Types & Purposes

  1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

  1. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counter- claims, reasons, and evidence.
  2. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
  3. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
  4. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
  5. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
  6. Use specific rhetorical devices to support assertions (e.g., appeal to logic through reasoning; appeal to emotion or ethical belief; relate a personal anecdote, case study, or analogy). CA