1. The World of Writing Vocabulary
With your table, complete the crossword puzzle:
Argument
Claim
Concluding Sentence
Counterargument
Evidence
Explanatory
Informational
Persuasive
Rebuttal
Supporting Details
Topic Sentence
ACTIVITY (pg 1)- Start with establishing common writing vocabulary with the crossword puzzle

2. Argument writing is…
An argument is a formal presentation of evidence that supports a particular claim or position. It requires critical thinking and rhetorical production involving:
Claim
Evidence
that connect the thesis, evidence, and situation within which the argument being made.
So we all have the same language, for the purposes of the GED, we’ll use this definition of argument writing.
If this is useful: In student-friendly language, argument writing is formal writing that demonstrates critical-thinking through presentation of evidence to support a claim or position.

3. 4 Building Blocks of an effective argument
Claim
Evidence
Counterclaim (addresses potential objections to the claim)
Rebuttal
Review these terms (but don’t define them) and then for each following slide elicit responses from participants

4. Claim (thesis statement)
Clearly identifies a topic
States what point is being made (argued)
Contains a position on the topic
Creates a roadmap for the writing – “what am I trying to prove?”
Usually positioned in the introduction
NOTE – Claim has 2 slides

5. Claim (thesis statement)
A claim must be
- Debatable: Reasonable people could disagree
- Narrow: Not too big (in scope) to deal with
- Valid: Evidence is available to support the claim
A note about claims…

6. Evidence (data)
Supports the claim; NOT personal opinions but information from reliable sources that may include:
Facts or statistics
Expert opinions
Concrete example
Evidence: Quotes & paraphrases from the text; what do you see?

7. Counterclaim (opposing argument)
Disagrees with the claim
Reasonable people can disagree with a specific claim
what do they think? (their claim)
what is their evidence?
This can also be called the counter-argument

8. Rebuttal (evidence) Explains why the counterclaim is wrong
A person can reasonably disagree with the counterclaim
Why is the counterclaim wrong? (faulty logic)
What evidence supports why a counterclaim is wrong or less effective?
This may also be called refutation
Handout (pg 3)– Argument Writing Vocabulary Sheet

9. If we put it all together our students will be able to write a full well-supported evidence-based argument complete with counterclaim & rebuttal. This is our GOAL – to be able to guide your students through a process of strategies and activities so they can do something like this on their own.
This graphic organizer is a tool that may help your students be able to organize their ideas to present the argument well. It’s simple enough that it may be a tool they choose to use during their real test to organize their ideas/information on their “personal erasable board.”

10. Crime and Puzzlement (Book 1, p. 22) By Lawrence Treat
ACTIVITY – Solve the Crime & Puzzlement picture
Most students aren’t ready to jump right into writing an argument and even identifying evidence can be challenging for them. One helpful way to get them started in the right direction is to use pictures. Through this you can lead students in a discussion about what really is evidence and what evidence is useful and what is irrelevant or invalid.

11. Who killed Amy LaTour?
Amy LaTour’s body was found in her bedroom last night, as shown, with her pet canary strangled in its cage.
Henry Willy and Joe Wonty, her boyfriends; Louis Spanker, a burglar, known to have been in the vicinity; and Celeste, her maid, were questioned by the police.
Based on the evidence found at the scene, who killed Amy?
Amy LaTour’s body was found in her bedroom last night, as shown, with her pet canary strangled in its cage. Hery Willy and Joe Wonty, her boyfriends; Louis Spanker, a burglar, known to have been in the vicinity; and Celeste, her maid, were questioned by the police.
Based on the evidence found at the scene, who killed Amy?

12. Definitions Examples Evidence Warrants Conclusions Evidence Warrants
Observable data either physical or reliably reported
Warrants
Common sense rules, general statements about how people and things behave
Conclusions
Reasoning that must be supported with evidence and warrants
Evidence
There are flowers “From Joe” and a picture of Joe on display
Warrants
Generally when flowers and a picture are on display, the person is special
Conclusions
Therefore Joe is special to Amy
Discuss other evidence and solve the mystery.