Claim Statements English II

What is a Claim Statement? For an academic claim to be worthy of a place in your essay, it should be complex, debatable, supported by research, and focused on the facts. NO OPINION ALLOWED. A claim persuades, argues, convinces, proves, or suggests something to a reader who may or may not initially agree with you.

Steps to Develop a Claim STEP #1 Figure out your general topic Start general with the issue and decide on the subject matter Example: healthcare system

Steps to Develop a Claim STEP #2 State Your Topic as a Question Pose the issue as a question—a question that will be answered through the position they take. Ask yourself, “what is my position regarding the subject matter?” Example: Should the current healthcare system be changed?

Steps to Develop a Claim STEP #3 Turn Your Question into a Position: Your claim should invite continued debate by taking a strong position that could be argued. So, answer your question (this is your position) and give your reasons (not your specific evidence but generic reasons), and you will have a nice, clear main claim. Example: The current healthcare system does not adequately assist Americans due to too much unnecessary care and cutting Medicaid. (Value Claim)

Steps to Develop a Claim STEP #4 Address a Solution to Your Claim: Now, indicate what needs to be done. This should be a general solution. Save the specifics for later in the essay. Example: Because the current healthcare system does not adequately assist Americans due to too much unnecessary care and cutting Medicaid, it should be reformed. (Solution Claim)

Your Claim Should Look Like This! 1. Standardized tests are not a fair assessment of students’ knowledge in the classroom and do not show students’ academic strengths and weaknesses; therefore, colleges should not consider testing scores over a student’s overall GPA. -OR- 2. Standardized tests add unnecessary, negative stress to both students and teachers; thus, they should no longer be mandatory for students to take in order to graduate high school.