A Resource for Secondary English and Reading Teachers

The CCR anchor standards ensure that students are college and career ready upon graduation.

An explanatory thesis explains, supports, or clarifies a main point. An argument thesis, called a claim, warrants debate and may or may not be controversial but is always debatable.

YES OR NO????? Read each statement closely to determine if the statement is an argument claim.

A STUDENT READ NATIVE SON, A NOVEL BY RICHARD WRIGHT, AND SHE GENERATED A THESIS. Although Bigger Thomas faces many obstacles as he attempts to “find his path in life,” societal practices actually dictate what he can and cannot do and sets Bigger up for failure from the time he is born.

YES, this is a debatable statement because it can be argued that Bigger Thomas is in control of his destiny and not society, or one might argue that Bigger Thomas’s destiny is a result of both individual choice and societal practices.

A STUDENT READ “DREAMS” AND “DREAM DEFERRED” BY LANGSTON HUGHES, AND HE GENERATED THIS THESIS. Langston Hughes uses metaphors to illustrate how having to postpone one’s wishes or desires can lead to destruction.

NO, this is not a debatable statement but a FACT since Langston does indeed use metaphors to illustrate that one’s wishes and desires can lead to destruction. The statement would actually work well as a thesis for an explanatory response.

J.D. Salinger’s writing style in The Catcher in Rye allows the reader to understand both the emotional and physical state of fragile Holden Caulfield.

NO, this is not a debatable statement since the author does use literary devices to illustrate Holden’s emotional and physical fragile state. This statement would be better suited for an explanatory response- not an argument response.

NOW, LET’S FOCUS ON SPECIFIC CLASSIFCATIONS OR TYPES OF CLAIMS.

 CAUSE AND EFFECT  DEFINITION OR FACT  VALUES  POLICIES

COUNTERCLAIMS negate the writer’s claim and suggest an opposing argument. Let us focus on two claims and generate a possible counterclaim for each.

Although there are various factors that lead to Romeo’s and Juliet’s deaths, Friar Laurence primarily is the cause of the two main characters’ tragic ending. Claim #1

Though The Highwayman’s life is spared, there are no “winners” in the Tim-Bess-Highwayman love triangle. Claim #2

Evidence Counterclaim Claim

Do People REALLY Write Argument Essays?

Mitch Albom, is a contemporary writer who wrote Tuesdays With Morrie, a non-fiction, secondary appropriate text. Recently Albom wrote an essay in the August 2011 Parade magazine about how the purpose for summer vacations for children has changed from when he was a child.

“The Joys of Summer” by Mitch Albom August 7, 2011 Let us look at Albom’s essay which addresses summer vacations and how the concept of summer vacations as “down time” is nothing but a memory. No, the essay is not labeled “an argument essay,” but the writer does all that we want our students to be able to do upon graduation from high school: states his claim, provides background information, uses examples to support his claim (although limited to anecdotal evidence), and addresses counterclaims. The link to the actual essay, which appeared in Parade magazine, is The Joys of Summer, August 7, 2011

Mitch Albom’s essay is a response to personal observations. “The Joys of Summer” by Mitch Albom August 7, 2011

Background information: How children spent their summer vacation in the past and how they spend their summer vacation today

“The Joys of Summer” by Mitch Albom August 7, 2011 Claim: I can make the case for doing nothing all summer. Evidence: “…there was a freedom that today’s kids don’t enjoy.” imagination Provides support Evidence: “Sometimes doing nothing is doing something.” Provides support

“The Joys of Summer” by Mitch Albom August 7, 2011 Counterclaim : Now, I know what you’re thinking: “If we don’t enroll our kids in an activity, all they’ll do is text. Or watch TV (and text) or talk on the phone (and text). Well, you could prevent that. You could take away the cell phone, the iPod, the Nintendo. Then see if you can get your kid to do four things in a day:” 1. Have a face-to-face conversation with a friend. 2. Read something. 3. Build something. 4. Get wet. A pool. A hose. A sprinkler. Whatever.

“The Joys of Summer” by Mitch Albom August 7, 2011 Conclusion “That’s really enough. Before you can blink, it’s the school year again, where every day is jammed with sports, AP classes, student government, and field trips. That’s fine for September. But if September is no different from June, July, and August, then we’re doing something wrong. And our kids are missing something precious.”

References Common Core State Standards, ELA Howard County Schools