Chapter 2 Writing an Argumentative Essay Grade 7 Common Core Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 1 Support for Claims with 1.Reasons 2.Evidence – includes facts, such as definitions, statistics, and informed judgments

Chapter 2 Writing an Argumentative Essay Grade 7 Common Core Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 2 Definition states the meaning of a word. Example: The pulmonary artery is the vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs. Statistic is a number that describes information. Example: The human body includes about 60 miles of blood vessels. Informed judgment is the opinion of people with knowledge about a topic that they can support. Example: According to the world-famous Mayo Clinic, eating lots of fatty foods contributes to the condition known as hardening of the arteries.

Chapter 2 Writing an Argumentative Essay Grade 7 Common Core Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 3 Reasons include logical conclusions from evidence or ideas. For example, based on the statement by the Mayo Clinic, you could logically conclude that people who want to avoid hardening of the arties should eat a low-fat diet. One Common Mistake people make using reasons is to over generalize, meaning they make a broad statement based on the results of only a few examples. For example: My grandfather ate a high-fat diet, and he lived to be 95; therefore, high-fat diets are healthy.

Chapter 2 Writing an Argumentative Essay Grade 7 Common Core Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 4 Activity 2A Identifying Reasons and Evidence (p. 15) In the following paragraph, underline one example of evidence. Place parentheses around one example of a reason. Our school should start a program to encourage students to help elderly people own pets. This would help the elderly and the students. The elderly would be healthier. Researchers found that senior citizens with pets go to the doctor 30 percent less often than do those without pets. Young people would develop a friendship with someone who is part of an earlier generation. One result of this friendship is that students would appreciate how much the world has improved since “the good old days.”

Chapter 2 Writing an Argumentative Essay Grade 7 Common Core Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 5 Activity 2A Identifying Reasons and Evidence (p. 15) In the following paragraph, underline one example of evidence. Place parentheses around one example of a reason. Our school should start a program to encourage students to help elderly people own pets. This would help the elderly and the students. The elderly would be healthier. Researchers found that senior citizens with pets go to the doctor 30 percent less often than do those without pets. Young people would develop a friendship with someone who is part of an earlier generation. (One result of this friendship is that students would appreciate how much the world has improved since “the good old days.”)