1. Argument Writing Topics & Reactions
What does your gut say?
Argument Writing Topics & Reactions 1

2. FOR EACH CLAIM… In one sentence, respond to the statement. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?2

3. 1. Cell phones should be banned from all classrooms
1. Cell phones should be banned from all classrooms. Your Response: Cell phones should/should not be banned from all classrooms because…

4. 2. Schools should ban the sales of all soda and junk food in their buildings.

5. 3. Schools should not filter or block the internet.

6. 4. Grades for P.E. class should count toward a student’s grade point average (GPA).

7. 5. Students and teachers should not be allowed to be "friends" with or "followers" on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media site.

8. 6. Minors should be allowed to get a tattoo without parent's permission.

9. 7. The legal driving age should be 18.

10. 8. The punishment for texting and driving should be the same as it is for drinking and driving.

11. 9. Video gaming is dangerous to a person’s health and well-being.

12. 10. Football and other high-injury sports should be banned for children under the age of 18.

13. 11. Homework should be eliminated completely.

14. 12. Prayer should not be allowed in public schools.

15. 13. All students should serve 100 hours of community service before graduating.

16. Table-Talk Which argument did you feel the most passionately about
Table-Talk Which argument did you feel the most passionately about? Which warranted the strongest “gut” reaction? You have 5 minutes to convince the people around you to agree with your opinion.

17. HOW TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH FOR AN ARGUMENT ESSAY

18. An argument paragraph should include: 1
An argument paragraph should include: 1. Your one reason for or against the claim 2. Evidence to support your point (facts & data from reputable sources) 3. Explanation of your supporting evidence (explain why it supports your point)

19. So, you’ve got your claim. Now what?
Once you have your claim, you’ll want to break it up into reasons.
Reasons support your opinion for your claim.
Not all reasons are created equal!

20. Claim: Cell phones should be banned from school.
What is the reason for your belief?
I bombed a test in Geometry because instead of teaching us the content, the teacher was busy yelling at us to put our phones away the whole time.

21. Why won’t it work? You could have asked for tutoring.
You could have addressed the issue with the teacher before you took the test.
Personal anecdotes are great, but the REAL issue is not that you bombed the test, but that the teacher couldn’t do her job because she has to spend time policing the cell phones

22. What’s a better/the real reason?
Cell phones should be banned from school because they distract teachers from teaching.

23. What are the reasons for your opinion?
Claim: It is wrong for Facebook to collect data on its users for financial gain.
What are the reasons for your opinion?
It violates my privacy
It’s creepy
Why won’t these work?

24. Why these are weak reasons
It violates my privacy.
You agreed to this when you signed up.
It’s creepy.
Can you even gather facts and data on this?

25. The real reason
It is wrong that Facebook downloads beacons onto our computers to gather personal information about our computer activity, not just activity on Facebook.

26. EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH FOR CLAIM: Cell phones should be banned from the classroom.

27. CLAIM: Cell phones should be banned from schools.
Cell phones should be banned from schools because they distract students from learning. According to Armstrong Williams, author of “Classrooms Are No Place for Cell Phones,” students use their cell phones during school to “send text messages during class, browse sexual content on the Internet, cheat on tests, and even coordinate drug deals on school grounds.” Williams says that all of these distractions put unnecessary stress on teachers and administrators who now have to police the use of cell phones. One text message containing answers to a unit test can invalidate an entire month of instruction. One image snapped in the locker room and posted online may have life-long consequences. These actions can occur in mere seconds; requiring teachers and administrators to monitor every student every second of the day is impossible. Yet, even if it were possible, is this what we want our teachers to focus on? They should be focused on instructing students in their academic field, not monitoring cell phone use.
160 words; 8 sentences

28. The paragraph focuses on only ONE reason.
Cell phones should be banned from schools because they distract students from learning. According to Armstrong Williams, author of “Classrooms Are No Place for Cell Phones,” students use their cell phones during school to “send text messages during class, browse sexual content on the Internet, cheat on tests, and even coordinate drug deals on school grounds.” Williams says that all of these distractions put unnecessary stress on teachers and administrators who now have to police the use of cell phones. One text message containing answers to a unit test can invalidate an entire month of instruction. One image snapped in the locker room and posted online may have life-long consequences. These actions can occur in mere seconds; requiring teachers and administrators to monitor every student every second of the day is impossible. Yet, even if it were possible, is this what we want our teachers to focus on? They should be focused on instructing students in their academic field, not monitoring cell phone use.
TOPIC SENTENCE
The paragraph focuses on only ONE reason.
Begin with the reason.
Add your facts/data.
Then remind the reader of your reason (tying it all together) at the end of the paragraph.
Notice the reason is reworded from the first sentence.

29. DATA: Include Evidence
Your facts and data should SUPPORT your one reason. STAY FOCUSED on that single reason.
This example includes both a
direct quote and a paraphrase.
Even if you paraphrase something, you still need to cite it. They are not your own original thoughts.
Cell phones should be banned from schools because they distract students from learning. According to Armstrong Williams, author of “Classrooms Are No Place for Cell Phones,” students use their cell phones during school to “send text messages during class, browse sexual content on the Internet, cheat on tests, and even coordinate drug deals on school grounds.” Williams says that all of these distractions put unnecessary stress on teachers and administrators who now have to police the use of cell phones. One text message containing answers to a unit test can invalidate an entire month of instruction. One image snapped in the locker room and posted online may have life-long consequences. These actions can occur in mere seconds; requiring teachers and administrators to monitor every student every second of the day is impossible. Yet, even if it were possible, is this what we want our teachers to focus on? They should be focused on instructing students in their academic field, not monitoring cell phone use.

30. LINKING YOUR EVIDENCE TO YOUR REASON
Cell phones should be banned from schools because they distract students from learning. According to Armstrong Williams, author of “Classrooms Are No Place for Cell Phones,” students use their cell phones during school to “send text messages during class, browse sexual content on the Internet, cheat on tests, and even coordinate drug deals on school grounds.” Williams says that all of these distractions put unnecessary stress on teachers and administrators who now have to police the use of cell phones. One text message containing answers to a unit test can invalidate an entire month of instruction. One image snapped in the locker room and posted online may have life-long consequences. These actions can occur in mere seconds; requiring teachers and administrators to monitor every student every second of the day is impossible. Yet, even if it were possible, is this what we want our teachers to focus on? They should be focused on instructing students in their academic field, not monitoring cell phone use.
LINKING YOUR EVIDENCE TO YOUR REASON
Give your EXPLANATION of how the facts apply to your argument (your one reason).
Your explanation is in your own words. These are your own thoughts and observations that LINK the facts to your reason.

31. CITING YOUR SOURCES
THIS is the in-text citation. It is the easiest and smoothest way to cite a source.
Use phrases like:
• According to…
• A recent study from…
• [Author’s Name] says…
• In her article “School Daze,” Jane Doe blames…
Cell phones should be banned from schools because they distract students from learning. According to Armstrong Williams, author of “Classrooms Are No Place for Cell Phones,” students use their cell phones during school to “send text messages during class, browse sexual content on the Internet, cheat on tests, and even coordinate drug deals on school grounds.” Williams says that all of these distractions put unnecessary stress on teachers and administrators who now have to police the use of cell phones. One text message containing answers to a unit test can invalidate an entire month of instruction. One image snapped in the locker room and posted online may have life-long consequences. These actions can occur in mere seconds; requiring teachers and administrators to monitor every student every second of the day is impossible. Yet, even if it were possible, is this what we want our teachers to focus on? They should be focused on instructing students in their academic field, not monitoring cell phone use.

32. • Choose one of the claims and write one paragraph focusing on ONE reason for or against the statement. • Back it up with FACTS and DATA. • Use research to find credible sources to support your one reason.

33. To back up your reason, you will need recent and relevant data
To back up your reason, you will need recent and relevant data. TIP: When searching the web, do NOT type a question into a Google search. (You will get results from sites like ask.com that may not have credible answers.) INSTEAD, type your REASON directly into the search. This way you will find results that have similar opinions.

34. Links are active in PLAY mode.
Credible websites: iDebate: NY Times: American Civil Liberties Union: Time Magazine: US Constitution - Constitutional Topics: Public Agenda:
Links are active in PLAY mode.