Module 5: Grades 6-8
The Common Core
and Argument Writing
Where will this module take you?
1.Standard W1
2.Difference between persuasion and argument
3.Analyzing examples
4.How to write an argument
Warm Up
• What was your best writing experience?
• What was your worst writing experience?
Argument Writing from Text
CCR.W.1
• Write arguments to support claims in an
analysis of substantive topics or texts, using
valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient
evidence.
• What does this mean?????
• Let’s look at the standard at your grade level.
The Standards
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standard for Writing #1. Write arguments to support
claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence.
The Standards
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standard for Writing #1. Write arguments to support
claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence.
The Standards
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standard for Writing #1. Write arguments to support
claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence.
What Is the Difference between Persuasive
and Argument?
Persuasive - In a persuasive essay, you can
select the most favorable evidence, appeal
to emotions, and use style to persuade
your readers. Your single purpose is to be
convincing . The same might be said of
propaganda and advertising.
What Is the Difference between Persuasive
and Argument?
Argument, on the other hand, is mainly
about logical appeals and involves claims,
evidence, warrants, backing, and rebuttals,
Argument is at the heart of critical thinking
and academic discourse; it is the kind of
writing students need to know for success in
college and in life—the kind of writing that
the Common Core State Standards puts first.
Claim-Evidence-Reasoning
• Claim: An arguable assertion or
conclusion that answers the original
question
• Evidence: Support for the claim that is
appropriate and sufficient
• Reasoning: A justification that links the
claim and evidence
What Does Argument Look Like In The Content Areas?
ELA
Claim
Evidence
Reasoning
Math
Claim
Evidence
Reasoning
S.S.
Claim
Evidence
Reasoning
Sci.
Claim
Evidence
Reasoning
Arguments across disciplines
• “Although arguments in different fields use the same
elements (claims, warrants, etc.), fields have different
goals for argumentation, degrees of formality and
precision, and modes of resolution, with the consequence
that evaluative judgments should be made within fields,
not between fields."
Also. . .
• There are "multiple differences between academic
argument and public argument."
~Miller & Charney
Common Core: What is Argument?
To change reader’s point of view
To bring about some action on the reader’s part
To ask the reader to accept the writer’s explanation
or evaluation of a concept, issue, or problem
Is it Argument or Persuasion?
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERRlDEoHG9Y
OR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6dnbAoJl6U
Elements of Argument
• Claim
• Cite
o Evidence: relevant and verifiable
• Clarify
o Warrant: explanation of how the evidence
supports the claim; often common sense rules,
laws, scientific principles or research, and wellconsidered definitions.
o Backing: support for the warrant (often extended
definitions)
• Qualifications and Counter-arguments:
acknowledgement of differing claims
Is it argument or persuasion?
Is it Argument or Persuasion?
Is it Argument or Persuasion?
Digging Deeper Into Argument
•
•
•
•
Claims
Evidence
Warrant
Counterclaims
Four corners
• The Supreme Court was right to reverse the ban on the
sale of violent video games to children.
• Strongly Agree? Agree? Disagree? Strongly Disagree?
Write for 3 minutes on your opinion.
• Go to corner of room matching your response. In your
groups, you have several minutes to create an argument:
claim, convincing evidence (yes, you can use your
laptops), and explanation to present a two-minute
argument to the rest of the groups.
Grade-level samples
• Group by grade level and read associated sample.
Grade 6 (Dear Mr. Sandler)
Grade 7 (Video Cameras In Classrooms)
Grade 8 (Shut Down Your Screen Week)
• Discuss what the writing reveals about characteristics
of argument writing (according to CCSS).
• Label the elements of an argument within the sample.
• Count off by 3’s. Form a group with your like number
and share your sample group’s findings. Generate a
list of characteristics across samples: what are the
qualities of argument writing, as revealed by these
samples (in connection to standards)? Be prepared to
share your group’s list.
Argument Writing Process
Choosing an arguable issue
• Arguments need. . .
– An issue
– An arguer
– An audience
– Common ground
– A forum
– Audience outcomes
– Arguments fail with. . .
• No disagreement or reason to
argue
• Risky or trivial issues
• Difficulty establishing common
ground
• Standoffs or fights that result in
negative outcomes
Building a Topic Bank
School
issues
Local Issues State Issues National
Issues
Global
Issues
Narrowing a topic
Preventing Bullying
Name calling
Texting
bad names
Elements of Argument
• Claim
• Cite
o Evidence: relevant and verifiable
• Clarify
o Warrant: explanation of how the evidence
supports the claim; often common sense rules,
laws, scientific principles or research, and wellconsidered definitions.
o Backing: support for the warrant (often extended
definitions)
• Qualifications and Counter-arguments:
acknowledgement of differing claims
How to Construct an Argument
•
•
•
•
Develop a main claim/strong thesis
Types of claims
Citing evidence
Organizing the argument
DDOE Revised Writing Rubrics
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DDOE Revised Writing Rubrics
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Writing Rubric: Changes
Changes
Then
Now
Traits
Reading/Research
Organization
Development
Lang./Conventions
Evidence/Elaboration
Organization/Purpose
Lang./Conventions
Reading/Research & Development = Evidence/Elaboration
Weighting
Reading/Research – 2
Organization – 2
Development – 3
Lang./Conventions - 1
Non-Scorable
Responses
--------
Evidence/Elaboration –
2
Organization/Purpose –
2
Lang/Conventions - 1
Added
PL Descriptors
1-4
Added: Above, At,
Approaching, Below
PL4
Approaching next grade
level
At next grade level
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It is strongly suggested that
teachers use the DE Writing
Rubric vs. SBAC Full Write
Rubric
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Delaware Writing Rubrics
SBAC Performance Task Rubrics
Grade Specific
Grade Bands – teachers need to know that not
all standards represented are for one grade –
watch asterisks
Discourse Specific
Discourse specific
Optional use of research standards; can be
used for stand alone, text based, or
performance tasks
Research standards are part of this rubric- not
optional – this rubric is meant for scoring
performance tasks
Ideal for instruction – analytic nature
Meant for high stakes assessment to give
holistic feedback
Standards are listed
Standards are not listed
Score point of a 4 is above grade level –
standards are noted; “skillfully” if standard
language has not changed from one grade to
the next
Score point of a 4 is an extension of the grade
level standard in the 3
Language/Conventions Table by grade level
with standards listed
Language/Conventions table by grade band –
standards not listed
What do you think?
• Based upon your grade level rubric, score of 3:
– What do your students need to know?
– What do your students need to be able to do?
– WOWs!?
– Whoas!?
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Activity: Where to start instruction
1. With a partner, analyze a writing
sample(s) from your classe(s).
• Using the rubric, what core
descriptors are used effectively?
• What core descriptors are
missing?
2. Take a look at the W1 learning
progression for your grade level.
• Where should instruction begin for
this student?
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Reflection
• Why is it important to know core descriptors?
• How will knowing the core descriptors impact classroom
instruction for all learners?
• Why is it important to know the expectations across grade
levels?
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Gradual Release Model
There are four components of the
GRM:
1. Focus Lesson- establish
purpose, brief, and teacher
modeling occurs to activate
prior/background knowledge
2. Guided Instruction- teacher
prompts, facilitates, leads
instruction. Student’s needs are
addressed.
3. Collaborative Learningopportunities for students to
problem solve with peers. Teacher
monitors.
4. Independent work- students
apply understanding in new ways.
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Accommodations for All Learners
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•
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•
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Build upon students’ strengths, interests, and needs
Build in time every day for review of important concepts
Make tasks meaningful
Use symbols/signals to help students follow directions, i.e., arrow to continue, stop sign to stop
Chunk/highlight key passages using markers or highlighting tape
Use clear overlays that won’t ruin the book
Allow students to dictate their stories into a tape recorder
Students With Disabilities (SWD)
Students with disabilities are a heterogeneous group with one common characteristic:
the presence of disabling conditions that significantly hinder their abilities to benefit
from general education (IDEA 34 CFR§300.39, 2004).
For Students with disabilities to be successful they will need:
1. Supports and related services to address their unique educational need
2. An IEP to help them build skills to access the general education curriculum
3. High quality, evidence based, individualized instruction
Teacher should:
1. Be familiar with Standards and decide if student needs to master whole standard or
parts of the standard
2. Analyze test results and determine students Present Level of Performance (PLEP)
and determine how far off grade level the student is working. Be sure to document
all data sources used
3. Define the student in terms that translate directly into instructional intervention
Lessons designed with Universal Design of Learning Principles will allow the student
the most access to grade level standards with minimal to no barriers.
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Activity
Divide group in half.
Group A read ‘Recommendations’ 1 and 2 and concluding statement
Group B read ‘Recommendations’ 3 and 4 and concluding statement
Each group share out their opinion on the piece of the article that they read.
Do you find the recommendations to be of value? Would you try or have you tried any of these recommendations in
your classroom?
Once finished the groups can also look at the link : http://www.udlcenter.org/advocacy/faq_guides/common_core
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Instructional, Implementation and General Resources
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•
Application of the CCSS for Students with Disabilities from the Common
Core State Standards Initiative:
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-to-students-withdisabilities.pdf
•
The IDEA Partnership’s collection of tools and resources on the Common
Core and assessments:
www.ideapartnership.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1
522&Itemid=151
•
http://www.leadered.com/pdf/Special%20Ed%20&%20CCSS%20white%20p
aper.pdf
•
ASCD webinar and related materials on Common Core State Standards:
Where Does Differentiation Fit? http://www.ascd.org/professionaldevelopment/webinars/tomlinson-and-britt-webinar.aspx
English Language Learners
A single approach to writing will not meet the needs of all students
•
2007-08 10.6% of public school enrollment were English Language
Learner students (5.3 million students)
Quality Instruction has the greatest effect on achievement for these
students
• systematic phonics in grades K–1, cooperative learning, and direct
instruction in comprehension and vocabulary skills in all grades
• Explicit vocabulary instruction
• Cooperative learning groups
• Small group tutoring
• Frequent assessment and regrouping
Achievement data should drive all instruction, scheduling , and
interventions
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Table Group Work
In a group of 2 to 3 divide and read
the article: Effective Instruction for
English Language .
Write a summary and share out a strategy
for effectively instructing ELL students.
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ELL Proficiency Levels
46
•
http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=31244
Calderon whole school approach to ELL and
CCSS
•
http://widaatwcer.blogspot.com/2012/10/underst
anding-proficiency-levels-using.html
•
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/video.
html#20 potential videos for ELL
Tying It All Together
• Waffles vs. Pancakes
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4A5
zoRuPoQ
References
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Caine, Karen. Writing to Persuade: Mini-lessons to Help Students Plan, Draft, and Revise.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008.
Daniels, Harvey “Smokey,” and Nancy Steineke. Texts and Lessons for Content-Area Reading.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011.
Dean, Deborah. Strategic Writing: The Writing Process and Beyond in Secondary Schools. Urbana, IL:
NCTE, 2006.
---. What Works in Writing Instruction: Research and Practices. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 2010.
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing.
New York: Norton, 2006.
Hillocks, George, Jr. Teaching Argument Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011.
Miller, Carolyn R., and Davida Charney. “Persuasion, Audience, and Argument.” Handbook of
Research on Writing. Ed. Charles Bazerman. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2008. 583-598.
Smagorinsky, Peter, et al. The Dynamics of Writing Instruction: A Structured Process Approach for
Middle and High School. Portsmouth, NH: 2010.
Resources
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Self-Paced eLearning Courses
• ELA/Literacy: CCSS Writing Standards and the
Delaware Writing Rubrics
– Elementary
– Secondary
• Register through PDMS
– https://login.doe.k12.de.us/
• ELA/Literacy eLearning Course Catalog
– http://www.doe.k12.de.us/Page/2427
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Learning Progressions Webinar
• https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playbac
k/link/meeting.jnlp?suid=M.D1D5EDABF616B45B58C2E4
1B464A72&sid=2011040
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Argument Resource Packet
Resources to further clarify for your students.
Introducing others’ ideas
• Put source names either before the idea [Painter insists that
the hula hoop can help fight diabetes] or after the idea in
parentheses [Others find the idea ridiculous (Smith, Wilson)].
• Use vivid and precise verb signals more than “says” or
“believes” to show how an author feels or how an idea might
relate to other ideas: agrees, recommends, insists, explains
• Make sure the idea adds to the point you are making.
Dropping in unrelated quotes or names diminishes your
credibility. SHOW how the idea contributes to YOUR
argument.
Quoting
•
Why use quotations?
– when the speaker’s name and reputation add credibility
– when the phrasing of the quotation is interesting or
revealing and cannot be stated another way as effectively
•
How effective are these examples?
– Many students “improve their reading ability” by looking at
a text closely and by giving their first reactions to it (Burke
46).
– Mem Fox contests, “worksheets are the dead-end streets
of literacy: there’s a non-message on each line, going
nowhere, for no reason” (69).
•
Hints: cut quotes to the core and use them like
spice, sparingly
Using others’ ideas appropriately
• Quoting: using
•
•
the exact words of another. Words must be
placed in quotation marks and the author cited.
Summarizing: putting the ideas of another in your own words
and condensing them. Author must be identified.
Paraphrasing: putting someone else’s ideas in your words
but keeping approximately the same length as the
original. Paraphrase must be original in both structure and
wording, and accurate in representing author’s intent. It
can not just be switching out synonyms in the original
sentence. Author must be identified.
Summarizing
• Summaries
– Should be shorter than original text
– Should include the main ideas of the original
– Should reflect the structure of the original text somewhat
– Should include important details
Is this an effective summary of Source B?
At the moment of harvest, food begins to lose vitamins, minerals, and
phytochemicals important for fighting disease and maintaining
health. Because the decrease is negligible, however, even if food is
days or weeks from harvest, it’s still possible to derive nutrition from
it and be healthy by making smart food choices.
Paraphrasing
• Source: “People of African descent in the Diaspora do not
speak languages of Africa as their mother tongue.”
• Inappropriate Paraphrase: “People of African descent no
longer speak the languages of Africa as their first
language.”
• Appropriate Paraphrase: “Painter contends that cultural
factors like language and religion divide African
Americans from their ancestors. Black Americans speak a
wide variety of languages, but usually these are not
African.”
Scaffolding instruction- additional practice
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Day 1: explore the genre. Read samples and analyze parts. Do fact/opinion work with essays.
Day 2: Read and analyze more letters to the editor. Rank them in order of effectiveness. Begin list of criteria for this writing.
Begin to generate possible topics.
Day 3: Read and analyze some argument essays. Consider claims, evidence, organization, tone (snarl words and purr
words). How do these apply to letters to editor? Homework: What do you want to write to editor about? Write your claim,why
you hold the opinion and why someone might disagree with you.
Day 4: Choosing newspaper and identifying audience. Look at more letters in your target newspaper. What topics? What
language? How long? How organized? What do these things tell about the anticipated audience? Note to leave class:
Which newspaper? Describe audience.
Day 4: Inquiry—time in library for finding evidence. Homework, too?
Scaffolding instruction
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Day 5: Fill in graphic organizer; evaluate quality of evidence. Take one piece of evidence and explain how it supports claim
(teacher modeling). Turn in.
Evidence
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Day 6: Logic and organization, transitions
Day 7: Drafting, returning to models
Day 8: Peer evaluation
Day 9: Revision and further inquiry if necessary
Day 10: Polishing; sentence combining and word choice
Day 11: Due with addressed envelope
Type of evidence
Level of
importance to
audience