THE GEOGRAPHER’S TOOLBOX – JUDGMENT ARGUMENT
Prepare Your Argument
Read Aloud the Prompt Write a paragraph in which
you use the five themes to
describe your community.
Explain which theme is
the most important in
making your community
what it is today.
Prewrite Use this
graphic organizer to
help you consider your
options and make a
judgment. List reasons
why each theme could be
the most important and
why each theme could be
the least important. Then
decide which theme is
most important based on
your reasons.
Decision Matrix
Choice
One of five themes of geography:
1. Location 2. Place
4. Movement
3. Human-Environment Interaction
5. Region
Why the Theme Could Be Most Important
Why the Theme Could Be Least Important
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.
Strongest Evidence for the Most Important Theme
Introduction
© National Geographic Learning, Cengage Learning
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THE GEOGRAPHER’S TOOLBOX – JUDGMENT ARGUMENT
Build Your Argument
Use the information from the graphic organizer to build your
argument.
Claim Your claim is a response to the prompt: Which theme is
the most important in your community?
Example: Location
is the most important geographic theme
in shaping my community.
Counterargument and Rebuttal A counterargument might be
that any of the other four themes is more important in shaping
your community. You can offer a rebuttal of each one with more
evidence of your own.
Example: Some
might claim that movement is most important
because of the large number of families leaving the
area. However, this movement has only decreased the
total population of the town by about two percent.
Write your claim in the space below.
Write a counterargument and rebuttal in the space below.
Evidence and Explanations Your evidence is facts and
observations about your community with an explanation for how
these facts and observations support your claim.
Example: My
community is located along a river. This location
is important to most families in my community
because they make a living from river activities such
as fishing, ferrying, and water management.
Write your evidence and explanations in the space below.
Introduction
Draft Your Argument
Now write your argument on a separate sheet of paper
or with word-processing software.
Use the components of the argument as an organizing structure.
Start by answering the writing prompt with your claim. Then
support it with your evidence and explanations. Next address a
counterargument and offer a rebuttal.
© National Geographic Learning, Cengage Learning
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THE GEOGRAPHER’S TOOLBOX – JUDGMENT ARGUMENT
Revise and Strengthen Your Argument
Read your argument aloud to yourself and pay attention to how
well it addresses the components of an effective argument. Then
use the scales below to rate your writing.
Claim
Clear, specific,
and reasonable
Claim Try adding decisive words like definitely, positively,
or absolutely.
Unclear, vague,
and unreasonable
Evidence and Explanation
Provides strong
support of claim
Does not support claim
Counterargument and Rebuttal
Identifies objections and
addresses them effectively
Introduction
Now do the same thing with a partner. Read your arguments
aloud to each other and rate them using the scales. If you or your
partner scored low on one or more components, here are some
ways you might improve:
Overlooks objections and/or
does not address them
Evidence and Explanations Make your evidence more specific.
Instead of just saying many families, provide numbers or a
percentage: More than two-thirds of the families in my community
make a living from the river.
Tie your explanation directly to your claim: This fact shows how
location is most important to our community because if it weren’t
for our location along the river, most people in the community
would live completely different lives.
Counterargument and Rebuttal Be specific about potential
objections to your claim. Rather than saying Some people might
think, say People who commute to work might think.
© National Geographic Learning, Cengage Learning
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