"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
- Abraham Lincoln
Once you've picked a topic, it's time to research it and learn more about both sides of the issue. Remember, argument papers are FACT/RESEARCH based; they are NOT opinion based. The only way your opinion and bias should show through, is in what facts you choose to share with the reader, and the way you poke holes in the other side's reasoning.
Take time to organize your thoughts before you move on to the actual writing stage. In order to convince your reader, you have to make sure not to confuse your reader! We are going to practice organizing your points into CLAIMS, EVIDENCE, and WARRANTS. This will make writing your paragraphs much easier.
Take time to organize your thoughts before you move on to the actual writing stage. In order to convince your reader, you have to make sure not to confuse your reader! We are going to practice organizing your points into CLAIMS, EVIDENCE, and WARRANTS. This will make writing your paragraphs much easier.
Organize Your Notes Clearly
Use the Claims, Evidence, and Warrants Worksheet Google Doc that I attached to your Edmodo assignment to guide your notetaking. This will help you keep track of your claims, evidence, warrants, and sources. Fill out the notes for both your position and the opposing position.
If, for some reason, you need a blank copy of the worksheet, and you cannot access it (like Edmodo is not working), here is a copy of the document. However, you NEED to save it because it will not autosave like Google Docs would. This document is available only on the device you download it on, unlike Google Docs. If you want to make it available everywhere, copy and paste it into a Google Doc.
If, for some reason, you need a blank copy of the worksheet, and you cannot access it (like Edmodo is not working), here is a copy of the document. However, you NEED to save it because it will not autosave like Google Docs would. This document is available only on the device you download it on, unlike Google Docs. If you want to make it available everywhere, copy and paste it into a Google Doc.
claimevidencewarrantworksheet.rtf | |
File Size: | 92 kb |
File Type: | rtf |
Supplementary Materials:
More Information on Claim, Evidence, and Warrants
claim-evidence-warrant1.pdf | |
File Size: | 69 kb |
File Type: |
Things to Keep in Mind as You Research...
Give Credit To Others
1. You will need to write a bibliography for your essay. Keep track of your sources and what information you got from each one. In your essay, give credit for ideas by saying something like "According to a 2010 article in the New York Times..." even when you don't use an exact quote. This will protect you from accusations of plagiarism and it makes your readers trust your evidence more, because you show that it comes from a good source and you didn't just make it up.
2. Plagiarism is serious. If you take any information from a source word for word, you are REQUIRED to put it in quotation marks and state where you got it. You will get a maximum of half credit on your entire essay if you do not follow this rule. Half credit is an F. Please consider this your warning and ask any questions you have about this now.
3. It is ALSO considered plagiarism if you copy and paste and then trade out words or phrases here and there. If your sentence structure is still basically the same, you cannot take credit for the writing, and simply giving credit in the bibliography is not enough. Again, if you turn in a paper with this problem, you can only earn a maximum of half credit on your entire essay. Again, half credit is an F. And, again, please ask any questions you have about this now.
2. Plagiarism is serious. If you take any information from a source word for word, you are REQUIRED to put it in quotation marks and state where you got it. You will get a maximum of half credit on your entire essay if you do not follow this rule. Half credit is an F. Please consider this your warning and ask any questions you have about this now.
3. It is ALSO considered plagiarism if you copy and paste and then trade out words or phrases here and there. If your sentence structure is still basically the same, you cannot take credit for the writing, and simply giving credit in the bibliography is not enough. Again, if you turn in a paper with this problem, you can only earn a maximum of half credit on your entire essay. Again, half credit is an F. And, again, please ask any questions you have about this now.
Before you Write ANYTHING, Zero In On Your Topic
Make sure that you take enough time to think and reflect on your topic, so that you don't get on the wrong track. Many hard-working, intelligent students, find that they need to start over when they are almost done with their essay because they suddenly realize that almost all their points are slightly off topic. Can you imagine how upset you'd be if you realized this after the fact? This is why, before ANYTHING else, you need to make sure you really know what you are arguing for, and against. Make a plan to stay focused on your actual argument. If you find that you are fighting a cause that no one could really argue against, take a moment to figure out what went wrong. If you are 100% right, you are probably not writing on a truly argumentative topic.
Here is an example that happens every year to illustrate what I mean:
Many students who pick a smoking ban for their topic end up wasting a lot of time researching reasons why smoking is "bad" instead of focusing on the actual idea of a ban. This is probably not on purpose, but sometimes when kids look at research, they are just drawn to facts about how terrible smoking is because they are facts no one can argue with. However, I would never approve "Is smoking bad?" as a topic for an argumentative essay because it is not two sided, and for that reason, I cannot give you a good grade for an essay that is written on that topic, whether or not it was on purpose.
Instead, you need to zero in on your ACTUAL argument. In the case of a smoking ban, you should be considering the effects of banning smoking in the United States. What has happened to other substances we banned (for example, the prohibition against alcohol) and how would those experience relate to a smoking ban? How would a ban affect taxes that our government currently collects (would we have to raise taxes on something else to make up the difference)? What about tobacco farmers--would they be harmed? Would our jails be overwhelmed? Would people find a way to illegally sell cigarettes, and make a lot of money as criminals? Would a ban take away police attention from more serious crimes? Are there other, (potentially worse) things that are not banned in the United States? All of THOSE issues are things that the "other side" would bring up. They would NOT try to claim that smoking is good, so spending your time pointing out the obvious is not helping your case. Your time would be much better spent explaining how a ban could benefit people, and figuring out how to poke holes in the concerns I brought up earlier.
Here is an example that happens every year to illustrate what I mean:
Many students who pick a smoking ban for their topic end up wasting a lot of time researching reasons why smoking is "bad" instead of focusing on the actual idea of a ban. This is probably not on purpose, but sometimes when kids look at research, they are just drawn to facts about how terrible smoking is because they are facts no one can argue with. However, I would never approve "Is smoking bad?" as a topic for an argumentative essay because it is not two sided, and for that reason, I cannot give you a good grade for an essay that is written on that topic, whether or not it was on purpose.
Instead, you need to zero in on your ACTUAL argument. In the case of a smoking ban, you should be considering the effects of banning smoking in the United States. What has happened to other substances we banned (for example, the prohibition against alcohol) and how would those experience relate to a smoking ban? How would a ban affect taxes that our government currently collects (would we have to raise taxes on something else to make up the difference)? What about tobacco farmers--would they be harmed? Would our jails be overwhelmed? Would people find a way to illegally sell cigarettes, and make a lot of money as criminals? Would a ban take away police attention from more serious crimes? Are there other, (potentially worse) things that are not banned in the United States? All of THOSE issues are things that the "other side" would bring up. They would NOT try to claim that smoking is good, so spending your time pointing out the obvious is not helping your case. Your time would be much better spent explaining how a ban could benefit people, and figuring out how to poke holes in the concerns I brought up earlier.
Don't Ignore the Other side
Research both sides of the issue and find good sources of information for both. Seriously consider the points both sides make, and figure out why you support one side over another. It is okay to switch sides if you find yourself convinced by the evidence for the other side. If you ignore good points of the other side, readers will notice and wonder if you don't have an answer for them. It is better to acknowledge the other side and point out why your side is still stronger based on facts and logic.
Find More Information Than you Actually Need
Start with extra information/facts. Once you organize the pros and cons, and figure out which facts are the most important and helpful, you can get rid of the extras. You don't want to feel like you need to hold on to weaker evidence/claims just because you don't have other options.
Frequently Asked Questions
(And my Answers)
1. I already know a lot about my topic. Do I really need to research, or can I use my own knowledge?
Don't assume that just because you know a lot about a topic, you know enough to write a paper on it without working too hard at the research bit. Your knowledge is a GREAT starting point, but acknowledge that even the wisest people have a lot to learn, and if you're going to be trusted as an expert, you need to work to go beyond "someone who knows a lot" to "someone who truly understands both sides of an entire issue in expert detail."
2. I can't find research about my topic. What should I do?
Try to use different search terms and see if you can get better results with synonyms. If you try a lot of different things, and you still can't find research, pick a new topic as soon as possible. Don't get so attached to a topic that you can't let go. Now is the time to switch topics before you put too much work into it! It will be much better to switch now, than to try and stretch out the weak evidence you CAN find.
3. I wrote my entire paper, but now I realize a lot of it is off topic (for example, your topic is a smoking ban but your essay is more like an expository essay on all the ways smoking can hurt your health). I don't want to have to start over! That's so much work! Can I leave it the way it is?
Please don't do this! As soon as you figure this out, please talk to me. It's possible I can give you an extension and possibly help you get back on track. It will take extra work redoing what you started, but you will be proud of your final product, and get a grade that makes you proud as well.
4. I don't really like to plan my writing. I just like to jump right in. Do I really have to plan and/or follow the checkpoints along with the class?
If you want to do well, please follow the steps we go through in class. You have never written an argumentative essay before, and your grade depends on meeting the expectations of the assignment. The reason we are going through this assignment step-by-step, is so I can help you do well and ensure that you know exactly what is expected of you. Not to mention, planning your essay helps you to write clearly and purposefully. If you feel like the class is moving too slowly, I can give you the next step early, but you do need to complete each step along the way.
Don't assume that just because you know a lot about a topic, you know enough to write a paper on it without working too hard at the research bit. Your knowledge is a GREAT starting point, but acknowledge that even the wisest people have a lot to learn, and if you're going to be trusted as an expert, you need to work to go beyond "someone who knows a lot" to "someone who truly understands both sides of an entire issue in expert detail."
2. I can't find research about my topic. What should I do?
Try to use different search terms and see if you can get better results with synonyms. If you try a lot of different things, and you still can't find research, pick a new topic as soon as possible. Don't get so attached to a topic that you can't let go. Now is the time to switch topics before you put too much work into it! It will be much better to switch now, than to try and stretch out the weak evidence you CAN find.
3. I wrote my entire paper, but now I realize a lot of it is off topic (for example, your topic is a smoking ban but your essay is more like an expository essay on all the ways smoking can hurt your health). I don't want to have to start over! That's so much work! Can I leave it the way it is?
Please don't do this! As soon as you figure this out, please talk to me. It's possible I can give you an extension and possibly help you get back on track. It will take extra work redoing what you started, but you will be proud of your final product, and get a grade that makes you proud as well.
4. I don't really like to plan my writing. I just like to jump right in. Do I really have to plan and/or follow the checkpoints along with the class?
If you want to do well, please follow the steps we go through in class. You have never written an argumentative essay before, and your grade depends on meeting the expectations of the assignment. The reason we are going through this assignment step-by-step, is so I can help you do well and ensure that you know exactly what is expected of you. Not to mention, planning your essay helps you to write clearly and purposefully. If you feel like the class is moving too slowly, I can give you the next step early, but you do need to complete each step along the way.