The document discusses the fundamentals of constructing arguments, emphasizing their importance in critical thinking and academic writing under the Common Core standards. It outlines the components of an argument, including claims, reasons, and evidence, and distinguishes between types of evidence such as anecdotal and factual. Additionally, it covers the concepts of counter-arguments and rebuttals, providing examples to illustrate effective argumentation.

1. WHAT IS AN ARGUMENT?
A FOUNDATION FOR 6TH GRADE ELA IN
THE COMMON CORE ERA
J. Espinosa, NBCT
August 2013

2. 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. (See National Governors‟ Association.)

3. Fact & Opinion
• Fact – Information that is certain and can be proven.
• Opinion-a statement based on what one thinks, feels, or
believes.

4. Types of Evidence
• Anecdotal Evidence- evidence based on personal
observation and experience, often in the form of a brief
story. Can come from the writer, friends, family, and
acquaintances.
• Factual Evidence- data, confirmed facts, and research
performed by experts. Found by the writer performing
research.
• Textual Evidence-details from the text that can be read
or inferred. Found by the reader in the text to support a
claim.

5. Types of Text Evidence
• A character‟s actions, thoughts, and words
• Juicy Quotes-choosing specific parts of the text to support
•
•
•
•
your claim
Vivid images-figurative language or sensory details used
by the author
Angled retellings/mini-stories around the evidence
Lists
Summaries

6. Two Types of Arguments
• In life –conflicts using language
• Arguing with mom/dad
• Arguing with sister/brother
• At school in speaking and writing – opinions/claims that
can be backed up with evidence.

7. Parts of an Argument
• Claim – a statement of opinion about something, which is
able to be argued for or argued against using the support
of evidence and tied together by reasons.
Stated another way:
CLAIMS = Opinions That Can Be Supported
• A reason is a statement that supports, or backs up, a
claim. It answers the question “Why did you say that?”
• Evidence- details, facts, text evidence, and reasons that
support a claim.
• Must be relevant, relate to the reason
• Must be enough or sufficient to support the reason

8. What is an Argument?
• An argument is a claim with reasons that are supported by
evidence.
• Think of it as a Formula:
ARGUMENT = CLAIM + REASONS + SUPPORTING
EVIDENCE
• An argument is different than an opinion because it is
always supported by evidence and not just reasons.

9. Argument Brace Map
Claim
Argument
Reasons
Supporting Evidence

10. Identifying Claims
• Claim Signal Words
• Therefore
• Hence
• So
• Accordingly
• In consequence
• Proves that
• As a result

11. Identifying Reasons
• Reason Signal Words
• Since
• Because
• For
• Follows from
• As shown from
• The reason that

12. Identifying Evidence
• Words/Phrases that signal evidence
• For example
• Another example
• For instance
• Another instance
• In addition
• Moreover
• Furthermore

13. Examples of Arguments
• Argument 1: Jose is a good forward because he scores a
lot of goals. Last season he scored 40 goals.
• Argument 2: Claim: The Civil War was caused by slavery.
Reason: …because the Northern states rejected
the Southern states dependence on slavery
Supporting Evidence: The recorded debates in
newspapers and state legislatures in the North
focused on the South‟s dependence on slavery,
not economics.

14. More examples
• Argument 3:
• Claim: Charlotte was a good friend to Wilbur in book Charlotte’s
Web.
• Reason 1: . . because she saved his life.
• Supporting Text Evidence: She spelled words in her web including
“Some Pig” which made him stand out as special.
• Reason 2: . . because she taught Wilbur how to make and be a
friend.
• Supporting Text Evidence: Charlotte taught Wilbur to help others,
like Templeton. The last word she spun for Wilbur was „humble‟ to
remind him to be humble even though he won the prize at the fair.

15. More Examples Cont.
• Argument 4: Claim: Some people think that “Fly Away
Home” is about a homeless boy, Andrew, and his father
trying not to be noticed so they can live in the airport, but
I think it is a story about holding on to hope.
• Reason: . . .because Andrew keeps hoping that his family
will get an apartment of their own.
• Supporting Text Evidence: He saves the money he earns
on weekends to help his father get enough money to rent
an apartment. Whenever he starts to feel hopeless he
remembers the trapped bird in the terminal that eventually
after several days of trying escaped through the open
sliding door.

16. Counter-Argument
• Counter-Argument-An argument that disagrees with or
opposes another argument.
Example of a counter-argument: Some people say that
everyone should not wear seat belts because it saves lives
such as when a car plunges into a river off a bridge and the
person drowns.

17. Rebuttal
• A rebuttal is evidence that negates or disagrees with the
counter-argument.
• Example of a rebuttal: Some people say that everyone
should not wear seat belts because it saves lives such as
when a car plunges into a river off a bridge and the
person drowns, but statistics show that many more people
die in crashes when they don’t wear seat belts.

18. Let‟s Argue . . . You know what I mean
• Claim: People should not be allowed to text while driving.
• Reason:
• Evidence:
• Counter-Argument:
• Rebuttal:

19. Let‟s Argue . . . Now in Writing
People should not be allowed to text while driving because
_________________and ________________.
For instance last month I was texting while driving and
________________. On the other hand others might say
that it is perfectly alright to text and drive
because_____________. However according to
___________

20. Let‟s Argue . . . You know what I mean
• Claim: Louie is creative
• Reason: . . . because he can
• Evidence: For example one time he . . .
Another example is when he . . .
• Counter-Argument:
• Rebuttal:

21. Let‟s Argue . . . Now in Writing
• Louie is creative because he can __________and
___________. For example one time he
_____________. Another example is when he
______________. Others might say that Louie is not
creative because he __________. Nonetheless Louie has
_______________ and ____________.

22. In Summary
• Argument = Claims + Reasons + Supporting Evidence
• Counter-Argument: An opposing argument
• Rebuttal: Evidence that disagrees with the counter-
argument