This presentation was given at the ASCD Annual Convention 2015.

1. Get Middle Schoolers on Board
with Argumentation
Angela B. Peery, Ed. D.
Educational Consultant
angela.peery@hmhco.com
drangelapeery@gmail.com

2. Teaching the skills of argumentation...
It’s not a fad.
It’s been a good idea
for a long, long time.

3. But many of us are now focused on
argumentation like never before…

5. In this session…
• Use crime scene scenarios to introduce
argument writing
• Distinguish claims from non-claims
• Understand the roles of logos, ethos,
pathos in an argument
• Connect reasons and evidence
• Examine model arguments
• Plan for teaching argument

6. Using Crime Scene Scenarios

7. Teaching Argument
Writing,
Grades 6-12
by George Hillocks,
2011

8. Let’s analyze a crime
scene together…

9. The Case of Lady Frankenport’s Emerald
As detectives, you are assigned to a case involving the Glitzy Jewelry
Store heist. You arrive to hear the store owner tell her story:
“I honestly don’t have much to tell you,” Mazie Morris, the jewelry
store owner, moans. Obviously distraught, she continues: “I arrived
this morning, and I admit I was a little late, but I opened up the store
as I usually do. When I got here, I noticed the broken window and
then I rushed to the case in which the fabulous Lady Frankenport
emerald was housed. Missing! Gone!” Dissolving in tears, Mazie sobs,
“Just yesterday all the newspapers carried the story of the emerald’s
arrival here in New York and how fortunate we were, as a small
family-owned jewelry store, to acquire it. I called the police as soon
as I saw the empty case.”

10. As Mrs. Morris continues to talk to the officers, you investigate the
scene. The jewelry store is located facing a quiet street, attached to a
small but pricy boutique, with a maroon canopy stretching across the
building that fits with the neighborhood’s elegance and class. As you
investigate, you are careful to watch your step. Broken glass litters the
street from the jewelry store window you assume the thief had entered.
A long alleyway stretches along the left side of the building, which has no
windows, although a few small air vents are visible. A locked, reinforced
steel door is on the back side of the building. Drawing a rough sketch,
you rejoin the officers in time to hear the rest of the story.
“This theft is so ironic,” the owner continues, “since just last week I
contacted a company to have an alarm installed yesterday because of the
arrival of Lady Frankenport’s emerald. Our last system was hopelessly
outdated and was dismantled in preparation for the new system. Oh
dear, what a loss!”

11. http://www.cyberbee.com/whodunnit/
crimescene.html
Shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/m2pmmaf
Here’s an
easy one to
use with
students…

12. Another good one for students…
• Who Killed the Red Baron?
• http://tinyurl.com/mvufbfq

13. More Advanced Options
(in the uploaded handout)
• Slip or Trip?
• The Murder of Jack Sweeney

14. The Body

15. Claims and Non-Claims
Think of the claim in an argument as the most general
statement in the argument. It may not be a particularly
general statement all by itself, and some claims for
arguments are very narrow indeed. But the claim in an
argument is like the umbrella statement that all other parts
of an argument have to fall under.
Writing@CSU — home of Colorado State University's
open-access learning environment
See writing.colostate.edu

16. Is it a claim, an opinion, a logical fallacy, or
something else?

17. Types of Claims
• Fact or definition
• Value, judgment, or worth
• Cause and effect
• Policy or solution

18. 1. Driving hybrid cars is an effective way to reduce pollution.
2. If the government were to ban gas-guzzling cars, they would
eventually ban air travel as well.
3. The show “Whale Wars” is my favorite reality show.
4. The show “Whale Wars” should not be on TV because the crew on
the show is a bunch of unlawful hippies.
5. Watching reality shows is a waste of an intelligent person’s time
and energy.
6. Raising the federal minimum wage would be beneficial for both
workers and business owners.
7. People who don’t support the increase in the federal minimum
wage have contempt for the poor.
8. If I had to work three minimum wage jobs to support my family, I
would.
9. The use of plastic grocery bags should be minimized in order to
better protect our planet.

19. Logos, Ethos, and Pathos
• The three artistic proofs
• Elements of effective argumentation

20. The Importance of Evidence
“We would all probably like to believe that the people we argue
with will accept our claims and reasons as perfect and
complete by themselves, but most readers are unlikely to do
that. They want evidence of some sort--facts, examples,
statistics, expert testimony, among others – to back up our
reasons… To be believable and convincing, evidence should
satisfy three conditions. It should be sufficient, credible , and
accurate.”
Writing@CSU — home of Colorado State
University's open-access learning
environment
See writing.colostate.edu

21. Connecting Reasons and Evidence
• What constitutes evidence?
• Can evidence convince you to change your
mind?
• You must be able to explain how evidence you
cite supports the reasons that you provide

22. Let’s play the evidence game…

23. Potbellied pigs make good family
pets.

24. Evidence
• They bond easily with humans.
• They are generally hypoallergenic.
• They are highly trainable and learn at a faster rate than
dogs.
• The pig’s brain is only slightly less developed than a
dolphin’s.
• They can live to be 20 years old.
• They are very susceptible to heat and stress.
• They are physically incapable of sweating.
• You can train a pig to walk on a leash.

25. Model Essays

27. Color-coded essay available as a Word
document at
drangelapeery.com

29. Plan for Effective Teaching of
Argument
• Crime scene scenarios
• Claims vs. non-claims
• Logos, ethos, pathos
• Reasons and evidence (and the evidence
game)
• Model arguments

30. What
are your
next
steps?