This session will cover ways to help students make their thesis statements and body paragraph claims debatable. Some tips will include the cause and effect method to add debatable material to factual statements and how to use “why” or “how” questions to develop debatable and on-task claims in student writing.

1. SAVE MY CLAIM
Quick Tips for Writing Debatable Thesis Statements
Skyra Blanchard
Quince Orchard High School
Formerly of State College Area High School
skycblanch@gmail.com
@mssblanchard

2. Discuss your experiences with teaching
persuasive writing.

3. Objective & Agenda
For participants to walk away with
tools to help their students develop
persuasive arguments
The problems
The thought processes
The “solutions”
Photo credit: ©athrine via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

4. Discuss the issues
pertaining to
students and their
thesis
statements--in
essence, recount
thesis workshop
day in your
classrooms.

5. Photo credit: Photos by Mavis via Foter.com / CC BY

6. The Problems
❏ Plot points / summary as claims
❏ Claims as unworthy paraphrases
❏ More is better
❏ Anything they think about is a
viable argument (and maybe it
is?)
❏ Abstract / philosophy statements
Photo credit: Takashi(aes256) via Foter.com / CC BY-
SA

7. Student Example
Does American society allow for a poor individual to become
wealthy? Some people do believe that it is in fact completely
possible for a poor individual to become wealthy in America,
whereas others are very doubtful such a drastic effect can be
achieved. Within American society, most believe, it is improbable
for an individual to go from poor to rich because the American
people have become more pessimistic and are more untrusting of
our government.

8. THE SOLUTIONS Photo credit: Infomastern via
Foter.com / CC BY-SA

9. Start with
open-minded
inquiry:
How can we get
students to
“abandon” / “pause”
their initial
assumptions? Photo credit: Frits Ahlefeldt, Hiking.org via
Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

10. Let’s get our students thinking about building thoughtful & worthy
arguments in writing
cause effect
Plot point / summary statement

11. Example Scaffold
Cause Effect
● He wanted Daisy
● He didn’t want to be poor
● He wanted to be Dan Cody
● He resented his lazy parents
● He lost Daisy
● He was killed
● He lost himself
To help students create arguable claims, follow this (or a version of this template):
Step 1: Start with a plot point.
E.g. Gatsby was liar.
Step 2: Encourage students to think about the cause and effect of their plot point.
Step 3: Develop an arguable thesis.
As a result of Gatsby’s incessant lying, he was killed.

12. Claims answer the question...
HOW? WHY?
Running Thesis: As a result of Gatsby’s incessant lying, he was killed.

13. Student Examples
How? Why?
People should be responsible for their actions, even if
they’re unintentional.
It’s possible for most people to go from being
impoverished to wealthy in America.

14. Other Tips
❏ Allow student choice
❏ Promote real audiences and
Purposes
❖ Scaffold
❏ Work with students one on one
Photo credit: Seth Thomas Rasmussen via
Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

15. Provide Outlines

16. Thank you for
coming
Questions, Comments, Concerns...

17. Text Recommendations