What are the elements of an argumentation essay?

Let’s Review

Argumentative writing follows a certain format:

INTRODUCTION with a CLAIM and reasons.

BODY where the argument is explained and evidence is used to support claim.

CONCLUSION where main points are summarized and reviewed and the reader is left with something to think about.

Let’s Review Pick a side! The writer must clearly state his/her position

(CLAIM) and stay with that position. Pick a side!

The CLAIM is stated in the introduction.

Let’s Review

Read and Mark Your Text

In order to convince the reader you need more than just an opinion; you need facts or examples to back your opinion. So, be sure to read the text carefully and mark your evidence!

MAKE A PLAN, then write!

The Argumentation Essay:1. Introduction with CLAIM and reasons

(Example of Claim and Reasons: Fast food should be banned because it is harmful to our health. It rapidly increases weight, it causes high blood pressure and it leads to sluggishness)2. Argument 1 with support from the text & Elaboration3. Argument 2 with support from the text & Elaboration4. Argument 3 with support from the text & Elaboration5. Show the counter-argument & Rebuttal6. Conclusion

Let’s Review

Remember, argumentative writing is where the author states his or her opinion (CLAIM) and then proves it true with evidence (CITING TEXT).

The goal is to get the reader to agree with what he or she is arguing.

Core Lesson

CLAIM & Reasons: The part of the essay that states the author’s opinion about the topic and lays out the support he or she is going to use.

Topic sentence: The sentence in the body paragraph that states the main idea. It comes directly from the claim.

Vocabulary you should know…

Core Lesson

Evidence (Supporting Detail): Evidence cited in the body paragraphs that proves the topic sentence true and therefore prove the CLAIM to be true. Evidence is introduce the following way. According to the text, “…”

Elaboration: Information written by the author to explain and clarify the evidence.

Let’s review the different parts of an argumentation essay by labeling the claim (and reasons), topic sentence, evidence (supporting details) and elaboration.

Core Lesson

The littering problem should be solved because it costs our city money, makes people sick, and leads to more crime. All in all, littering is bad news for any city.

Opinion/CLAIMC Reaso

ns

Cities that have a littering problem end up losing more money than cities that don’t.

Elements of an introduction

Core Lesson

Cities that have a littering problem end up losing more money than cities that don’t. According to the text, “it costs more money to clean up the streets than it does to empty trashcans.” When people throw their garbage away in a trashcan, city workers only have to go to a few spots to gather it and take it to the dump. However, when the trash is all over the streets, city workers have to spend all day collecting it piece by piece in order to get it to the dump. The city has to pay the workers for the extra time it takes to do this job. The money that cities spend to clean up the litter from the streets can be spent on recreations for its citizens.

Evidence/ Supporting Detail

Elaboration

Topic Sentence

Elements of a body paragraph

Closing Sentence

You have just reviewed how to identify the different parts of an argumentation essay by labeling the claim, topic sentence, evidence (supporting

details) and elaboration.

Guided Practice

Directions: On your handout, you will see a claim and one body paragraph. Label the claim, topic sentence, evidence (supporting

details) and elaboration in that essay.

Core Lesson

Place a “C” next to the CLAIM. 1

2Place a “TS” next to the Topic Sentence.

3 “Place an “SD” next to the Supporting Details.

Place an “E” next to the Elaboration. 4

Traveling is something that many people wish they could do. It should be mandatory for young people to travel to diverse places. Traveling can help broaden the cultural knowledge of young people, it create memories for a lifetime, and it teaches responsibility.

If young people are forced to travel, it will help them to get accustom to different cultures. According to the text, “the world contains lots of countries and not all people are the same. When travelling, you get the opportunity to meet different people from different places. In life, one of the most important social skills we learn is how to interact and communicate with people who are different than we are.” Interacting with people from a variety of different places helps to open our eyes to different ways of seeing things.

When people travel, they create lifetime memories because they experience situations that they ordinarily wouldn’t. According to the text, “when the group was traveling last summer, for instance, they got stuck at a border crossing, so the bus ride took eight hours instead of two. They learned many new and exciting things about their fellow travelers that day.” This is an experience that these travelers can carry with themthroughout their lives.

Young people who travel learn how to be more responsible because they learn more about themselves than they ever imagined. As stated in the passage, “traveling has shown me aspects of my personality that I’ve previously never looked at. Whilst traveling, I was responsible for making sure that I woke up on time to catch the bus, meet a tour group, or catch up with friends.” Everything, including your safety, depends on you. The responsibilities that young people experience while traveling adds positively their lives.

Let’s Review Elements of a conclusion

When young people travel to other countries and see the amazing beauty of diversity and experience the way that other people who are different from them live, they gain a passion for life that they otherwise would not have. They develop a deeper sense of cultural awareness that they did not have before. Lifelong memories and friendships are formed with people who don’t look or act like they do. Young people develop a better sense of responsibility while traveling because they are sometimes placed in real-life situations where they have to be responsible for matters such as budgeting their money. Traveling should be required for young people because it connects them to the world in profound and lasting ways.

Closing Sentence

Topic Sentence

Reasons