"Reading and Writing Argument"

Oh Yeah?! Wilhelm, Fredricksen & Smith
Ch. 1-2, 4-7, 9

"Say"

Argumentative writing, every student's favorite *sarcasm.

One issue that education is trying to solve is the lack of instruction on argumentative writing. There has been plenty of instruction on persuasive, expository and research writing. However, argument has been treated as the ugly step-sister. Since persuasive writing has taken precedence over argumentative writing students have begun confusing the two. And when the differences are explained students clam up and think they aren't able to do it.

How do we get students comfortable with writing argument and past the stigma attached to it? I think Oh Yeah?! comes up with a great way to approach argument. Start off by explaining argument as anytime we have to make a decision. In our minds, we don't typically think of argument in this way. However, we are essentially arguing for or against something through our choices with some kind of support to back us up.

The confusion doesn't end there. We also have to distinguish the difference between argumentative writing and persuasive writing. Argumentative writing relies heavily on the argumentative appeal, logos. Whereas persuasive writing relies more on pathos and ethos. Persuasive writing also tries to lure it's readers to their side.

Wilhelm, Fredericksen & Smith breaks down an accessible model for argumentative writing. I plan on using that model with my future classroom.

Do:

I am posting a student artifact for my "Do". When I taught a lesson on "The Cask of Amontillado", I had students do a "character chart" activity. They had to choose traits and qualities for a certain character in Poe's short story and argue why they believed they fit that trait. Their argument was driven by textual evidence. One group did Fortunato and created the chart below: