Warm-Up Activity:
You have just 8 minutes to decide as a group which of the colonists to sacrifice, or the ship will lose power and crash! Be sure to have 3 supporting reasons for your decisions. Be ready to present your final decision in 8 minutes!
Fact vs. Opinion/ Debatable vs. Non-Debatable Statements
First off, this is an interactive PowerPoint, not a lecture PowerPoint, so don’t fall asleep! Think about fact vs. opinion, and later, debatable vs. non-debatable statements. A different person should volunteer for each statement. At the last slide, choose a category and type a debatable statement into Microsoft Word, followed by the opposing argument to check that it’s debatable. Then, volunteers will be needed to read/show their statement.
What is a claim? What are types of claims?
At the heart of every persuasive piece of writing is a claim. A claim is a view that the author is trying to convince you to accept. There are two types of claims: belief (fact/value) and action (policy/solution). We will review each on strategy on the Claim & Persuasive Strategy document.
Now that you have an understanding of each type of claim, work in pairs to complete Exercise 1 on the Claim & Persuasive Strategy document. Remember to speak in English during your discussions.
Supporting and Opposing Arguments
Read the essay about Santa Claus and look for the key components of argumentative writing that we have discussed so far. Follow the directions and identify the thesis statement, the connecting words used, and the three supporting arguments. Pay attention to the persuasive strategies that the author uses. Then think about why the author mentions 2 opposing arguments. How does this help the argument?
“Problematizing” the Opposing Argument
After reading the essay and answering the questions, you will have seen an example of how an author can present the opposing argument. This is an essential component of argumentative writing. Participate during the PowerPoint to learn how to include an opposing argument in your writing without seeming like you agree with it!
