QUARTER 2: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

The Prompt

Key Content

Summative Assessment:
WHAT TO DO? HIGHLIGHT THE VERBS, UNDERLINE THE TASKS.

Who is the audience?

Teacher
In a coherent argumentative essay, defend your position on this
question:

The Essay Must Be:

formal essayacademic language.
NEVER use I, we, us

To what extent are people (inherently) good or evil?

Provide textual evidence from sources you have read or
discussed, or from life experiences and observations.
Make a convincing argument by presenting the assertion (the thesis) clearly
and supporting it with textual evidence from the texts (says, means, matters).

What is my purpose?
to prove that your claim is right
and to improve as a writer

In the conclusion, acknowledge the counterargument, those who would

disagree with the opinion, then restate the thesis, and provide a call to action.

EVIDENCE SKELETON

Essential Structural Elements

What kind of essay is required?
Multi paragraph essay:
1st = Intro. with thesis
2nd= Reason 1 with 2 chunks (S/M/M) (S/M/M)
3rd = Reason 2 with 2 chunks (S/M/M) (S/M/M)
4th = Reason 3 with 2 chunks (S/M/M) (S/M/M)
*Scholar Challenge: mix and match your sources to fit your reasons
better!
5th =conclusion with counterargument, restatement of thesis, and call to
action
What specific components do I need to include?
*MLA (header/pagination, heading, 1 margins, double spacing, 12 pt
professional font)
*citations for a minimum of 3 sources
*Works Cited page with corresponding parenthetical citations

Choose One: ____Good ____Evil

*Humans by nature are inherently good/evil because/based on ____1_____, _______2________, _______3______.

Paragraph #1/Reason #1:

_______________________________

Paragraph #2/Reason #2:

_______________________________

Paragraph #3/Reason #3:

_______________________________

Chunk 1s textual
evidence

Source: ___________
Quote: ________________
PC: (_____________)

Source:________________
Quote: ________________
PC: (______________)

Source:________________
Quote: ________________
PC: (______________)

Chunk 2s textual
evidence

Source:________________
Quote: ________________
PC: (______________)

Source:________________
Quote: ________________
PC: (______________)

Source:________________
Quote: ________________
PC: (______________)

Drafting an Intro. Notes

The Introduction
Hook
the reader

The Language of Introduction

Hook (Quote):
___________ once stated,
_______________________________________.
Hook (anecdote/
onomatopoeia):
____________(Create a visual story for the
reader)___________________.
Hook (historical info.):
____(Provide a
fact)______________________________________
_____.

Some people
think______________________________________
_______________________.
Introduc
e the topic of good
and evil

It has been said that

__________________________________________
_________________.
A topic of debate
__________________________________________
___________________.

In the texts/history, __(name your sources)___,

___explanation/elaboration ________________.

Backgro
und info. continue
to elaborate on the
topic of good vs.
evil-may give
examples)

Thesis: _____(Opinion)________ reason 1, reason

2, and reason 3.
*Humans by nature are inherently good/evil
because/based on ____1_____,

Thesis:
State the position
with 3 reasons

_______2________, _______3______. (MUST

USE PARAELLEL STRUCTURE!)

The Language of Support

The 1st Body Paragraph

***THE USE OF SENTENCE FRAMES IS

OPTIONAL! PULL OUT THE CRUTCH
BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR FINAL
DRAFT!***

One reason why

_________________________________________.

Topic
Sentence (Reason #1 in
thesis)

To better understand this position,

__________________________________.
***Just make reason 1 into a complete sentence.

In ___text/source____, ____name of the author___ states,

_______________ ( ___________).

SAYS:
Provide evidence facts
or examples with citation
(authors last name and
page#)

As __(authors last name)__ mentioned on page ___,

________________________.
The author points out, _______________________
( ________).

By looking at _______________, readers can assume

____________________________.
In this example, the readers learn ___________.

MEANS:
Explanation of this quote

This shows the readers that __________________.

Apparently, ________________.
The text evidence suggests _________________.
It is important to note this because _________________.

MATTER
S: how does this connect
back to your argument
about good/evil?
***Optional: REPEAT
SAYS/MEANS /MATTERS
AGAIN with more evidence &
analysis***

Readers can come to the conclusion that

_________________________.
As a result, readers____________________________.

Drafting Support Notes


CONCLU
DING SENTENCE

Based on the evidence, readers may

____________________________________

The 2ndt Body Paragraph

The Language of Support

***THE USE OF SENTENCE FRAMES IS

OPTIONAL! PULL OUT THE CRUTCH
BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR FINAL
DRAFT!***

Topic
Sentence (Reason #2 in
thesis)

One reason why

_________________________________________.
To better understand this position,
__________________________________.
***Just make reason 2 into a complete sentence.

SAYS:
Provide evidence facts or
examples with citation
(authors last name and
page#)

In ___text/source____, ____name of the author___ states,

_______________ ( ___________).
As __(authors last name)__ mentioned on page ___,
________________________.
The author points out, _______________________
( ________).

MEANS:
Explanation of this quote

By looking at _______________, readers can assume

____________________________.
In this example, the readers learn ___________.
This shows the readers that __________________.

Apparently, ________________.

MATTERS:
how does this connect back to
your argument about
good/evil?

The text evidence suggests _________________.

It is important to note this because _________________.

***Optional: REPEAT
SAYS/MEANS /MATTERS AGAIN
with more evidence & analysis***

CONCLUDIN
G SENTENCE

Readers can come to the conclusion that

_________________________.
As a result, readers____________________________.

Drafting Support Notes

The Language of Support

The 3rd Body Paragraph

Topic
Sentence (Reason #3 in
thesis)

***THE USE OF SENTENCE FRAMES IS

OPTIONAL! PULL OUT THE CRUTCH
BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR FINAL
DRAFT!***

One reason why

_________________________________________.
To better understand this position,
__________________________________.
***Just make reason 3 into a complete sentence.

In ___text/source____, ____name of the author___ states,

_______________ ( ___________).

SAYS:
Provide evidence facts or
examples with citation
(authors last name and
page#)

As __(authors last name)__ mentioned on page ___,

________________________.
The author points out, _______________________
( ________).

By looking at _______________, readers can assume

____________________________.

MEANS:
Explanation of this quote

In this example, the readers learn ___________.

This shows the readers that __________________.

Apparently, ________________.
The text evidence suggests _________________.

MATTERS:
how does this connect back to
your argument about
good/evil?
***Optional: REPEAT
SAYS/MEANS /MATTERS AGAIN
with more evidence & analysis***

CONCLUDIN
G SENTENCE

It is important to note this because _________________.

Readers can come to the conclusion that

_________________________.

Drafting Support Notes

As a result, readers____________________________.
Based on the evidence, readers may
_____________________________________.

Drafting a Conclusion
The Conclusion - Acknowledging
the Counterargument within the
Conclusion

Acknowledg
ing the counter argument
(who might disagree with
your argument?)

The Language of Conclusion

Although some people think

_______________________________________.
One can argue that
____________________________________.
Others suggest
_____________________________________.
On the other hand,
___________________________________.
Despite the opposition,
____________________________________________.

Restate the
thesis IN OTHER
WORDS
-restate reason 1
-restate reason 2
-restate reason 3

However,
_________________________________________.
Nonetheless,
________________________________________.
The point remains
______________________________________.
It is essential for people to recognize
________________________________.

Provide call
to action (what should
the reader do, feel,
consider, etc. after
reading your essay?)

Readers should take away

__________________________________________.
One should acknowledge
________________________________________.

1.) acknowledge counterclaim (blue)

2.) explain the other sides reasoning
3.) then bring it back to your side by restating the thesis so the heck what?
call to action