Steps to Write an Argumentative Essay Step 1

Steps to Write an Argumentative Essay

Step 1 Investigate a topic. Collect and evaluate evidence. 1. Get 2 colors – colored pencils and pens work well for this. 2. READ THE PROMPT Read all of the text provided. 3. Make a key ___ (color) one opinion ___ (color) other opinion 4. Make a chart with two boxes. Use the information that you annotated to list the evidence to support each side.

Step 2 Establish a CLAIM 1. Now that you know more facts, what do you think is best? What is your position on the topic being discussed? 2. Write a grabber sentence: anecdote, statistic, exclamatory statement, quote, question “I am so excited that schools will now be offering healthier choices to students and reinforcing the work we do at home to help our kids stay healthy, ” Michelle Obama said. (article 2) 3. Write a focus statement so your readers really know what the topic is. Having junk food in many schools in the United States is a debatable topic involving parents, school officials, and the US government. 4. Write your claim as the last sentence of your introduction. For many reasons, schools should take an active role to promote healthy habits and not allow junk food sales.

You are done with your introductory paragraph. “I am so excited that schools will now be offering healthier choices to students and reinforcing the work we do at home to help our kids stay healthy, ” Michelle Obama said (article 2). Having junk food in many schools in the United States is a debatable topic involving parents, school officials, and the US government. For many reasons, schools should take an active role to promote healthy habits and not allow junk food sales.

Step 3 Write body paragraph one (bp 1) This explains your claim on the topic. Start with a line of text evidence that supports your claim. A high number of people in the United States die annually from complications of obesity. • Elaborate with 3 or more sentences • Use evidence from the text that supports your reasons. • • • To explain To elaborate In other words The author means The text states • HELP! • Choose 2 or more sentence starters • • This means This explains This suggests that This shows This expresses This proves This reveals

You are done with bp 1 (body paragraph 1) A high number of people in the United States die annually from complications of obesity. By 2015, 21% of adolescents 12 -19 years old were diagnosed with obesity.

Step 4 Write body paragraph two (bp 2) This explains your claim on the topic. Start with a line of text evidence that supports your claim. • Elaborate with 3 or more sentences • Use evidence from the text that supports your reasons. • • • To explain To elaborate In other words The author means The text states • HELP! • Choose 2 or more sentence starters • • This means This explains This suggests that This shows This expresses This proves This reveals

Step 5 body paragraph three (bp 3) - Counterclaim In order to make your argument as strong as it can be, you need to address other viewpoints and then explain why those viewpoints are incorrect using the information from your annotations in step 1. Some people may think that …. . _____________ They believe ____ because _______ Add sentences to list the reasons for someone who might support this argument. You must use the information that you found in the text. You must cite where you read that info.

Step 6 Also in bp 3 • You will write more to dispute their beliefs. Add…. However, this claim is invalid because _____ Think of a reason that supports your claim and proves that the other people are wrong.

Step 7 Conclusion Write a sentence to focus your reader back to the topic. This will be similar to the focus in the introduction. Teaching about nutrition could be a better way of approaching consequences of the use of junk foods and sodas. Write a sentence to restate your claim on the topic. You will need to use synonyms and sentence structure variety. Once young people are encouraged to adopt health foods, future generations will have the culture of eating nutritious foods.

You are done with the conclusion. Teaching about nutrition could be a better way of approaching consequences of the use of junk foods and sodas. Once young people are encouraged to adopt health foods, future generations will have the culture of eating nutritious foods.

Step 8 Revise and Edit • Revise • USE ARMS • Add • Remove • Move • Substitute • Edit • USE CUPS • Capitalization • Usage • Punctuation • Spelling