THE TOULMIN APPROACH TO ARGUMENT ANOTHER PIECE OF

THE TOULMIN APPROACH TO ARGUMENT ANOTHER PIECE OF THE ARGUMENT PUZZLE

ACCESS PRIOR KNOWLEDGE • Research the following three terms. On a clean sheet of paper, write out what you find. This can be a bulleted list! • Claim • Data • Warrant

ELEMENTS OF AN ARGUMENT • According to Stephen Toulmin, arguments are composed of three main elements: • Claims • Data/Evidence • Warrants

STEPHEN E. TOULMIN • He was born in England in 1922. • He was a philosopher and rhetorical theorist. • He taught at USC from 1993 -2009. • In 1958, he offered his model of argumentation: a way to compare “truths. ”

WHAT IS CLAIM, DATA, WARRANT? • Claim, data, warrant (CDW) is a formal and logical writing style. • CDW helps you PROVE your thoughts in a logical way using evidence. • It also can be used for answering open response questions, discussion questions, or writing paragraphs & essays. • You can use it in any class. • It is what you already know how to do with writing: • Claim – a thesis about a topic • Data – the support (evidence) about a topic • Warrant – a general, unspoken rule that most people would agree upon

TOULMIN’S MODEL • When a prompt asks you to support, refute, or qualify a statement, use this method.

CLAIM • This is the main point of the argument. What you are trying to prove. • Example: The school lunch program contributes to childhood obesity.

DATA/EVIDENCE Includes facts, statistics, authorities, SOLID opinion, and examples all usually from source material depending on the claim. Example: On October 5, Mesa Public Schools served two options for lunch: pizza and burritos. The pizza contained 21 grams of fat, and the burrito contained 15 grams of fat. A healthy meal should contain no more than 7 grams of fat (Donovan 3).

WARRANT An assumption/rule which shows the connection between the claim and the evidence. Example: Feeding students lunches with high fat contents will cause students to acquire extra pounds. NOTE: The warrant must be widely accepted or believed to be true by the majority of the public.

CONNECTION • Sometimes it helps to create a diagram of the claim, data, and warrant that looks like the example below. Claim-----------------------Data Lunch program is bad Pizza/burritos have high fat content Warrant: Fatty lunches cause obesity.

LET’S TRY THIS OUT! • On the same sheet of paper as your notes, write the name of your favorite movie and 3 reasons (claims) why you like it. Example: • The Little Mermaid • 1. It’s a sweet love story. • 2. It’s appropriate for people of all ages. • 3. The music is memorable.

NEXT, ADD IN THE DATA (EVIDENCE) • 1. It’s a sweet love story. • Prince Eric is handsome, wealthy, and kind; Ariel is curious, kind, and outgoing. It’s nice that two people who enjoy life so much have found each other. • 2. It’s appropriate for people of all ages. • The love story is G-rated, making it appropriate for younger children. Adults can enjoy the innocent love story as well as the catchy music. • 3. The music is memorable. • Nearly everyone can sing at least some part of “Under the Sea”.

NOW, ADD IN THE WARRANT (CONNECTION) • 1. It’s a sweet love story. • Prince Eric is handsome, wealthy, and kind; Ariel is curious, kind, and outgoing. It’s nice that two people who enjoy life so much have found each other. • Warrant: • 2. It’s appropriate for people of all ages. • The love story is G-rated, making it appropriate for younger children. Adults can enjoy the innocent love story as well as the catchy music. • Warrant: • 3. The music is memorable. • Nearly everyone can sing at least some part of “Under the Sea”. • Warrant: