Topic Soil Erosion Title Soil and Agriculture Source

Topic: Soil Erosion Title: Soil and Agriculture Source: Internet Argumentation & Evaluation Guide Name: Travis Wallace Class: Date: July 2008 Large soil particles, objects imbedded in soil, vegetation, and tightly packed soil all reduce the effects of soil erosion. 1 What is the Claim, including any Qualifiers? (underline qualifiers) 2 What Evidence is presented? In column 3, identify the type of evidence with 3 -Small soil particles are the first to move when water is poured a mound of soil -When bottle caps are present on top of a mound of soil, the affect of erosion is reduced -Tissue paper (representing vegetation) placed on a mound of soil reduces erosion -Tightly-packed soil experiences less erosion than loose soil D the letter: Data (D), Fact (F), Opinion (O), Theory (T). evaluation. good – consistent evidence Validity good – evidence is specifically relevant to claim Controlled Experiment average – needs more trials Objectivity/bias good – evidence is experimental 8 claim? In column 6, identify type of reasoning with the letter(s): for AUTHORITY (A), THEORY (T), or type of LOGIC: Analogy (AN), Correlation (C), Cause-Effect (CE), Generalization (G) 7 Evaluate the quality of the chain of reasoning as poor, average or good. Explain your evaluation. Strength of Authority good – supervised experiments Application of Theory poor – no theory applied Type of Logic good – each investigation correlated specifically to large-scale erosion prevention What are your concerns about the believability of the claim? (your counterarguments, rebuttals or new questions)? How do these small scale-examples translate to large-scale erosion control? 9 Accept, reject, or withhold judgment about the claim. Explain your judgment. C Bulgren revised 6/17. /2008 6 The experiments were designed as a G D generalization of conditions commonly experienced in nature. The data C D collected provides a correlation between specific soil conditions and the reduction D of erosion. 4 Evaluate the quality of the evidence as poor, average or good. Explain your Reliability 5 What chain of reasoning (warrant) connects the evidence to the