Middle School Argument Writing Unit Learning Progression 6 6 7 7 8 8 TEXT Make & Support a Claim Mentor Texts: Paragraphs and essays by students about school Letter of Complaint Mentor Texts: sample complaint letters from real life scenarios Prove Your Point Mentor Texts: Paragraphs and essays by experts and journalists about school lunch and nutrition Proposal Essay Mentor Texts: video clips, magazine & newspaper articles, essays that outline a problem and suggest solutions Develop Complex Commentary Mentor Texts: Paragraphs and essays by students about school uniforms Op-Ed Mentor Texts: op-eds from newspapers, magazines, and other student-friendly publications Differentiating between fact and opinion; supporting an opinion with evidence Crafting a formal complaint letter about a real-life situation Researching and identifying effective evidence to support a claim Identifying a problem and outlining potential solutions Crafting commentary to explain evidence that proves a claim Taking a on an important social issue and calling readers to action Generating ideas for argument writing Distinguishing between fact and opinion Understanding the concepts of claim and evidence Defining key terms of argument and the complaint letter genre Analyzing examples of complaint letters Generating and selecting viable complaint letter topics Understanding the relationship between claim and evidence Defining and identifying the two main evidence types Defining key terms for the proposal essay genre: problem, feasible solution, cause and effect Analyzing examples of proposals Generating and selecting viable problems to propose solutions for Understanding the relationship between claim, evidence and commentary Defining and identifying the two main evidence types Examining how commentary works Defining key terms for the op-ed genre: debatable claim, fact vs. opinion, problem, issue Analyzing examples of op-eds Understanding the of the op-ed: lede, debatable claim, counterargument, structures Generating and selecting viable issues to write about Understanding the prompt and pre-writing to discover and narrow a claim Finding evidence from credible sources to support the claim Finding evidence to support the argument through research and personal reflection Understanding the prompt Searching for evidence Examining evidence to generate a claim Using search terms and driving questions to perform research on the problem Selecting credible sources Sorting, selecting, and paraphrasing evidence Understanding the prompt Searching for evidence Examining evidence to generate a claim Understanding how to create a logical argument using ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos Developing a counterargument Identifying evidence to support the argument and counterargument 6 6 7 7 8 8
Drafting Revising the original claim Supporting the claim with evidence Citing sources Drafting a problem statement Supporting the problem statement with relevant evidence Determining the best structure for the letter Revising the original claim Selecting the most effective and credible evidence to support the claim Citing sources Generating commentary to explain how the evidence supports the claim Drafting a problem statement Explaining the cause and effect of the problem Drafting the solution Revising the original Selecting the most effective and credible evidence to support the claim Citing sources Crafting complex commentary to make new points about each piece of evidence Experimenting with and alternating paragraph structures Creating transitions between sentences to improve flow and logic Developing a topic sentence that combines claim and a summary of the evidence Crafting a debatable claim Drafting the argument and logically connecting the evidence to each Developing a strong lede Crafting the counterargument Revising and Editing Examining the persuasiveness of the and evidence Reconsidering the organization of the evidence Editing for grammar and spelling Reflecting on the process to learn from the experience Publishing for an authentic audience Providing and receiving constructive feedback Reconsidering evidence Trying different organizational strategies Editing for grammar and spelling Revising content and structure Editing for grammar (fragments and and spelling Reflecting on the process to learn from the experience Publishing for an authentic audience Providing and receiving constructive feedback Reconsidering evidence Trying different organizational strategies Editing for grammar and spelling Revising content and structure Editing for grammar (commas and dashes) and spelling Reflecting on the process to learn from the experience Publishing for an authentic audience Providing and receiving constructive feedback Reconsidering evidence Trying different organizational strategies Editing for grammar and spelling
Argument Paragraph Rubric – Prove Your Point Element Advanced On-Target Novice Content The paragraph: Creates a unified and persuasive argument; every sentence supports the key claim. Contains a sentence with a debatable claim and summary of the evidence. Employs multiple evidence types, including a secondary source. All sources are credible and properly cited. Includes commentary that intricately and complexly explains how the evidence proves the claim. The paragraph: Creates a fairly unified and persuasive argument; almost all sentences support the key Contains a sentence with a debatable claim and summary of the evidence. Employs a variety of evidence including a secondary source. Most sources are credible and properly cited. Includes commentary that explains how the evidence proves the claim. The paragraph: Struggles to create a unified and persuasive argument; multiple sentences do not directly support the key claim. Contains a topic sentence with either a debatable claim or summary of the evidence, but not both. Employs only one evidence type. Sources are not credible; citations are missing or incorrect. Commentary missing or does not fully explain how the evidence proves the claim. Organization The paragraph: Shifts seamlessly back and between evidence and commentary. The paragraph: Logically flows between evidence and commentary. The paragraph: Struggles to organize evidence and commentary in a logical manner. Style & Mechanics The paragraph: Contains no fragments or run-ons; engages complex sentence structures. Consistently maintains a formal Readily employs diction specific to the chosen The paragraph: Contains minimal fragments or run-ons. Maintains a formal voice throughout with only occasional lapses. Employs diction specific to the chosen topic. The paragraph: Contains multiple fragments or run-ons. Is written in an informal Occasionally employs diction specific to the chosen Process Checklist The writer: to discover ideas for a debatable claim. Drafted to organize and analyze evidence and devise commentary. Revised his/her draft to achieve greater coherency and clarity. Edited for sentence-level clarity and an error-free essay.