2/7/14 Professional Development with Gary Chadwell (History/English Departments)

Argument writing:


Using a Type 1 to choose a position on a topic and why.

          then

HELPS Focus sheet organizes claims

Focus Sheet HELPS: Getting and Organizing Your Reasons CATEGORIES OF REASONS FOR                      CATEGORIES OF REASONS AGAINST Focus Sheet
H Historic, Political, Legal	H Historic, Political, Legal
E Economic, Resource Utilization	E Economic, Resource Utilization
L Literary, Aesthetic	L Literary, Aesthetic
P Personal, Ethical, Religious	P Personal, Ethical, Religious
S Scientific	S Scientific
Three Part Claim: 1. Counterclaim 2. Claim 3. Reasons Although ____________________________________________ , (insert counterclaim) ___________________________________________ (insert arguable topic and position without using “I”) _______________________________________________________ . (succinctly state the category or categories of reasons without details in the order they will be presented in the essay)

The idea of "6 sells" (4 claims for, 2 counters) will keep students thinking about the importance of counter claims in their writing.

Acknowledge a counterclaim, state your claim, (identify the issue, include your opinion, stated briefly), write in an objective tone, don't use "I"

Chadwell favors templates for argument such as in Graff's "They Say, I Say" He claims that scaffolding is a good teaching approach.  Hand holding is okay to a certain point.  Even graduate students are being taught these templates for their writing.

Some students have trouble "weighing in" (Kenneth Burke uses the term "putting in your oar") perhaps because of the fear of risk, or the lack of understanding that people can disagree.

Chadwell recommends the book "Good, Bad, and the Difference" for position pieces with responses (?)

Common Core states that students' writing should be about 40% argumentation, 40% exposition, and 20% narration.  "We've got to help students read and write like a social scientist."  In elementary grades they use the word "opinion writing" and starting in 6th grade they use "persuasive/argumentative writing."

21st century skills: what do they do with the information once they get it?  Solve a problem? Create a new form of something? Develop an opinion?  Communicate?

Developing these skills will take numerous repetitions across the curriculum.