Foreword by Jim Burke Acknowledgments PART I. THE ARGUMENT FOR ARGUMENT Chapter 1. Introduction Argument Cultivates Critical Thinking Argument Fosters Collaborative Reasoning Argument Promotes a Sense of Social Responsibility What This Book Can Offer Chapter 2. A Classroom Culture of Argumentation Revisiting the Three R's Conversation as a Metaphor for Learning Staging Conversations in Your Classroom So What, Exactly, Is an Argument, Anyway? Chapter 3. Our Instructional Approach Transferable Classroom Tools So Do They Work? PART II. LESSONS Chapter 4. Everyday Arguments Introducing the Elements of Argument Lesson 1: Apple Music vs. Spotify Lesson 2: Taco Bell vs. Chipotle Lesson 3: Who Is the Better Superhero? Lesson 4: Which Video Streaming Service Is the Best? Lesson 5: Heinz's Dilemma Lesson 6: To What Extent Am I Responsible to Others? Chapter 5. Practicing Three Elements of Argument Lesson 7: Crafting Controversial Claims Lesson 8: What Makes an Effective Claim? Lesson 9: What Makes Effective Data? Part 1 Lesson 10: What Makes Effective Data? Part 2 Lesson 11: How Do Warrants Relate to Claims and Data? Lesson 12: Practice Writing Warrants Chapter 6. Applying What They've Learned About Argument to Texts Lesson 13: Who Is Going to Bounce Back? Lesson 14: Using Three Key Questions to Understand a Poem Lesson 15: Applying What We've Learned to a Literary Argument Lesson 16: Learning the Reader's Rule of Rupture Lesson 17: Applying Argumentative Strategies to Respond to a Well-Known Theory Lesson 18: Bringing Together All of the Elements of Argument: The Minnesota Twins Study Chapter 7. Putting It All Together: Applying Argument to Life Choices Lesson 19: Should I Choose a 2-Year or 4-Year College? Lesson 20: What Career Has the Best Potential for Me? Chapter 8. How to Use This Book Using the Lessons Directly Using the Tools Using Our Lessons as Templates References Index
How do we engage students and ensure they understand argument writing's fundamental components? How do we take them from "Here's what I think" to "Here's what I think. Here's what makes me think that. And here's why it matters"? This book shows the way, with ready-to-implement lessons that make argument writing topical and relevant. Students are first asked to form arguments about subjects that matter to them, and then to reflect on the structure of those arguments, a process that provides learners with valuable, reusable structural models. Throughout the book, the authors provide helpful instructional tools, including Literary, nonfiction, and author-created simulated texts that inspire different points of view. Complete with guidance on applying the lessons' techniques in a broader, unit-wide context, Developing Writers of Argument offers a practical approach for instructing students in this crucial aspect of their lifelong development.
Michael W. Smith, a professor in Temple University's College of Education, joined the ranks of college teachers after eleven years of teaching high school English. His research focuses on understanding both how adolescents and adults engage with texts outside school and how teachers can use those understandings to devise more motivating and effective instruction inside schools. Jon-Philip Imbrenda, a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Instruction and Learning at the University of Pittsburgh, has taught reading and writing to high school and college students for over 15 years. He is a recipient of the Sigol Award from the International Society for Technology in Education and the Dr. Rita Wolotkiewicz award for outstanding professional achievement in education. His scholarly work has appeared in Written Communication and Research in the Teaching of English.