How do I write an argument?
O Using the blank sheet of paper provided, answer this question.
O You may use any form of writing that works for you.
Session ObjectivesO To recognize the elements of Toulmin
argument (Content Knowledge)
O To connect Toulmin argumentation to the current framework for teaching argument writing
O To participate in gateway activities that build competence in writing and thinking (Planning)
Your somewhat conservative parent has yet to meet the latest love of your life, but today is the day. You anticipate, though, that this meeting could lead to some discord—for reasons that will be obvious to you shortly.
Knowing you must be prepared, you write out a detailed argument that you will deliver to your parent prior to the meeting. Your goal is to get your parent’s blessing for the relationship.
After you have identified your love from the photos you are about to see, take 3 minutes to write out the details of the argument you feel will help you achieve your goal.
The ProblemTitle IX is a law that clearly states that no person on basis of sex should be denied
participation in a program that is related to education. Title IX, though with best intentions
to even the playing field, is inhibiting opportunities offered to men. Its original purpose was
to extend equal rights, but as of now it is tearing away men's footing in order to allow
women to rise. When an activity contradicts its original intentions it should be changed to
ensure it stays on course. Title IX has contradicted itself and should be amended to, without
doubt, pursue equal lights for men and women.
An argument brought up usually is: "How do you intend to keep different sports
equal with variations in budget allowance?" The answer isn't so important. This question is
implying that if everybody gets the same amount of money they should all be at the same
level. Title IX should not put so much clout into how the money is split, more so that it IS
split. Teams should be given the same opportunities.
How exactly do you measure opportunity though? Well, if there is interest in men's
baseball and men's soccer make sure they are available. While in contrast if there is an
interest in women's softball or women's soccer they too should be available. If there is no
interest in men's baseball but there is in women's softball soccer and water polo, then the
money should be split between these as needed. Then after baseballs decline in interest,
move some of its funds out.
The opportunity is all that most of these kids are asking for. If a college participates
in a sport that they excel in some students would love for a scholarship. If that college
doesn't have the sport they participate in then they will not consider it. It is actually
beneficial to have a wide range of sports.
Ray’s Position Paper on Title
IX
evidence for
warranted by
sub-claim to
rebuttal to
sub-claim to sub-claim to
[70:1][3] Title IX has contradicteditse..--------------------Title IX has contradicted itself andshould be amended to, withoutdoubt, pursue equal lights for menand women.
[70:2][4] An argument brought upusually..--------------------An argument brought up usually is:"How do you intend to keep differentsports equal with variations inbudget allowance?"
[70:3][4] Title IX should not put somuc..--------------------Title IX should not put so muchclout into how the money is split,more so that it IS split.
[70:4][7] The opportunity is all thatmo..--------------------The opportunity is all that most ofthese kids are asking for.
[70:5][7] It is actually beneficial to h..--------------------It is actually beneficial to have awide range of sports.
[70:6][8] Over the past few yearsmany c..--------------------Over the past few years manycolleges have cut their wrestlingteams and added women's water poloteam or some other team, simply toeven out the numbers.
[70:7][8] This is clearly not equal.--------------------This is clearly not equal.
Analyzing Ray’s Argument
The Problem
O Lack of substance
O Lack of logic
O Lack of analysis and overall thinking
Title IX is a law that clearly states that no person on basis of sex should be denied
participation in a program that is related to education. Title IX, though with best intentions
to even the playing field, is inhibiting opportunities offered to men. Its original purpose was
to extend equal rights, but as of now it is tearing away men's footing in order to allow
women to rise. When an activity contradicts its original intentions it should be changed to
ensure it stays on course. Title IX has contradicted itself and should be amended to, without
doubt, pursue equal lights for men and women.
An argument brought up usually is: "How do you intend to keep different sports
equal with variations in budget allowance?" The answer isn't so important. This question is
implying that if everybody gets the same amount of money they should all be at the same
level. Title IX should not put so much clout into how the money is split, more so that it IS
split. Teams should be given the same opportunities.
How exactly do you measure opportunity though? Well, if there is interest in men's
baseball and men's soccer make sure they are available. While in contrast if there is an
interest in women's softball or women's soccer they too should be available. If there is no
interest in men's baseball but there is in women's softball soccer and water polo, then the
money should be split between these as needed. Then after baseballs decline in interest,
move some of its funds out.
The opportunity is all that most of these kids are asking for. If a college participates
in a sport that they excel in some students would love for a scholarship. If that college
doesn't have the sport they participate in then they will not consider it. It is actually
beneficial to have a wide range of sports.
“Writing is thinking” (Hillocks, 2002).
How do I help my students think
about what they are writing?
Planning for Active Engagement and Flow
O Choose activities that allow participants to exercise some control.
O Select tasks that have clear goals and objectives.
O Select tasks that are appropriately complex.
O Select tasks that provide clear feedback.O Create tasks that allow students to work
through inquiry collaboratively.
See Hillocks (2011) or Smith & Wilhelm (2002) for discussions of flow.
Toulmin Model
Claim Evidence
BACKING
The way people talk.
What’s your point? What have you got to go on?
So what?
Who says?
How do I write an argument?
O Look back at your brainstorming. Do you see any elements of the Toulmin model represented?
O If not, can you add them into your writing?
Toulmin Model
Claim Evidence
BACKING
The way people talk.
What’s your point? What have you got to go on?
So what?
Who says?
Conversational Partners
What’s your point?
What have you got to go on?
So what?
CLAIM
EVIDENCE
WARRANT
Conversation with my parent about John
What’s your point?
What have you got to go on?
So what?
You should accept John for who he is.
You have often said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
A person who espouses this belief should act accordingly.
How does your argument hold up?
With a partner, follow the Toulmin conversational pattern to see whether you can locate evidence, state a rule, and articulate a claim in your written argument.
Revise your written argument if you need to do so to make it stronger.
So how do I teach this kind of thinking?
Consider declarative and procedural knowledge.
Hillocks, 1995
DeclarativeDeclarative ProceduralProcedural
FormForm What is an argument?What is an argument? How do we create an How do we create an argument? argument?
SubstancSubstancee
What is the content?What is the content? How do we get the How do we get the content?content?
So how do I teach this kind of thinking?
O Consider declarative and procedural knowledge.
O Develop gateway activities to engage students in the strategies and features of argument
Hillocks, 1995
Strategies and Features of Argument
O Taking a StanceO Creating ClaimsO Developing Sub-claimsO Locating EvidenceO Evaluating EvidenceO Articulating WarrantsO Analyzing Arguments
What Next?
Text a code to 37607 to vote.OClaims (235192)
O Qualities of good claims, crafting and evaluating claims, 4 corner and 1v1 debate
OEvidence (235232)O Ping pong debate, minute mystery, hierarchy of
evidence
OWarrant (235254)O Fit to Be King, concept mapping
Taking a Stance
OFour Corner DebateAll schools should create dress
codes for teachers and students.O Move to the corner that best represents your
opinion.O Talk with the people in your corner and record
your thoughts. One person will present your thoughts (30 seconds) to the class.
O Change corners (if you want).
O Write a paragraph stating your opinion.
Qualities of Good Claims
O Debatable – more than one point of view exists
O Controversial – someone will take up the argument
O Clearly stated – the audience will understand
Predicting the outcome of the World Series
Convincing others of the merits of a movie
Deciding who should be the next President
Scenarios
Run the test: debatable, controversial, clearly stated?
Developing Sub-Claims(Nested Arguments)
OOne-on-one debates
Any ContentO Pairs select topic to argue and read background
information.O Together develop a claim.O Select opposing sides of the claim and individually
prepare sub-claims to support the individual positions.
O Present claims in a one-on-one debate.O Partner evaluates the sub-claims that make up the
nested argument.O Pair reports what they learned about argument.
Locating EvidenceO Class Volley (Ping-Pong Debate)
“The Lady or the Tiger”Was it the lady or the tiger?O Assign sidesO Read and locate detailsO VolleyO Write the ending
What counts as evidence?
O Depends in large part on the rhetorical situation
O One audience might find personal testimony compelling.
O Another might require data that only experimental studies can provide.
Hierarchy of EvidenceO Scientific lawO Statistical DataO Expert OpinionO Opinion of Noted IndividualO Anecdotal Experience or Observation
Science Argument
Carol throws a bowling ball at 6.79 miles per hour.
The lane is 60 feet, and it takes Carol’s ball 6 seconds to reach the pins.
Since…
Distance = Rate x Time
Math Argument
The two triangles cannot be proven similar.
One triangle has an angle of 90 degrees and one of 30 degrees. The other has an angle of 90 degrees with no way of proving that it has a 30 degree angle.
Since…
AA rule and RAR rule
Humanities Argument
Title IX has created athletic options for females at a price.
Many educational institutions have cut opportunities for males, instead of raising the number of opportunities for females (InterMat Wrestling, Page 1).
So what?
Cutting programs is a price to be paid.
So what? The warrant…
O Warrants often go unstated.
O Stating a warrant explicitly can expose a fundamental flaw in an argument.
Analyzing ArgumentsO Letters to the Editor
Any local newspaperO Bring in a clippingO Highlight claimO Document evidenceO Articulate warrantO Make a judgment
Letter to the Editor - Keep the drinking age at 21
By M. C.
December 03, 2008, 3:32PM
To the editor:Whether the government should lower the drinking age back to 18 instead of keeping it at 21 has been a very debatable topic.
According to an article recently published on DontServeTeens.gov, "More than 10% of eighth graders, 22% of sophomores, and 36% of seniors report recent binge drinking." Would you want your high school child to be one of these percentages that have the highest risk of drug addictions, alcoholism and serious health problems?
Alcohol can also lead to poor academic performance. Research shows that the human brain develops well in to a person's early 20s and exposure to alcohol consumption may increase the likelihood for them to become alcoholics and have learning disabilities. For teens, alcohol is doubly crippling because it also interferes with motivation.
Alcohol is a leading cause in death and injury among teens and we should do more in our power to try and stop it from ever happening. Drinking should only be legal at the mature age of 21. This will keep the death count low, stop future alcoholism, and stop many serious health problems.
http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2008/12/letter_to_the_editor_keep_the.html
Whether the government should lower the drinking age back to 18 instead of keeping it at 21 has been a very debatable topic.
According to an article recently published on DontServeTeens.gov, "More than 10% of eighth graders, 22% of sophomores, and 36% of seniors report recent binge drinking." Would you want your high school child to be one of these percentages that have the highest risk of drug addictions, alcoholism and serious health problems?
Alcohol can also lead to poor academic performance. Research shows that the human brain develops well in to a person's early 20s and exposure to alcohol consumption may increase the likelihood for them to become alcoholics and have learning disabilities. For teens, alcohol is doubly crippling because it also interferes with motivation.
Alcohol is a leading cause in death and injury among teens and we should do more in our power to try and stop it from ever happening. Drinking should only be legal at the mature age of 21. This will keep the death count low, stop future alcoholism, and stop many serious health problems.
Another struggle which Esmeralda went through when she came to the United States was that once she became aware of all of the different cultures and customs around her, she wasn’t sure if it was right or not for her to change. Esmeralda came into contact with many Italians, African Americans, other Hispanics, and Jews at her school and in her neighborhood. Esmeralda expresses her feelings by saying, “I felt disloyal for wanting to learn English, for liking pizza, for studying the girls with the big hair and trying out their styles at home, locked in the bathroom where no one could watch.” (230) Esmeralda didn’t want to loose her own personal heritage, and at the same time she wanted nothing more than to fit in with and understand her peers. Also, Esmeralda describes her father’s behavior before she left for the United States by saying, “He bought me magazines with pictures of Fabian and Bobby Rydell and encouraged me to accept what was coming with no questions, no backwards glances.” (208) This quote shows how Esmeralda’s father gave her an idea of what her life in the Unites Sates would be like before she got there. He seemed to pressure her into embracing American culture almost as if she would have to become an “American” to be accepted in the new country.
Help students to…O Look at data to develop claims.O Make reasonable (and insightful) claims.O Support claims with evidence.O Supply rules (warrants) tying evidence
to claims.O Qualify the claims and evidence as
necessary.O Provide backing for warrants when
needed.
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evidence for
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sub-claim tosub-claim to
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[62:1][1] Title IX, a law designed to br..--------------------Title IX, a law designed to bring equity tothe education system, does not eliminategender discrimination and should beamended.
[62:2][1] Title IX has fulfilled part of..--------------------Title IX has fulfilled part of its intentions,however, requires some discrimination toperform its duties correctly.
[62:3][1] A law that would be is truly b..--------------------A law that would be is truly beneficialwould be straight forward and disallowironic fulfillment.
[62:4][6] In the area of sports Title IX..--------------------In the area of sports Title IX has closedthe gap between men’s and women’ssports.[62:5][6] Female varsity sports have ris..
-------------------- Female varsity sports have risen by300% since 1971 at Princeton University.In 1971 there were 6 teams, in 1997 itwas reported they had 18 women’svarsity sports including; fencing, golf,water polo and crew. (NCAA Athletics)
[62:6][7] Facilities for women athletes ..--------------------Facilities for women athletes have beeneither added, or renovated because ofTitle IX.
[62:7][7] At Princeton they spent over$..--------------------At Princeton they spent over $100,000to make women’s athletic facilities better.They now have a state-of-the-artathletic training room and also a medicalservices facility. (NCAA Athletics)
[62:8][8] It may seem that Princeton is ..--------------------It may seem that Princeton is the onlyschool answering the call of Title IX buteven schools in other parts of thecountry are doing it.
[62:9][8] The University of Toledo has j..--------------------The University of Toledo has justrecently begun to adhere to the Title IXguidelines. Since then it has added twowomen’s sports, and has marketed andpromoted these additional women sports,$40,000 was given to women’s athleticsfor travel purposes in 1994 and 95, aswell as $35,000 for recruitingpurposes.(UT/NCAA)
[62:10][8] A local high school, Morris Hi..--------------------A local high school ... has been granteda referendum and Title IX requires theschool to build a female team room.
[62:11][9] Title IX is also effective in ..--------------------Title IX is also effective in education. [62:12][9] For example, traditionally
wom..--------------------For example, traditionally women havenot chosen to be engineers, butaccording to the Society of WomenEngineers, there has been an increase offemale undergraduates joiningengineering programs. (Title IX 30 years)
[62:13][10] These increases in femalepart..--------------------These increases in female participationand funding have inhibited male sports.
[62:14][11] This law has made itnecessary..--------------------This law has made it necessary forcolleges to do a self evaluation based onseveral things, but proportionality weighsthe most. Proportionality is exactly whatit sounds like. The proportion of aspecific gender of athletes shouldcorrespond to the amount of that genderenrolled at the school. If schools do notshow in some way that they are bridgingthe gap between male and female, theirfunding could be lost.
[62:15][11] Females make up about55% of t..--------------------Females make up about 55% of thestudents that have enrolled in highereducation. According to Title IX’sstandards then 55% of the athletesshould be female.(Benefits)
[62:16][11] That does not seem right.--------------------That does not seem right.
[62:17][11] Sports are the main focus int..--------------------Sports are the main focus in this debate,but Drama clubs and choral groups aretraditionally female in those fields ofinterest. Title IX has not aided men increating activities to createproportionality.( Title IX defeats)
[62:18][12] One case where Title IX hasdi..--------------------One case where Title IX hasdiscriminated, on the sole basis of sex, isin California State University. WorldChampion wrestler, Stephen Neal, wascut from the team. He was not cutbecause he did poorly, or performed anact to have him be viewed in any lightbut a positive one. He was cut, alongwith the team, because CSU needed tomeet their “Quota”. ( Title IX defeats)
[62:19][13] Between 1981 and 199940% of N..--------------------Between 1981 and 1999 40% of NCAAwrestling teams have been eliminated.
[62:20][13] It is no coincidence that in t..--------------------It is no coincidence that in the 2000Olympics American wrestlers failed to wina single gold medal. This is the first timesince 1968 that the USA failed to receiveany gold medals in the event.
[62:21][14] These are steeppunishments fo..--------------------These are steep punishments for notadhering to Title IX. Most schools cowerat the thought of costly litigation. (TitleIX defeats)
[62:22][14] In order to avoid this costly..--------------------In order to avoid this costly venturethey cut male teams and add femaleteams.
[62:23][15] Wrestling is not the onlyspor..--------------------Wrestling is not the only sport to take afall on a count of quotas orproportionality.
[62:24][15] 171 men’s wrestling teamshave..--------------------171 men’s wrestling teams have beeneliminated, while 84 men’s tennis teamsand 56 men’s gymnastics teams havebeen cut throughout the United States ofAmerica. (Title IX defeats)