Smagorinsky’s fifth and sixth chapters focus on argumentation essays and compare and contrast essays, respectively. Both of these styles of writing are likely going to be very important in our classrooms, as standardized tests often rely on this type of essay to measure writing ability. These chapters broke down the process into manageable chunks and even made the data-gathering stages seem enjoyable. I can see students having fun with these units.
One sentence in the chapter about argumentation stood out to me as particularly important: “Ms. Fischer therefore assumes that while students may often argue, they have little formal knowledge of argument” (81). Teaching the argumentation essay, then, ultimately boils down to teaching a structure and a thought process. This is visible later in the chapter through the questions Ms. Fischer poses to her class: “Why would you say that?” “What do you mean?” “So what?” “So what does that mean?” (84). These basic questions serve as ways to provoke students into clarifying or generating support for their own claims. The fact that the data is right in front of them is not enough. They must synthesize the data and draw conclusions based on what they’ve seen.
I really like the breakdown of a support paragraph from the comparison and contrast chapter (124). Each paragraph must have a topic sentence (TS), data (D), a warrant (W) and a concluding statement (CS). By putting this at the top of each sample body paragraph, the student has a clear map through writing the paragraph. This seems like a good way to get students to make sure they support their own argument, not to mention that this kind of structure is favorable for standardized testing.
The activity comparing a cappella groups could also be a fun classroom activity to get started on this type of essay style. While the biographical information about each group offers a lot of data, this lesson also has the opportunity to use technology in the classroom by showing short clips of each group. Students could then use these performances as a basis for their arguments as well, as long as specific descriptive details are included. I can see this lesson being easily modified, too. Instead of two groups, the class could compare two different covers of songs, for example. Ultimately, argument and comparison essays can easily tap into skills the students already have and topics that already interest them. It’s just a matter of structuring the lesson and honing their skills.
When I first opened up Smagorinsky for this week’s reading I felt my stomach drop. Argumentation and Compare and Contrast essays were two of my least favorite things to write throughout high school. Ian made a good point in his post, that they are very commonly used on standardized tests and could be why I am not a fan of these structures.
Each chapter gave a new view of these essays though; ones that I had not really thought much about because I usually try to avoid these at all cost. In chapter five, Smagorinsky (2010) mentions how teachers should start with “relatively simple arguments and move toward more complex ones that require students to build on their initial efforts and take into account opposing views” (p. 80). I think this may be why I was not a fan of argumentation essays; I was just kind of plunked into the more complex structure and never introduced to the concept of arguing. I’m also not much of an argumentative person. If students do not have a good idea of what makes a good argument and what is necessary for this type of essay, they are not going to work well with the structure and they are not going to appreciate what it can bring to the table. This is how I felt as a student, so I want to be able to take what Smagorinsky has modeled and bring it to my future students.
As for the compare and contrast chapter, I really enjoyed what went on with the group work. The students compared and contrasted a topic in groups and then presented their findings to the class, who then critique their work and the group can go back and “defend or revise their conclusion” (Smagorinsky, 2010, p. 116). I thought this was great because as Smagorinsky (2010) goes on to mention, “reflecting on their process and sharing these reflections makes students consciously aware of the procedures they are learning” (p. 116). I feel as though by doing things together as a group and creating a presentation on it, they can start to see how their paper would unfold and see what side they would take. Students can really benefit from a structured group discussion to figure out where they stand on an issue or topic.
As I began reading chapters five and six of The Dynamics of Writing Instruction (Smagorinsky et al., 2010) which address teaching the “argumentation essay” and the “comparison and contrast essay,” it occurred to me how important these two forms of writing are for students. These types of essay assignments will follow students from middle school and beyond in the arenas of classroom assignments, standardized tests, and real-life scenarios. Approaching the instruction of these essays using Smagorinsky et al.’s “structured process approach” seems to be an effective way to guide students’ learning of the writing processes of both types of essay. Essentially, in this approach, Smagorinsky et al. encourage the teacher to progress from the “accessible” to the “complex” (2010, p. 106). This approach also highly emphasizes learning procedures to transform thinking into written composition (2010, p. 107). Therefore, Smagorinsky et al. make the effort to use the sample teaching approaches they provide to demonstrate effective procedures students should follow when constructing both argumentation essays and comparison and contrast essays.
Protocol for the argumentation essay requires students to (1) make a claim, (2) support the claim by referencing data, (3) explain the meaning and significance of the data, and (4) explain how the data warrants the claim (2010). Similarly, chapter six lists rules for writing the comparison and contrast essay: (1) identify points of comparison and contrast between two items, (2) characterize each item in relation to these points, (3) identify priorities among those points, (4) compare and contrast the two items, and (5) make a “value judgment” (2010). In addition to providing procedures students should follow for these essays during instruction, teachers using the “structured process approach” also plan instruction carefully, ensure that they provide necessary materials, model the process, and allow students to work in groups. Modeling and working in groups are essential for learning new writing techniques. In one of my English classes in high school, my teacher assigned us the task of working as a large group (maybe ten of us or so) to write a single essay. Learning how to collaborate with others and how to include everyone’s input into the essay was a valuable experience in both reflection and teamwork.
Ultimately, I specifically like that the approach to these essays involves using very accessible topics as the “gateway” activities because I think students will learn procedures more effectively if they can relate them to their own lives. Getting the students involved through evaluating their own opinions is an ingenious way of integrating personal experience into otherwise academic writing.
Chapters 5 & 6 of Smagorinsky have a lot in common. Although 5 is about writing arguments, and 6 is about comparing and contrasting, both topics are interconnected because to do either, students must learn to think critically, and systematically process information to write effectively.
I appreciate the way the lesson samples are laid out in the chapters. We don’t always realize that learning to think this way is a slow build up of knowledge that teachers should facilitate through engaging topics. Some of the examples in the chapters were a little juvenile and I can’t picture myself using them in the classroom, but the general lesson plan could easily be modified to suit the specific interests of my students.
In all of the lessons teachers used a lot of group work and class discussion. These discussions among students reinforced the lesson because they modeled the very nature of debate. When writing in these styles it is necessary to look at the topic from as many views as possible. Hearing what others have to say, and exploring ones own opinions and judgments creates a “brainstorming” session that can be easily converted to paper.
I also like the mini-lesson approach to working coordinating conjunctions (chapter 5) and subordinating conjunctions (chapter 6) into the lessons. The unit focuses on the process of writing in this style, and focuses less on the mechanics, which I believe will be more engaging. As we’ve discussed in class, teachers could put the use of these conjunctions in the grammar section of a rubric for grading their final projects to motivate students to learn to use them appropriately and effectively. Students won’t be bogged down trying to juggle too many aspects of grammar, but will get the solid practice they need to fully understand this particular concept.
I understand the issue Smagorinsky brings up with the 5 paragraph essay, but I am still not completely convinced that it is completely outdated and useless. I have used the trusty 5 paragrapher with great success over my life and feel that it is a tried and true formula for those just starting out. As a student’s writing progresses teachers can introduce new methods of expository writing. I could be wrong… old habits as they say.
I believe that writing argumentative pieces is something everyone should be able to do. I find it beyond frustrating to try and have a conversation with someone and they’re going on and on trying to defend something using poor evidence, and they think they’re the smartest person. Basically talking but not really SAYING much of anything. Smagorinsky et. al state that, “In order to produce mature arguments, a writer needs to be able to think clearly and write logically according to the social conventions for persuading others of an opinion,” (80). You have to know what you’re talking about in order to support your perspective, whether talking or writing.
Using the sticky note activity to learn what students like and then evaluating that information was interesting. It was all about the students, so they were all hooked in. And then all she did was guide them into understanding the data they had created (81-90). I really think this first step is most important because all of the other things can fall into place. But you really need to have that evidence before you go further. It made me think of my essay about my English teacher. I didn't know (still don’t!) what he wrote, so I couldn't fully support my argument defending him. However I did read a really poor blog post about why he should be fired, and it totally supports my point about knowing what you’re talking about before you say certain things.
Teaching Comparison and Contrast Essays
What I found interesting (and true) about this chapter was that, in my experience, we would often start off with receiving assignments about comparison and contrast essays. Perhaps they are simple ways to get students to start writing, but Smagorinsky et. al is right when he says, “Comparison and contrast instruction often jumps in at the deep end: students’ first assignment is to write an essay comparing Faulkner with Hemingway…” (109). Most of us were missing the connection to this kind of assignment, comparing and contrasting things that weren't relevant to us. Most students know what similarities and differences are, but it is important to analyze which points are most important and relevant to the writing. Starting off with topics and categories that students relate to makes it easier to properly convey the intended ideas. Once this process is understood, it will be easier for students to compare and contrast more complex ideas because they can spend more time gathering their evidence and research points without having to worry about process.
I found the Gateway Activity described in Chapter 5 of Smagorinsky on “Teaching Argumentation Essays” to be practical and engaging. I loved how the activity connects student interests to something as dry as forming an accurate claim for an argument in an essay. This activity can be applied to student writing, specifically in standard essay formats. And in a further sense, this activity helps students to understand what it means to interpret data. They also learn to be skeptical of broad or vague claims. In a world where students are surrounded by advertising, evidence-based activities, like the one described, will help them to be informed consumers and readers.
Chapter 6 on “Teaching Comparison and Contrast Essays” outlines an activity on presidential candidates. Implementing activities like these within the classroom allows students to tap into a number of skills. First they learn the comparison-contrast model for an essay. Further however, they learn to evaluate those differences in order to make a decision. Connecting back to chapter 5, students can also then defend their decision in an argumentation essay based upon evidence found in the comparison-contrast process.
The processes in these paragraphs are certainly important in relation to standardized testing. At first, I thought these chapters would be geared solely toward test preparation because frankly, I do not write a comparison-contrast essay outlining the similarities of two breakfast cereals each morning prior to my cereal decision. Nor do I defend my breakfast cereal of choice with multiple evidence-based claims in an argumentation essay before asking my mother to buy it for me. I did however, step back and analyze the importance of these processes in adolescent development. Though I am not consistently writing cereal related thesis statements, I am running through the mental decision-making process using the exact same steps as employed in structuring an essay. So, though we may be preparing students to write essays in this style, we are helping them develop various cognitive processes so as to make informed decisions in the future.
After high school, and even prior to graduation, students will be making very important decisions. Will they enter the workforce or go to college? Will they move into an apartment, dorm, or become a commuter? Do they want to live in the city or the countryside. These decisions all have life-shaping effects. Having the background for making such important decisions will be highly beneficial for students.
Smagorinsky's chapters 5 & 6 on Teaching Argumentation Essays and Teaching Comparison and Contrast Essays both focus on procedures for getting students to think critically about their writing topics and the writing process. Rather than send students to do research on new topics, the teacher in chapter 5 believes that students' own stores of knowledge is a good place to start for learning how to construct arguments (p. 81). Chapter 6 also touches upon this, as Smagorinsky notes that teachers should start with topics that are "familiar and accessible" (p.109). I also found the activity that uses sticky notes and categorizes student responses in order to construct meaningful arguments to be very useful, especially for middle school students. Students are able to visualize the data that they themselves collected, and form reasonable arguments based on what they see.
Having students share their responses with each other, whether arguments or compare/contrast, allows students to "question and critique" each others work, and then practice backing up their response, or "revising their conclusion" (p.116). Group sharing gives students the opportunity to reflect on their responses and the process they adopted to form them. One significant part of chapter 5 that I noticed was how the teachers always prompt the students by asking leading questions. This is important because it encourages students to think about why their argument defends their statement. Also, the teacher often uses the think-aloud method to model the process for forming valid arguments (p. 85).
I do recall practicing the five-paragraph essay throughout middle school, and in fact did have to write a five-paragraph essay on an assigned topic every day in the sixth grade in order to prepare for MCAS. While the five-paragraph form has yet to fail me, I cannot help but think that rather than focusing on the form, teachers can help students a great deal by providing them with valuable instruction for forming valid, critical arguments - this is a tool that will be useful throughout their whole lives.
Before reading these chapters I had already discussed these topics with my mother. She is finding in her sophomore class that students today do not know how to make an argument. Too many students today are incapable of persuading. They lack the ability to assess an audience, tailor their claims and support to that audience, and provide meaningful context. In school, though I did not enjoy either type of essay, I learned the basics of both the comparison essay and the persuasion essay. It was valuable to me when I went to college because I was capable of spotting patterns, analyzing those patterns, recognizing audience, making a claim, providing support, and contextualizing my argument or analysis. Despite the sometimes boring nature of these essay formats, they are valuable to all students. In business, employees are expected to make claims and find data to support those claims. In my mother’s class, her students are finding it difficult to organize an argument because they never learned how. These essay formats are common in today’s society. They are the basis for political debate, business meetings, literary analysis, and a variety of other fields. Whatever a student’s future may be, they can benefit from a solid foundation in making a claim and supporting it.
I also think that a lot of daily discussion is centered around debate and persuasion. In order to tap into the social context of these otherwise academic terms, teachers need to find some common ground with students. For starters, a teacher could model a conversation they had with someone that included making a claim and providing support or a conversation where they tried to persuade someone. We do it every day. Today I tried to persuade my mother to use a particular story in her class. Without even thinking I stated my claim and provided support. Despite their lack of know-how, high school students do it too. They may try to convince their friend to see a particular movie or try a new product. Some friends may debate a call in a sports game or the reason that sent us into Iraq. Whatever the issue may be, students are making claims on a daily basis. Inner dialogue is littered with claims and support. We may try to convince ourselves that what we did was the right thing to do or that our hair definitely looks better long. We may debate with ourselves over morality or whether or not to check Facebook. It may seem like a frivolous example, but these small moments of debate or persuasion are windows into a student’s world. We can use these as access points and get all of our students involved.
Smagorinsky’s fifth and sixth chapters focus on argumentation essays and compare and contrast essays, respectively. Both of these styles of writing are likely going to be very important in our classrooms, as standardized tests often rely on this type of essay to measure writing ability. These chapters broke down the process into manageable chunks and even made the data-gathering stages seem enjoyable. I can see students having fun with these units.
ReplyDeleteOne sentence in the chapter about argumentation stood out to me as particularly important: “Ms. Fischer therefore assumes that while students may often argue, they have little formal knowledge of argument” (81). Teaching the argumentation essay, then, ultimately boils down to teaching a structure and a thought process. This is visible later in the chapter through the questions Ms. Fischer poses to her class: “Why would you say that?” “What do you mean?” “So what?” “So what does that mean?” (84). These basic questions serve as ways to provoke students into clarifying or generating support for their own claims. The fact that the data is right in front of them is not enough. They must synthesize the data and draw conclusions based on what they’ve seen.
I really like the breakdown of a support paragraph from the comparison and contrast chapter (124). Each paragraph must have a topic sentence (TS), data (D), a warrant (W) and a concluding statement (CS). By putting this at the top of each sample body paragraph, the student has a clear map through writing the paragraph. This seems like a good way to get students to make sure they support their own argument, not to mention that this kind of structure is favorable for standardized testing.
The activity comparing a cappella groups could also be a fun classroom activity to get started on this type of essay style. While the biographical information about each group offers a lot of data, this lesson also has the opportunity to use technology in the classroom by showing short clips of each group. Students could then use these performances as a basis for their arguments as well, as long as specific descriptive details are included. I can see this lesson being easily modified, too. Instead of two groups, the class could compare two different covers of songs, for example. Ultimately, argument and comparison essays can easily tap into skills the students already have and topics that already interest them. It’s just a matter of structuring the lesson and honing their skills.
When I first opened up Smagorinsky for this week’s reading I felt my stomach drop. Argumentation and Compare and Contrast essays were two of my least favorite things to write throughout high school. Ian made a good point in his post, that they are very commonly used on standardized tests and could be why I am not a fan of these structures.
ReplyDeleteEach chapter gave a new view of these essays though; ones that I had not really thought much about because I usually try to avoid these at all cost. In chapter five, Smagorinsky (2010) mentions how teachers should start with “relatively simple arguments and move toward more complex ones that require students to build on their initial efforts and take into account opposing views” (p. 80). I think this may be why I was not a fan of argumentation essays; I was just kind of plunked into the more complex structure and never introduced to the concept of arguing. I’m also not much of an argumentative person. If students do not have a good idea of what makes a good argument and what is necessary for this type of essay, they are not going to work well with the structure and they are not going to appreciate what it can bring to the table. This is how I felt as a student, so I want to be able to take what Smagorinsky has modeled and bring it to my future students.
As for the compare and contrast chapter, I really enjoyed what went on with the group work. The students compared and contrasted a topic in groups and then presented their findings to the class, who then critique their work and the group can go back and “defend or revise their conclusion” (Smagorinsky, 2010, p. 116). I thought this was great because as Smagorinsky (2010) goes on to mention, “reflecting on their process and sharing these reflections makes students consciously aware of the procedures they are learning” (p. 116). I feel as though by doing things together as a group and creating a presentation on it, they can start to see how their paper would unfold and see what side they would take. Students can really benefit from a structured group discussion to figure out where they stand on an issue or topic.
As I began reading chapters five and six of The Dynamics of Writing Instruction (Smagorinsky et al., 2010) which address teaching the “argumentation essay” and the “comparison and contrast essay,” it occurred to me how important these two forms of writing are for students. These types of essay assignments will follow students from middle school and beyond in the arenas of classroom assignments, standardized tests, and real-life scenarios. Approaching the instruction of these essays using Smagorinsky et al.’s “structured process approach” seems to be an effective way to guide students’ learning of the writing processes of both types of essay. Essentially, in this approach, Smagorinsky et al. encourage the teacher to progress from the “accessible” to the “complex” (2010, p. 106). This approach also highly emphasizes learning procedures to transform thinking into written composition (2010, p. 107). Therefore, Smagorinsky et al. make the effort to use the sample teaching approaches they provide to demonstrate effective procedures students should follow when constructing both argumentation essays and comparison and contrast essays.
ReplyDeleteProtocol for the argumentation essay requires students to (1) make a claim, (2) support the claim by referencing data, (3) explain the meaning and significance of the data, and (4) explain how the data warrants the claim (2010). Similarly, chapter six lists rules for writing the comparison and contrast essay: (1) identify points of comparison and contrast between two items, (2) characterize each item in relation to these points, (3) identify priorities among those points, (4) compare and contrast the two items, and (5) make a “value judgment” (2010). In addition to providing procedures students should follow for these essays during instruction, teachers using the “structured process approach” also plan instruction carefully, ensure that they provide necessary materials, model the process, and allow students to work in groups. Modeling and working in groups are essential for learning new writing techniques. In one of my English classes in high school, my teacher assigned us the task of working as a large group (maybe ten of us or so) to write a single essay. Learning how to collaborate with others and how to include everyone’s input into the essay was a valuable experience in both reflection and teamwork.
Ultimately, I specifically like that the approach to these essays involves using very accessible topics as the “gateway” activities because I think students will learn procedures more effectively if they can relate them to their own lives. Getting the students involved through evaluating their own opinions is an ingenious way of integrating personal experience into otherwise academic writing.
ReplyDeleteChapters 5 & 6 of Smagorinsky have a lot in common. Although 5 is about writing arguments, and 6 is about comparing and contrasting, both topics are interconnected because to do either, students must learn to think critically, and systematically process information to write effectively.
I appreciate the way the lesson samples are laid out in the chapters. We don’t always realize that learning to think this way is a slow build up of knowledge that teachers should facilitate through engaging topics. Some of the examples in the chapters were a little juvenile and I can’t picture myself using them in the classroom, but the general lesson plan could easily be modified to suit the specific interests of my students.
In all of the lessons teachers used a lot of group work and class discussion. These discussions among students reinforced the lesson because they modeled the very nature of debate. When writing in these styles it is necessary to look at the topic from as many views as possible. Hearing what others have to say, and exploring ones own opinions and judgments creates a “brainstorming” session that can be easily converted to paper.
I also like the mini-lesson approach to working coordinating conjunctions (chapter 5) and subordinating conjunctions (chapter 6) into the lessons. The unit focuses on the process of writing in this style, and focuses less on the mechanics, which I believe will be more engaging. As we’ve discussed in class, teachers could put the use of these conjunctions in the grammar section of a rubric for grading their final projects to motivate students to learn to use them appropriately and effectively. Students won’t be bogged down trying to juggle too many aspects of grammar, but will get the solid practice they need to fully understand this particular concept.
I understand the issue Smagorinsky brings up with the 5 paragraph essay, but I am still not completely convinced that it is completely outdated and useless. I have used the trusty 5 paragrapher with great success over my life and feel that it is a tried and true formula for those just starting out. As a student’s writing progresses teachers can introduce new methods of expository writing. I could be wrong… old habits as they say.
Teaching Argumentation Essays
ReplyDeleteI believe that writing argumentative pieces is something everyone should be able to do. I find it beyond frustrating to try and have a conversation with someone and they’re going on and on trying to defend something using poor evidence, and they think they’re the smartest person. Basically talking but not really SAYING much of anything. Smagorinsky et. al state that, “In order to produce mature arguments, a writer needs to be able to think clearly and write logically according to the social conventions for persuading others of an opinion,” (80). You have to know what you’re talking about in order to support your perspective, whether talking or writing.
Using the sticky note activity to learn what students like and then evaluating that information was interesting. It was all about the students, so they were all hooked in. And then all she did was guide them into understanding the data they had created (81-90). I really think this first step is most important because all of the other things can fall into place. But you really need to have that evidence before you go further. It made me think of my essay about my English teacher. I didn't know (still don’t!) what he wrote, so I couldn't fully support my argument defending him. However I did read a really poor blog post about why he should be fired, and it totally supports my point about knowing what you’re talking about before you say certain things.
Teaching Comparison and Contrast Essays
What I found interesting (and true) about this chapter was that, in my experience, we would often start off with receiving assignments about comparison and contrast essays. Perhaps they are simple ways to get students to start writing, but Smagorinsky et. al is right when he says, “Comparison and contrast instruction often jumps in at the deep end: students’ first assignment is to write an essay comparing Faulkner with Hemingway…” (109). Most of us were missing the connection to this kind of assignment, comparing and contrasting things that weren't relevant to us. Most students know what similarities and differences are, but it is important to analyze which points are most important and relevant to the writing. Starting off with topics and categories that students relate to makes it easier to properly convey the intended ideas. Once this process is understood, it will be easier for students to compare and contrast more complex ideas because they can spend more time gathering their evidence and research points without having to worry about process.
I found the Gateway Activity described in Chapter 5 of Smagorinsky on “Teaching Argumentation Essays” to be practical and engaging. I loved how the activity connects student interests to something as dry as forming an accurate claim for an argument in an essay. This activity can be applied to student writing, specifically in standard essay formats. And in a further sense, this activity helps students to understand what it means to interpret data. They also learn to be skeptical of broad or vague claims. In a world where students are surrounded by advertising, evidence-based activities, like the one described, will help them to be informed consumers and readers.
ReplyDeleteChapter 6 on “Teaching Comparison and Contrast Essays” outlines an activity on presidential candidates. Implementing activities like these within the classroom allows students to tap into a number of skills. First they learn the comparison-contrast model for an essay. Further however, they learn to evaluate those differences in order to make a decision. Connecting back to chapter 5, students can also then defend their decision in an argumentation essay based upon evidence found in the comparison-contrast process.
The processes in these paragraphs are certainly important in relation to standardized testing. At first, I thought these chapters would be geared solely toward test preparation because frankly, I do not write a comparison-contrast essay outlining the similarities of two breakfast cereals each morning prior to my cereal decision. Nor do I defend my breakfast cereal of choice with multiple evidence-based claims in an argumentation essay before asking my mother to buy it for me. I did however, step back and analyze the importance of these processes in adolescent development. Though I am not consistently writing cereal related thesis statements, I am running through the mental decision-making process using the exact same steps as employed in structuring an essay. So, though we may be preparing students to write essays in this style, we are helping them develop various cognitive processes so as to make informed decisions in the future.
After high school, and even prior to graduation, students will be making very important decisions. Will they enter the workforce or go to college? Will they move into an apartment, dorm, or become a commuter? Do they want to live in the city or the countryside. These decisions all have life-shaping effects. Having the background for making such important decisions will be highly beneficial for students.
Smagorinsky's chapters 5 & 6 on Teaching Argumentation Essays and Teaching Comparison and Contrast Essays both focus on procedures for getting students to think critically about their writing topics and the writing process. Rather than send students to do research on new topics, the teacher in chapter 5 believes that students' own stores of knowledge is a good place to start for learning how to construct arguments (p. 81). Chapter 6 also touches upon this, as Smagorinsky notes that teachers should start with topics that are "familiar and accessible" (p.109). I also found the activity that uses sticky notes and categorizes student responses in order to construct meaningful arguments to be very useful, especially for middle school students. Students are able to visualize the data that they themselves collected, and form reasonable arguments based on what they see.
ReplyDeleteHaving students share their responses with each other, whether arguments or compare/contrast, allows students to "question and critique" each others work, and then practice backing up their response, or "revising their conclusion" (p.116). Group sharing gives students the opportunity to reflect on their responses and the process they adopted to form them. One significant part of chapter 5 that I noticed was how the teachers always prompt the students by asking leading questions. This is important because it encourages students to think about why their argument defends their statement. Also, the teacher often uses the think-aloud method to model the process for forming valid arguments (p. 85).
I do recall practicing the five-paragraph essay throughout middle school, and in fact did have to write a five-paragraph essay on an assigned topic every day in the sixth grade in order to prepare for MCAS. While the five-paragraph form has yet to fail me, I cannot help but think that rather than focusing on the form, teachers can help students a great deal by providing them with valuable instruction for forming valid, critical arguments - this is a tool that will be useful throughout their whole lives.
Compare and Argue
ReplyDeleteBefore reading these chapters I had already discussed these topics with my mother. She is finding in her sophomore class that students today do not know how to make an argument. Too many students today are incapable of persuading. They lack the ability to assess an audience, tailor their claims and support to that audience, and provide meaningful context. In school, though I did not enjoy either type of essay, I learned the basics of both the comparison essay and the persuasion essay. It was valuable to me when I went to college because I was capable of spotting patterns, analyzing those patterns, recognizing audience, making a claim, providing support, and contextualizing my argument or analysis. Despite the sometimes boring nature of these essay formats, they are valuable to all students. In business, employees are expected to make claims and find data to support those claims. In my mother’s class, her students are finding it difficult to organize an argument because they never learned how. These essay formats are common in today’s society. They are the basis for political debate, business meetings, literary analysis, and a variety of other fields. Whatever a student’s future may be, they can benefit from a solid foundation in making a claim and supporting it.
I also think that a lot of daily discussion is centered around debate and persuasion. In order to tap into the social context of these otherwise academic terms, teachers need to find some common ground with students. For starters, a teacher could model a conversation they had with someone that included making a claim and providing support or a conversation where they tried to persuade someone. We do it every day. Today I tried to persuade my mother to use a particular story in her class. Without even thinking I stated my claim and provided support. Despite their lack of know-how, high school students do it too. They may try to convince their friend to see a particular movie or try a new product. Some friends may debate a call in a sports game or the reason that sent us into Iraq. Whatever the issue may be, students are making claims on a daily basis. Inner dialogue is littered with claims and support. We may try to convince ourselves that what we did was the right thing to do or that our hair definitely looks better long. We may debate with ourselves over morality or whether or not to check Facebook. It may seem like a frivolous example, but these small moments of debate or persuasion are windows into a student’s world. We can use these as access points and get all of our students involved.