SO YOU THINK YOU CAN ARGUE

WHAT IS AN ARGUMENT?

An argument is just a statement that someone believes is or should be true.
Kids should be in school Monday through Saturday!

A counterargument expresses the opposite point of view.
Kids should not have to go to school on Saturdays.

“I NEED BACKUP!”
A main argument all by itself is not very strong.
Supporting arguments explain why the main argument is true.

Main Argument
Kids should not have to go to school on Saturdays.
Supporting Arguments
Students need a rest.
Most working parents have weekends off, and students need to be with their families.
Some students have jobs.
Students need time for other activities.

ARE YOU LABORING UNDER A
Common myths about arguing
MISCONCEPTION??

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ARGUING
Myth
An argument is just people yelling at each other.
Reality
Arguments can be very calm. An argument in writing is silent!

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ARGUING
Myth
You have to totally believe in what you are arguing.
Reality
Making an argument has nothing to do with how you feel.
(Bet you can think of one reason why school should be on Saturdays…)

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ARGUING
Myth
Every argument has a right and wrong side.
Reality
Most of the time, the two sides of an argument are just different opinions. Neither side is really right or wrong.

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ARGUING
Myth
You can’t be good at arguing unless you can think fast on your feet.
Reality
A lot of great arguing takes place on paper, where you can take as much time as you need to think everything through.

What word do you see inside the word “persuasive”?
____________________________
persuade

What does it mean to “persuade” someone?
To disturb someone about something
To sweat on someone
To convince someone that something is true
To cause someone to be confused about something
✔

TWO KINDS
OF ARGUMENTS

TWO KINDS OF ARGUMENTS

TWO KINDS OF ARGUMENTS

TWO KINDS OF ARGUMENTS

TWO KINDS OF ARGUMENTS

TWO KINDS OF ARGUMENTS

TWO KINDS OF ARGUMENTS

CREATING MAIN “DOES/DOES NOT”
ARGUMENTS

LET’S PRACTICE!
Your kid sister Sarah attends 2Cool4U Elementary School. The school rules say students are not allowed to wear hats inside the building. The rules say a hat is anything that covers and protects a person’s head. Sarah wore a giant ribbon in her hair and got in trouble for violating the no-hat rule!
Did Sarah really violate the rule?

There are two possible main arguments:
Sarah did not violate the rule because her ribbon is not a hat, or
Sarah did violate the rule because her ribbon is a hat.
What do you think?
(Wait—Don’t answer that yet…)

Ha! That was a trick question.
Making arguments is a skill that you learn. “What you think” doesn’t really matter at all. You should be able to argue for both sides no matter which side you think is right.

LET’S TRY ANOTHER:
The park rules say, “Don’t walk on the grass.” Misti avoided a neatly-mowed lawn but cut across another mowed area that was mostly weeds. Did Misti violate the rule?
The two possible arguments are…
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Misti did not violate the rule because she walked on a
weedy area, not on the grass.
Misti did violate the rule because there was grass in
the area where she walked.

AND ANOTHER:
The beach rules say “Don’t feed the ducks.” Jason ate all but the corner of his sandwich, then tossed the last bite to a goose standing nearby. Did Jason violate the rule?
The two possible arguments are…
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Jason did not violate the rule because a goose
is not a duck.
Jason did violate the rule because the beach rule
means any water bird and a goose is a water bird.

DEVELOPING SUPPORTING ARGUMENTS

A main argument by itself is not enough. You have to convince people why your main argument is true.
You do this by using supporting arguments.

Next, let’s look at some supporting arguments. You will decide which main argument each supporting argument supports.
Ready?
HAT OR NOT?

HAT OR NOT?
Supporting Argument #1:
The ribbon is something on her head.
School Rule: A hat is anything that covers and protects a person’s head.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did not violate the rule because her ribbon is not a hat.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did violate the rule because her ribbon is a hat.
✔

HAT OR NOT?
Supporting Argument #2:
The ribbon is too flimsy to protect Sarah’s head.
School Rule: A hat is anything that covers and protects a person’s head.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did not violate the rule because her ribbon is not a hat.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did violate the rule because her ribbon is a hat.
✔

HAT OR NOT?
Supporting Argument #3:
The ribbon does not cover all of Sarah’s head.
School Rule: A hat is anything that covers and protects a person’s head.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did not violate the rule because her ribbon is not a hat.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did violate the rule because her ribbon is a hat.
✔

HAT OR NOT?
Supporting Argument #4:
The ribbon could protect her head from rain or dust.
School Rule: A hat is anything that covers and protects a person’s head.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did not violate the rule because her ribbon is not a hat.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did violate the rule because her ribbon is a hat.
✔

HAT OR NOT?
Supporting Argument #5:
The ribbon would not keep Sarah’s head warm.
School Rule: A hat is anything that covers and protects a person’s head.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did not violate the rule because her ribbon is not a hat.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did violate the rule because her ribbon is a hat.
✔

HAT OR NOT?
Supporting Argument #6:
The ribbon covers most of Sarah’s head.
School Rule: A hat is anything that covers and protects a person’s head.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did not violate the rule because her ribbon is not a hat.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did violate the rule because her ribbon is a hat.
✔

HAT OR NOT?
Supporting Argument #7:
The ribbon could protect Sarah’s head from sunlight.
School Rule: A hat is anything that covers and protects a person’s head.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did not violate the rule because her ribbon is not a hat.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did violate the rule because her ribbon is a hat.
✔

HAT OR NOT?
Supporting Argument #8:
The ribbon is not fitted to Sarah’s head.
School Rule: A hat is anything that covers and protects a person’s head.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did not violate the rule because her ribbon is not a hat.
This argument supports the idea that Sarah did violate the rule because her ribbon is a hat.
✔

IF YOU’VE SEEN ONE ARGUMENT...

… you have not seen them all! Some arguments are better than others. Look at the four arguments below. Which one do you think is the strongest? Weakest?
The ribbon is too flimsy to protect Sarah’s head from anything.
The ribbon does not cover all of Sarah’s head.
The ribbon would not keep Sarah’s head warm.
The ribbon is not fitted to Sarah’s head.

MINI-QUIZ!

MINI QUIZ
❑ True
❑ False
You can only make an argument about something if you feel very strongly about it.
✔
Making an argument has nothing to do with how you actually feel. It is a skill you learn.

MINI QUIZ
❑ True
❑ False
Persuasive writing is meant to convince someone that something is true.
✔
Exactly! The whole point is to “persuade” someone.

MINI QUIZ
❑ True
❑ False
All arguments are equally strong.
✔
Some arguments are stronger and more convincing than others.

MINI QUIZ
❑ True
❑ False
If there is already a rule in place, you will use a should/should not argument.
✔
When there is already a rule, you will argue whether something does or does not violate that rule.

MINI QUIZ
❑ True
❑ False
An argument is a statement that someone claims is or should be true.
✔
Whether you’re arguing that Sarah did violate the rule or that students should not go to school on Saturdays, you are claiming that statement is true.

MINI QUIZ
❑ True
❑ False
An argument can take place without any yelling at all.
✔
We’re talking about arguments that are meant to persuade. Yelling won’t help, but good reasoning will.

MINI QUIZ
❑ True
❑ False
There is a right and wrong side to every argument.
✔
Most of the time, the different sides of an argument are just different opinions. However, people may believe very strongly that one side is correct.

MINI QUIZ
❑ True
❑ False
Sarah looks very cool in her big ribbon.
Um… Everyone is entitled to an opinion!

MINI QUIZ
❑ True
❑ False
People often use persuasive writing when writing letters about important issues.
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