Argument Unit Lessons

Reading and Writing Argument ( Summative Assessment)

1/3/2011

Day 1-Day 2: Introducing Argument

Objectives: Together with students, build an understanding of the concept of an argument as it is used here. (A position on an important issue, backed up by evidence and careful reasoning.)

Aim: What are the building blocks of argument?

Do Now: Describe a situation where you have witnessed or participated in arguments where people have different positions and use evidence to convince one another about an issue.

Acqusition:

1. Introduce the context for the argument the class will be working on by reading and discussing this passage:

2. Using this introductory passage, introduce students to the key terms they will be using:

Context: This is information that would help a reader or a listener to understand why an issue matters or what is at stake.
Position
Claim and counterclaim
Sources of evidence (primary sources like personal experience, interviews, research data; secondary sources; like summary article, textbooks, etc.)
Understanding the Building Blocks of Argument

Meaning Making-

Read the article from New York Times, the “Growing up digital: Wired for Distraction.” Work in paris to jot down notes to show your finding of each element in this list. Post them in the forum.

Transfer: Based on your reading, discuss how each element adds to the larger argument. Why is each "building block" important?

Homework #1: Complete the "Meaning-Making" activity.

Day 3-Day 4:

Objectives: Students will understand the Strengths and Limits of Different Types of Sources.

Aim: How do we determine the strengths and limits of different sources?

Do Now: Respond-Why or why not do you believe every source you may come across in the internet is authentic?Explain.

Acqusition: Credibility and authenticity of internet sources

Scholarly articles
credible newspaper articles by news companies
.edu sites
articles published by reputable organizations
professional or expertise articles

Meaning Making Activities: Divide students into small groups.

Each group will view a different kind of source:

(Day 3)Task: Examine the source and discuss what kind of information each one provides for thinking about the effects of media on youth and in society.

What are the strengths of this kind of information?
What are its limits?

Homework for Day 3 - Individual Research & Observations

Data on Personal Media Use

Examine your own media use in a day. Keep a log of the media activity during the day and evening (A suggested form for this log is shown below). Discuss what kinds of information go in each column, particularly what might count as a negative or positive effect. For instance, a negative effect might include what you are NOT doing because they are texting or on Facebook. The sample comments from the young media user can be helpful here.

Question: How Does Media Use Affect Me?
Activity/time spent.	What did I gain?	What did I give up?	What’s my evidence?




Summary:
Conclusion: So, overall, using media affects me in these ways…

Day 4 Task: Critical Reading and Evaluating Claims

Aim: What's a claim and how do we generate it for our argument essay?

Do Now: With personal evidence, share what you have observed and what conclusions you can and can’t draw from your research/observation.

Acqusition-As students discuss the evidence, point out where there are the raw materials for writing an effective argument:

Context: What’s at stake for the way I use my time?
Position: What I now think.
Evidence: Based on what data?
Conclusion: What does this make me think about the effects of media on young people? What questions do I still have?

Meaning-Making-

Each group will review their sources, marking up their copies (or their notes if they looked at video interviews) to identify the major claims each author/speaker makes and the evidence the author uses to back up his/her claims:

After the discussion, create a chart of the points( as below), or make your own charts about the pros and cons of media use for youth, as well as how you might add to or challenge each major claim.

Opportunities provide by digital medias of media use	Risks of digital media use
Claim:	Claim:
Add to or challenge the claim	Add to or challenge the claim
Claim:	Claim:
Add to or challenge	Add to or challenge the claim:

Homework for Day 4: Complete the chart.

Day 5

Objectives: Students will understand that youth can use media to achieve political goals.

Aim: What's the role of youth media in political engagement? How does the youth engage media for political purpose?

Do Now: Based on your reading of the articles provided concerning new media or your personal experience, make a claim about the new media and give one evidence to prove it.

Acqusition:

Read (or review) Cohen’s article on the role of youth media in recent events in the Arab world. Use your copy to highlight the position that the author takes and the claims that he makes about what access to media like Facebook, Twitter, and the Internet more generally, has meant for young people in the recent political events in Tunisia and Egypt.

Meaning Making-

Research both the opportunities and the risks that media use has offered young political activists in these countries. Gather your findings by annotations.

Respond to: What are the opportunities and the dangers that media use has introduced into the lives of young Arabs?

Homework for Day 5: Write a paragraph to resppnd to the question "What are the opportunities and the dangers that media use has introduced into the lives of young Arabs?"

Days 6 -7

Objectives: Developing a Position

Sketch out the argument essay by:

Writing a brief position statement
Listing their claims, backed up by evidence from the source they have read and developed
Addressing important counterclaims that they have read
Writing a brief conclusion.

Students can use a chart such as the following or they can write out the “bare bones” of their argument.

It may be helpful to share the prompt for the essay at this point so that students know how they will be using this work.

My position statement:

Claim and evidence:

Counterclaim and response:

Conclusion:

Once students have the major moves in their argument organized, there is an opportunity to return to the earlier questions about writing effective arguments, such as:

What draws a reader into an argument?
Are there only pro and con argument?
Could a writer take another kind of position?
Tom make an effective argument does a writer need to focus in on a specific issue? For instance, is it really possible to talk about all media as if they were the same?
What is the most effective way different kinds of evidence could be used?
What makes an interesting conclusion? Is it just a summary or can introduce new questions or things for readers to think about?
As well as others that arise in individual classrooms

Days 8 -10 Drafting an Essay
Objectives: Based on their readings, discussions, and research, students draft a short argument essay (approximately 750 words) taking a position on the effects of media on young people around the globe.

Aim: What's your position on the effects of media on young people around the globe?

Acqusition- Building Blocks of an Argument Essay

Essay must include the building blocks of a strong argument:

Context
Position
Claims
Evidence
Discussion of counterclaims
A thoughtful conclusion

Meaning Making-

Argument Essay Assignment:

You have read information from several sources, heard from other young people, (and done some research and thinking about media in your own life or in world affairs). When you consider what all these different sources say about the effects of media use.The final esssay is due on Fridday, Jan. 20th, 2012.

What are the gains
What are the dangers

For the lives of young people? And for a larger society?

Write a short (750 words) essay in which you:

Explains what’s at stake: Why does this issue matter?
Develop and state your own position
Defend your position with a range of different types of evidence (interview, observations, research data, and newspaper reports, etc.)
Include research that you may have conducted
Draw your own conclusions about the effects of media on young people and the world

Here is the rubric for the essay structure

Introduction-

2-3 sentences to contextulize the topic ( Why does it matter?)
1-2 sentences of a major counter claim
1 sentence to show your position
1-2 sentences to show your claim

Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs 1-3:

Topic sentence ( reason #1, #2, #3).
Explain the reason
example A that supports your claim( facts, examples from the articles)
example B that supports your claim
conclusion

Paragraph 4

Topic sentence ( a counter claim)
Reasons of the counter claim
examples( 2 examples) to refute why the counter clainm is wrong
conclusion

Conclusion

Restate your position.
suggestions of solutions

Use the rubric to check the effectiveness of your claim & evidence.

Day 10 ( Thursday )-

Peer Editing for Argument: Using the rubric as a guide, students read each other’s essays, making specific suggestions about where each other’s essay could become more effective.

Additional research: These essays can serve as a first draft for a larger research project on the effects of media on youth. In this project, students can:

Identify, review and cull additional information from secondary sources (for instance, the full Kaiser Family Foundation report or other research ).
Critique these secondary sources from the perspective of young media users.
Conduct their own research to follow up on the points and questions that they want to make as young media users.
Present student research in a PowerPoint format that features a combination of background data, student research, and conclusions. In this format, students might also work on finding or composing images that support the argument.

RESOURCES: Texts

Background

Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18- Year Olds. Kaiser Family Foundation (2010).

http://www.kff.org/entmedia/8010.cfm

Excerpts from an interview: A young Woman thinks out loud about her media use
Students and technology, constant companions: Interviews with students about their media use.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/21/technology/20101121-brain-interactive.html?ref=technology

Does media limit or change how we think and what we can imagine?

Carr, Nicholas, (2008). Is a Google making us stupid? What the internet is doing to our brains.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/

Growing up digital, wired for distraction.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html

Excerpt from Susan Maushart’s Winter of Our Disconnect

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41257971/ns/today-books/

Is media use improving individuals and the world?

Cohen, Roger, (January 28, 2011). Revolutionary Arab Geeks: Ask the kids in Tunis and Cairo if the Web enslaves people. New York Times.
Teenagers’ Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/us/20internet.html?scp=5&sq=macarthur+digital+media&st=nyt

Teenage social media butterflies may not be such a bad idea

http://articles.latimes,com/2010/may/18/science/la-sci-socially-connected-kids-20100518

A Tunisian on the role of social media.

http://gov20.govfresh.com/a-tunisian-on-the-role-of-social-media