Sample Brainstorming
Activity for Developing Claims and Arguments
Discuss the types of
claims described in the PHG: value, solution/policy, fact,
cause-effect. Try to put each claim into a writing situation
(when would you use a claim of fact? A claim of value?).
You might also create
an overhead of different claims than the PHG uses and have students
identify the type of claim each one is.
Generating Claims for
the Academic Context Argument
The goal of this activity
is to help students formulate possible arguments and claims for
their issue. This activity takes place in front of the class using
the white board. Lead students through one of the following strategies.
Strategy 1: Answer the question that you explored in Portfolio
II to form an argument for Portfolio 3. For example:
If your research question
for Portfolio II was:
Who is responsible
for intervening when child abuse is suspected?
Your argumentative claim
for Portfolio III might be:
The government needs
to impose stricter laws to deter child abuse.
OR
Teachers need to
play a more active role in preventing child abuse.
Strategy 2: Brainstorm possible arguments by describing
which parts of your issue you feel most strongly about. Then,
imagine that you were involved in a conversation surrounding these
aspects with some friends; what viewpoints might you offer? Which
positions would you agree/disagree with? What overall arguments
would you make?
Connect the activity
above to the types of claims students come up with when they answer
their research question.
Unpacking Claims for
Argument
Using the claims from
the PHG or ones you create yourself, have students unpack claims
and outline development for the claims.
For example, "exams
do not accurately measure a student's intelligence; therefore,
portfolios should be used instead" may work well because
there are implied claims of value and fact in the solution/policy
claim:
1. the criteria for
intelligence (value)
2. exams fail at measuring
these criteria (fact)
3. portfolios will do
a better job of meeting the criteria (fact)
Development for this
claim would need address 1-3 above: what is the criteria
for intelligence? how do exams fail at measuring these?
how will portfolios do a better job of measuring?
Workshop Claims in
Class
After students write
their own claims, do a mini-workshop where more than one student
provides another with feedback on the effectiveness of the claim
(what type of claim is this? what evidence will be needed
to support it? how will readers react to the claim?).
You can also have students answer workshop questions for their
own claims.
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