argument essay structure
choosing and citing evidence/sources in writing
When choosing and incorporating evidence into your writing, be sure to:
- Choose evidence that will SUPPORT your claim and reasons
- Lead/transition into the quote
- Give some background information if it necessary
- Cite or paraphrase the quote
- Explain why the evidence matters
FOR EXAMPLE:
Claim: Competitive sports should be banned from schools.
Reason 1: Competitive sports put too much pressure on the kids who play them.
Which of these pieces of evidence BEST supports my reason?
- “While competitive organized sports are often seen as a positive way for your child to spend his time, some of the pressures of sports could become a negative impact on kids in general.”
- "Immediately before the final period began, the coach would point to David and begrudgingly insert him at right fullback for the required minimum amount all kids must play. He made it painfully clear to the others that my brother was the weakest of weak links; that he was useless as a soccer player.”
- “One of the most competitive surveys to date, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that from 1997 to 1999, sports and recreation-related injuries were more common nationwide than injuries from traffic accidents. Americans ages 5 to 24 were most likely to be treated for sports-related injuries by health professionals. Kids 5 to 14 had the highest injury rates of all 59.3 episodes per 1,000 people.”
ANSWER:
- The 2nd quote would best SUPPORT the reason that competitive sports put too much pressure on kids because it explains how one kid felt negative feelings because of the competitive nature of the sport. It made David feel worthless and useless.
- The 1st quote is just a re-statement of the reason in different words.
- The 3rd quote is evidence that competitive sports might be dangerous, but not that it puts too much pressure on kids who play them.
When choosing evidence, you should be looking for evidence and examples that serve as SUPPORTS for your reason, NOT a restatement of it. So anecdotes (short personal stories), statistics, and examples will be especially helpful.
Once you know which piece of evidence you are going to use, you also need to transition into and cite your source properly in your writing. Use the reference sheet below to vary the way that you introduce quotes.
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citing_sources_reference_sheet.docx | |
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sample body paragraphs that incorporate sources
Competitive sports put too much pressure on the kids who play them. Jeff Pearlman, who wrote “Why I Don’t Want My Kids to Play Team Sports,” supports this claim. He writes, “Immediately before the final period began, the coach would point to David and begrudgingly insert him at right fullback for the required minimum amount all kids must play. He made it painfully clear to the others that my brother was the weakest of weak links; that he was useless as a soccer player.” Because the coach was more concerned about winning the game rather than cultivating kids’ sense of enjoyment in the game, Pearlman’s brother experienced negative feelings of uselessness and sadness. Competitive sports created unnecessary pressure on David to perform well, and when he didn’t live up to his coach’s expectations, he felt horrible. Participating in after-school sports should make you feel confident, not guilty and upset. |
Competitive sports put too much pressure on the kids who play them. For example, in the article by Jeff Pearlman, he recounts a true story about his younger brother. He says, “Immediately before the final period began, the coach would point to David and begrudgingly insert him at right fullback for the required minimum amount all kids must play. He made it painfully clear to the others that my brother was the weakest of weak links; that he was useless as a soccer player.” This example shows how competitive sports can create low self-esteem and unnecessary pressure. Because Pearlman’s brother wasn’t very good at soccer compared to his teammates and because the coach just wanted to win, it caused his brother to feel useless. If sports games were not competitive, then there would be less pressure on winning the game and more emphasis on actually just enjoying it. |
"TIED" PARAGRAPH FORMAT
When writing your body paragraphs, it should have the elements of TIED.
T = Topic Sentence / Reason
I = Introduce Evidence (only if necessary). This is where you explain any background information necessary to understand
your evidence (below).
E = Evidence or Examples
D = Discussion (YOUR analysis and explanation of the evidence/examples above)
Sometimes your body paragraphs might have more than one example. In that case, your body paragraphs would follow the format: TIED-ED-ED. In other words, for EACH example/evidence you provide, it needs a discussion.
It takes work to explain and analyze the evidence in such a way that your readers stay with you. You have to point out important aspects of your evidence, interpreting it in ways that show how the evidence supports your argument. It is not the evidence alone, but your analysis and explanation of the evidence (your discussion) that convinces others to agree with you.
T = Topic Sentence / Reason
I = Introduce Evidence (only if necessary). This is where you explain any background information necessary to understand
your evidence (below).
E = Evidence or Examples
D = Discussion (YOUR analysis and explanation of the evidence/examples above)
Sometimes your body paragraphs might have more than one example. In that case, your body paragraphs would follow the format: TIED-ED-ED. In other words, for EACH example/evidence you provide, it needs a discussion.
It takes work to explain and analyze the evidence in such a way that your readers stay with you. You have to point out important aspects of your evidence, interpreting it in ways that show how the evidence supports your argument. It is not the evidence alone, but your analysis and explanation of the evidence (your discussion) that convinces others to agree with you.
WRITING STRONG DISCUSSIONS
The discussion in TIED is the most important part of your body paragraph! It is the chance for you to explain what your evidence means, to show how the evidence supports and connects to your reason, and to bring your readers along with your thinking. Your discussion should answer the “So what?” question.
Here are some strategies you can use when writing a discussion:
Here are some strategies you can use when writing a discussion:
- Explain what your evidence means in your own words (paraphrase it)
- Explain why your evidence is important in proving your thesis
- Pose an "If…then" situation
Look below at a few examples of paragraphs that do this. The discussion part of the paragraph is underlined.
Explain what your evidence means in your own words (paraphrase it) & connect it to your reason
Many people argue that chocolate milk is healthy but that assumption is wrong. According to Laura Rucker, “Chocolate milk contains twice the amount of sugar than plain milk.” This means that consuming chocolate milk is the same thing as consuming a can of soda. Studies from Harvard University’s School of Public Health show that consuming large amounts of sweetened beverages like soda can lead to health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease. Serving chocolate milk in schools is not only dangerous, but it is irresponsible. Do schools really want to serve unhealthy beverages to students on a daily basis?
Explain why the evidence is important in proving your thesis
Chocolate milk should be served in schools because it allows more children to get important nutrients that they otherwise would not get. More children prefer the taste of chocolate milk to white milk. When chocolate milk is not an option, many students choose not to drink milk at all. As the Midwest Dairy Council states, chocolate milk contains the same 9 essential nutrients that are in plain milk. When chocolate milk is not served in school cafeterias, many children lose the opportunity to have those nutrients. In other words, without chocolate milk, children do not receive the benefits from the nutrients that are in milk, which include Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and protein. These are required for a child to maintain a healthy, growing body. If you had to choose between giving kids nutrients or not, wouldn’t you choose giving it to them? That means choosing chocolate milk too.
Pose an “If…then…” situation
Chocolate milk can be a health problem to kids. According to the American Heart Association, chocolate milk can cause heart disease, an increase in bad cholesterol, and a decrease in good cholesterol. It was also “closely linked to several cases of cardiovascular disease.” If chocolate milk were served in schools on a daily basis, then that means that schools are putting children at risk for these chronic sicknesses. The United States already has a problem with increasing obesity rates among youth; the American Heart Association suggests that serving chocolate milk in schools will only be making the problem worse. Chocolate milk should be banned from schools to prevent childhood diabetes and other health conditions.
You can use these sentence starters to help start your discussion:
· This shows…because…
· This means… / proves… / supports the idea that…
· This is important because…
· This is significant because…
· All in all, this suggests…
· The part of this which seems especially relevant is …
· In other words…
· This illustrates...
· This highlights the fact that...
· This demonstrates...
Explain what your evidence means in your own words (paraphrase it) & connect it to your reason
Many people argue that chocolate milk is healthy but that assumption is wrong. According to Laura Rucker, “Chocolate milk contains twice the amount of sugar than plain milk.” This means that consuming chocolate milk is the same thing as consuming a can of soda. Studies from Harvard University’s School of Public Health show that consuming large amounts of sweetened beverages like soda can lead to health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease. Serving chocolate milk in schools is not only dangerous, but it is irresponsible. Do schools really want to serve unhealthy beverages to students on a daily basis?
Explain why the evidence is important in proving your thesis
Chocolate milk should be served in schools because it allows more children to get important nutrients that they otherwise would not get. More children prefer the taste of chocolate milk to white milk. When chocolate milk is not an option, many students choose not to drink milk at all. As the Midwest Dairy Council states, chocolate milk contains the same 9 essential nutrients that are in plain milk. When chocolate milk is not served in school cafeterias, many children lose the opportunity to have those nutrients. In other words, without chocolate milk, children do not receive the benefits from the nutrients that are in milk, which include Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and protein. These are required for a child to maintain a healthy, growing body. If you had to choose between giving kids nutrients or not, wouldn’t you choose giving it to them? That means choosing chocolate milk too.
Pose an “If…then…” situation
Chocolate milk can be a health problem to kids. According to the American Heart Association, chocolate milk can cause heart disease, an increase in bad cholesterol, and a decrease in good cholesterol. It was also “closely linked to several cases of cardiovascular disease.” If chocolate milk were served in schools on a daily basis, then that means that schools are putting children at risk for these chronic sicknesses. The United States already has a problem with increasing obesity rates among youth; the American Heart Association suggests that serving chocolate milk in schools will only be making the problem worse. Chocolate milk should be banned from schools to prevent childhood diabetes and other health conditions.
You can use these sentence starters to help start your discussion:
· This shows…because…
· This means… / proves… / supports the idea that…
· This is important because…
· This is significant because…
· All in all, this suggests…
· The part of this which seems especially relevant is …
· In other words…
· This illustrates...
· This highlights the fact that...
· This demonstrates...

writing_strong_discussions.doc | |
File Size: | 40 kb |
File Type: | doc |
writing introductions and conclusions
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writing_intros_and_conclusions.docx | |
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counterarguments and rebuttals
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counterargument__rebuttal_reference_sheet.docx | |
File Size: | 133 kb |
File Type: | docx |