Argument Writing for 7th-8th grade?

[aeolianharp]

Hi, I've done a few lessons with my son in WWS1 and *really* like it. Only three lessons and he was writing better summaries than he did writing them all last year in public. I'd like to stick through it, but I've read that this series doesn't teach argument writing. I was wondering if anyone can suggest something to use in between WWS1 and WWS2 for teaching argument writing in preparation for high school? I thought maybe CAP W&R 5 Refutation and Confirmation? (having never done the series) I bought book 3 Narrative II but it is way too babyish. New to homeschooling so there's a lot of material I don't know and would like to explore any well-loved curriculum. Looking for rich material but with good direction for someone who's new to anything outside of Common Core. Thanks in advance!

(I'm still in shock - how do people in the public school world have no idea of how strong homeschool curriculum is? I had no idea.)

[Miss Tick]

When we finish the WWS series, perhaps this summer the way things are going, I am planning to do some work from A Workbook for Arguments, in addition to practicing the writing skills from WWS. I'm no expert (at all!) but I've been thinking that argumentation follows after all the writing skills have been learned. Not sure if that is what you are looking for. Perhaps you want a middle school Logic course?

[PeterPan]

I used this with my dd around that age. https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/50-debate-prompts-for-kids-9780545179027.html  Went out of print for a while and it's back as a pdf, only $7. Would be good application within whatever other program you're doing, or just do it straight and see if it's enough for now.

Edited May 10, 2020 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, sweetpotato said:

do people in the public school world have no idea of how strong homeschool curriculum is?

LOL My ds has SLD Writing, and ironically the public school and therapy level, non-homeschool materials are better for him. So it just depends on the situation. There is some good stuff out there, but that doesn't mean your school was using it and it doesn't mean the teachers were doing much explicit teaching.

[Lori D.]

Argumentative writing is basically writing that takes a stand/has a debatable claim (i.e. -- an opinion or position rather than a factual statement) -- and then builds an argument of support for that debatable claim.

Argumentative writing really requires that the logic and abstract/critical thinking areas of the brain be developed, which often isn't kicking in until along about age 13-14. So if WWS is working well for you and for your student, you could continue with it and be right on track and have learned everything you need for high school level writing by the end of 9th grade -- which is when a large amount of students are just then ready for that level of writing as well. 

7th grade = WWS1 -- argumentative writing included: comparison; beginning literary analysis
8th grade = WWS2 -- argumentative writing included: comparison; literary analysis; beginning literary criticism
9th grade = WWS3 -- argumentative writing included: literary analysis; cause & effect; comparison; literary criticism

 

Personally, I believe the overall goal is to help my children become strong thinkers. And writing skills (with argumentative writing as part of that) flow out of strong thinking. How to do that?
- discuss everything all the time -- books, movies, TV shows, real-life events
- ask questions -- things like:
   "Why did they do that?"  "How would you have done it differently and why?" 
   "What will be the consequence of ___?"   "Are there other options?"
   "What elements or choices led up to that historical event?" 
   "Did that politician / celebrity / ad pitch person / etc. convince you -- why/why not?"
   etc.

Some resources for developing logic skills to help with thinking:
- Fallacy Detective (Bluedorn) and/or Art of Argument (Hodge/Larsen/Perrin) -- both are Christian
- The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten (Baggini) -- secular; interesting philosophical topics for dinner table discussion/debate

A few resources that you might enjoy plugging in informally here and there over the next year or two:
- Twisting Arms: Teaching Students How to Write to Persuade (di Prince) -- gr. 6-8 level; designed for a classroom, but can adapt
- If They Can Argue Well, They Can Write Well (McBride) -- gr. 7/8+ level; designed for a classroom, but can adapt
- Scholastic: 50 Debate Prompts for Kids (Dahlie) -- free pdf; topics for practicing argumentative writing or oral debate

You might consider getting involved in a middle school speech/debate club or team.


In case it helps in looking ahead, the heart of the structure of argumentative writing is:

- the thesis statement, with 3 parts:
1. thesis topic (overall subject of the paper)
2. thesis claim (your debatable claim, position, or "take" on the thesis topic)
3. thesis direction (big picture/overview of the major points of your argument,that you will flesh out in the body of the paper)

- the argument of support (thesis direction) -- each body paragraph fleshing out a point of the argument in support of the thesis claim
* topic sentence (stating which point of the argument you will cover in this paragraph)
* if needed, detail/explanation sentence(s)
* specific piece of support -- facts, examples, anecdotes
* commentary -- sentence(s) explaining how/why the piece of support actually supports the point of the paragraph
   [additional piece(s) of support + commentary sentence(s)]
* concluding commentary -- sentence(s) explaining how the point of the paragraph supports the thesis claim


The main types of argumentative essay writing you might encounter in high school:
- literary analysis (character analysis; show how literary devices or a theme are at work; explain a key quotation; etc.)
- comparison (compare/contrast)
- cause/effect
- argumentative research paper with citations


Other types of writing you are likely to encounter in high school:
- reader response (short -- 1-3 paragraphs usually -- supported answer to a discussion prompt question)
- other types of essays: descriptive, narrative, expository (process (or "how to"); definition; classification)
- ACT/SAT timed essays in response to a prompt
- personal essays for scholarship and college admissions
- writing for oral presentations / power point presentations
- science lab reports
- real-life writing -- resume and cover letter; applications; request for a letter of recommendation; letter/email of thanks, or requesting information or clarification, or assisting with a correction 

Edited May 10, 2020 by Lori D.

[aeolianharp]

Thank you everyone!! I'm not ready to commit to homeschooling long term, so I don't think I can totally revamp an ideal path for becoming a strong thinker from where he is right now. He's been having to make many CPR grids - Claim/Proof/Response on Google slides based on articles they've read, which they're supposed to use for body paragraphs for a 5 paragraph argument essay. It's been a stretch for him. I'm hoping I can teach him an alternate way to write an argument essay that feels more approachable for him. He didn't like me helping him 1:1 before, especially if I tried to have him do anything different from what his teacher said (even if that involved breaking up steps). But since WWS1 is exclusively through me, it's made a huge difference to use really good material and work with him 1:1. I think we can go through it a little more quickly than one school year. He's academically advanced, the lessons haven't been challenging at all, but definitely sharpening skills that were slipping through the cracks due to lack of tailored feedback.

[aeolianharp]

Just ordered Fallacy Detective! First of a string of purchases, thanks for all the recommendations. 🙂