Curated OER
Making a Formal Argument $5 or a Lottery Ticket
What's better: having a lottery ticket or a $5 bill? This question is sure to engage your middle schoolers. There's an example answer provided and, unlike the other worksheets of its kind, there is a space to write both a rough and final...
Curated OER
Advanced Making a Formal Argument An Apple a Day
Give your middle schoolers an opportunity to create an opinion and provide details to support it. They respond to the statement "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." There is an example answer provided, but consider removing it from...
Curated OER
Making an Argument: Effective use of Transition Words
Work on using transition words in context by prompting elementary and middle schoolers to write their own persuasive essays using transition words. They explore new forms of transition words and examine how they are used in an editorial...
![Ga Virtual Learning: The Rhetorical Organization of Neoclassical Couplet [Pdf] Primary](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Ga Virtual Learning: The Rhetorical Organization of Neoclassical Couplet [Pdf] Primary")
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: The Rhetorical Organization of Neoclassical Couplet [Pdf]
This a two-page PDF of the article "The Rhetorical Organization of the Neoclassical Couplet."
Other
Univ. Of Mississippi: The Language of Advertising Claims
Univ. of Mississippi essay outlining the various claims made by advertising and including lots of examples. The author also addresses the mistaken ideas that many students and teachers have about their own immunity to advertising.
University of Washington
University of Washington: Patterns of Organization
In addition to defining and describing various patterns of text organization, this website provides outlines illustrating each pattern. RI.11-12.3 Text development
Other
International Debate Education Association: Debates: Law
A selection of debate topics focused on legal issues, many of which are international. Each topic includes a clear statement of the argument, a list of points for and against, suggested support for each (point and counterpoint), and a...
University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina: Writing Center: Handouts: Evidence
What kinds of evidence best support the points you make in a paper? Where can you find the evidence you need? This handout answers all these questions and more, including the difference between primary and secondary sources. You'll also...
Harvard University
Harvard University: Strategies for Essay Writing
This website provides a series of links to detailed information about each segment of how to write an academic essay from how to read the assignment to the final edits. Use the links to the right. W.9-10.1a claims/intro/org, W.9-10.2a...
University of North Carolina
Unc: Writing Center: Comparing and Contrasting
This handout will help to determine whether a particular assignment is asking for comparison/contrast and then to generate a list of similarities and differences, decide which similarities and differences to focus on, and organize your...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Organization Appropriate to Purpose, Audience, and Context
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] You will be able to write an essay that is organized appropriate to audience, purpose, and context.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Differentiate Among Empirical, Anecdotal, and Logical Evidence
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson, students will learn about three types of evidence that writers often rely on: logical, empirical, and anecdotal. It will also help you distinguish among these...
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Logical Fallacies List: Arguments to Avoid [Pdf]
This is a multi-page PDF list of logical fallacies to avoid when writing. These include a detailed list includes fallacies in relevance, reasoning, omission, and ambiguity; and discusses the logic tool "Occam's Razor." This list of...
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: Logic in Argumentative Writing
Provides a detailed explanation of the fundamentals of logic, including brief definitions of key terms and sections on fallacies and improprieties, as well as examples and practice exercises. Click on additional subtopics in the side...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Differentiate Among Empirical, Anecdotal, and Logical Evidence
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson will help you distinguish among three kinds of evidence: logical, empirical, and anecdotal; and see how they are used to support conclusions and arguments in texts.
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Writing Explanation Part 3: Building an Argument
In this module, students will explore how claims, counterclaims, evidence and reasoning are used to write an effective argument. Students will read an article that addresses the question, "Should Congress consider comprehensive climate...
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Writing Explanation Pt. 2: Crafting a Well Written Explanation
In this module, students will write an explanation about climate change based on the claims, evidence and reasoning they identified in the Writing Explanation Part 1: Claims, Evidence and Reasoning.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Write a Persuasive Text That Supports a Position
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] A learning module that teaches students about writing a persuasive text to support a position in four mini lessons: Introduction; Just the Facts, Ma'am. Kung Fu Fighting:...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Write Expository Text That Is Logically Organized
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] A learning module that teaches students how to write an organized expository text in five lessons: Introduction, The Type of Burger: The Controlling Idea, Toppings: The...
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Deductive Reasoning
This free encyclopedia site from Wikipedia gives a definition and examples of deductive reasoning. It also has links to related terms and topics.
Philosophy Pages
Philosophy Pages: Categorical Syllogisms
Provides a detailed look at syllogisms. Sections include the following: "The Structure of Syllogism," "Standard Form," "Form and Validity," and "Diagramming Syllogisms."
Other
The Nizkor Project: Fallacies
The Nizkor Project: Fallacies is a text provides an explaination of fallaces. It identifies the specific kinds of fallacies as well as gives a couple of examples.
Other
Style: Cause and Effect Writing
This site provides a list of what to do and not do for writing cause and effect essays. It also contains an evaluation checklist at the end which students can use for their own writing.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Organization Appropriate to Purpose, Audience, and Context
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] Write an essay that is organized appropriate to audience, purpose, and context.