Argument Essay Structure and Requirements

Reading/dissecting the prompt and planning your essay should take about 10 minutes.

• True

• False

Which of the following are the directions for the argument essay in the last line of the prompt?

• Write an essay that argues your position on [specific subject from the introduction].

• Write an essay that synthesizes material from at least THREE of the provided sources and develops their position on the topic.

• Write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical choices [the speaker] makes in order to [specific purpose/task from prompt].

What should your thesis in an argument essay include?

• The rhetorical situation along with the author's message and purpose in the seed text

• A clearly stated position (YOUR OPINION) on the degree to which you agree with the argument + Two Provable Parts (reasons why)

Which of the following is the BEST working thesis for the following prompt?

In a 2019 interview, award-winning poet and memoirist Jimmy Santiago Baca asserted: “In America we value possessions. We would much rather talk about a new car than talk about a story that happened between grandfather and me. We’d much rather get on the computer and play video games and enact some cataclysmic1 epic 2 than to talk about the epics in our own lives.” Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Baca’s claim about the value of possessions is valid.

• Although the stories that make us who we are are still presently shared, American society does value material possesions more.

• American society does value material possesions more.

• Although the stories that make us who we are are still presently shared, American society does value material possesions more, especially in the new age due to social media and dissatisfaction.

Which is NOT part of the CHORES acronym for brainstorming reasons/evidence?

• Current Events

• History

• Social Media

• Reading

How many paragraphs (reasons) should you have in an argument essay?

• at least 1

• as many as you can

• at least 2

• at least 4

What should be in your topic sentence for each of your paragraphs?

• The counterargument

• Your stance in your thesis with your reason

• The main idea from the prompt

• Your thesis

How many examples/evidence do you need per paragraph (reason) in an argument essay?

• one

• two

• three

• 1 1/2

What should come after the evidence in your paragraph?

• Commentary which repeats an explanation of the evidence

• Commentary which supports the line of reasoning and reflects back to the thesis

• Commentary which brings up a new argument

• Commentary which brings up a counterargument

What would be one way to help you toward the sophistication point?

• Writing with a lot of big vocabulary words

• Adding lots of evidence to your paragraphs

• Writing a well developed counterargument and rebuttal