Lesson 1
Based on the planning and drafting we have done, and considering the audience and purpose for our arguments, we will each draft a paragraph that will be used to present and explain our position, and determine where to best place this paragraph within our arguments.
Lesson Goals
Can I draft a paragraph that clearly presents and explains the position I am taking in my argument, considering the purpose and audience I have specified?
Texts
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Activity 1: Read – Write – Discuss
Considering the purpose and audience we identified in sections 3 and 4, we will review the position statement we have written, make any final revisions, and determine what we will present and explain regarding the position we will take in the argument.
Review and revise your position statement.
Identify, and explain to a partner, the purpose of your argument and its intended audience. Summarize what you hope to communicate.
Consider and discuss what you need to say so that your audience will understand your position, how it relates to the issue and question it addresses, and how it has arisen from your reading and thinking.
Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write
In a way that considers our purpose and audience, we will draft a clear and concise paragraph that presents and explains our position in response to the question we have previously articulated.
Review several arguments you have read in the unit, looking for the paragraphs that most clearly state the arguments’ positions. Note: These might or might not come at the start of the argument; in the Tollefsen model argument, the position is most clearly stated in its final paragraph.
To help you identify and review position statements and paragraphs, look through the Delineating Arguments Tools you have completed for various arguments, then find and reread the position paragraphs for those arguments.
Draft a paragraph that presents and explains your position, considering your purpose and audience as you determine the tone and language you will use. Use a model from an argument you find convincing to help you organize and write your own paragraph.
Note: Your statement of position, or thesis, can be presented at the start of your paragraph as a topic sentence, but it could also come later or at the end of your position paragraph.
Work with a writing partner to review your position paragraph, using questions or criteria to determine how well the paragraph works and in what ways it might be improved.
Activity 3: Read – Write – Discuss
We will determine where and how to incorporate the position paragraph within our overall argument.
Looking at your final argumentation plan and your approach to reasoning, as developed in your Delineating Arguments Tool and Organizing Evidence Tool, determine where in your argument you might place your position paragraph: at or near the start, somewhere in the middle, or near the end?
Again, review the Delineating Arguments Tools you have completed throughout the unit, noting where authors have stated their positions and how they have organized their arguments in relation to those positions.
Discuss the options and your thinking with a writing partner.