Lesson 9

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • “Blacks and Hispanics Face Extra Challenges in Getting Home Loans,” Pew Research Center, Public Domain, 2017
  • “Home Not-So-Sweet Home,” Paul Krugman, The New York Times Company, 2008
  • “Then vs. Now: Changes in Key Metrics since the First State of the Nation’s Housing Report Was Released in 1988,” Harvard Joint Studies for Housing Studies, Harvard Joint Studies for Housing Studies, 2018

• • “National Housing Act 1935,” Federal Housing Administration, YouTube, 1935

Materials

Tools

• The American Dream of Homeownership: Section 1 Diagnostic Checklist

• Delineating Arguments Guide

• Delineating Arguments Tool

• Evaluating Arguments Tool

• Mentor Sentence Journal

• Vocabulary Journal

Reference Guides

• Argument Reference Guide

Question Sets

• The American Dream of Homeownership: Section 1 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• The American Dream of Homeownership: Section 1 Diagnostic Checklist

• Delineating Arguments Tool

• Evaluating Arguments Tool

• Mentor Sentence Journal

• The American Dream of Homeownership: Section 1 Question Set

• Vocabulary Journal

Activity 1: Read – Write – Discuss

We will review the elements of argumentation as an introduction to delineating an op-ed essay about homeownership.

Step 1

Before working on delineating an ope-ed essay on homeownership, access your prior knowledge of argumentative writing.

With your partner, discuss what you know about argumentative writing and write your ideas in your Learning Log.

After your partner discussion, share your ideas with the whole class. Create a class list of terms and characteristics of argumentative writing.

Step 2

Examine the Argument Reference Guide and compare the class list of terms and characteristics with the terminology and ideas found in the guide. Do you have anything the guide does not? Is there anything you missed that you need to add to the class list and definitions?

Step 3

Reread the explanation of counterclaims (p. 3 of the guide). Why do you think authors might include counterclaims in their arguments? How might including counterclaims impact the reader of the argument?

Discuss these questions with your partner.

Activity 2: Read – Write – Discuss

Now that we have an understanding of argumentative writing, we will practice delineating an argument using the Delineating Arguments Tool. We will also learn the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning so we can better analyze the organizational structures of texts we read and think about the approach we want to use as we craft our own argumentative essay for the Culminating Task.

Step 1

The way an argument is structured can add to both its clarity in message and the effect the message has on the reader. We will learn about three ways to organize an argument so you can begin thinking about the most effective way to structure your argumentative essay in this unit.

Access the Delineating Arguments Guide. Read the explanations of deductive, inductive, and counterargument. For each explanation, create three short bullet points that summarize the key aspects of each type of reasoning.

Compare your bullet points with a partner. Did you create similar bullet points? Discuss any differences and adjust your bullet points as needed to help you focus on the most important aspects of each type of reasoning.

Step 2

To practice analyzing arguments to determine whether their main reasoning structure uses deductive or inductive reasoning, revisit the video “National Housing Act of 1935,” which we watched in a previous lesson. Thinking about the bullet points you have created that highlight the main aspects of the three types of reasoning, consider the following points to determine whether the film uses deductive or inductive reasoning.

• The film begins by providing background on the Great Depression and its negative effects on residential building construction. Housing construction has decreased 92% since 1928.

• Then, the film introduces the National Housing Act of 1935 and how the act is now creating a different picture for housing construction. This part of the film details how the housing boom has put men back to work and how the increase in housing construction positively contributes to the overall economy.

• Halfway through the film, the narrator makes a connection from the increase in housing construction and its effects on the economy and how homeownership is now an affordable option for many families through the passing of the NHA.

• The film then switches to a couple touring a home and all the amenities that will be provided in this single-family home.

• The film ends with the question of whether or not the couple can afford the home, and the narrator responds that they can, through the National Housing Act, which offers loans where couples can make monthly payments. The promotional film ends on a happy note as the couple realizes they can afford their very own home.

Based on your analysis of these points from the video and the bullet points you made, does the video use deductive or inductive reasoning? Discuss your answer with a partner.

Step 3

Now think about what you have learned about counterclaims or counterarguments, the third type of reasoning listed in the Delineating Arguments Guide.What characteristics does this reasoning approach share with deductive or inductive reasoning?

Activity 3: Discuss

We will prepare to read and analyze the argument in a short op-ed article about homeownership.

As a class, discuss Paul Krugman’s perspective and the likely credibility of his understanding of homeownership, considering the following background from the New York Times:

Paul Krugman joined The New York Times in 1999 as an Op-Ed columnist. He is a distinguished professor in the Graduate Center Economics Ph.D. program and a distinguished scholar at the Luxembourg Income Study Center at the City University of New York. In addition, he is professor emeritus of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School. In 2008, Mr. Krugman was the sole recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on international trade theory. Mr. Krugman is the author or editor of 27 books and more than 200 papers in professional journals and edited volumes. His professional reputation rests largely on work in international trade and finance.

Discuss the following questions:

1. As an economist, what is likely to be Krugman’s perspective on the topic of homeownership?

2. In what area of work did Krugman receive the Nobel Prize?

3. Does knowing about his area of expertise increase or decrease your opinion of his credibility as an expert on homeownership? What about the accuracy of the information he presents?

4. How might Krugman’s background create a bias toward the subject he is writing about? What might his bias be?

Activity 4: Read – Write

We will read, annotate, and analyze the argument by Paul Krugman in “Home Not So Sweet Home.”

Read and annotate "Home Not-So-Sweet Home" while considering the following guiding questions:

1. What does the essay’s title suggest Krugman’s perspective and position about homeownership might be?

2. What premise about US national policy goals does Krugman challenge in his argument?

3. What seems to be the central position of Krugman’s argument? Find a sentence that expresses his central claim.

4. What claims does Krugman make to support his position?

5. What type of reasoning does Krugman use to support his position?

Activity 5: Read – Discuss – Write

As a class, we will develop our understanding of how to delineate an argument by analyzing “Home Not So Sweet Home.”

Step 1

We will use the Delineating Arguments Tool to analyze Paul Krugman’s essay "Home Not-So-Sweet Home."

Before you analyze the text, work with a partner to review the tool, considering the following questions:

1. Are there any terms on the tool that are unfamiliar to you? If so, find the terms in either the Argument Reference Guide or the Delineating Arguments Guide and reread the explanation.

2. What are the key differences among purpose, perspective, and position?

3. Is it possible that you might not use all the claims or counterclaims sections when delineating arguments? Why or why not?

Step 2

As a class, complete the top portion of the Delineating Arguments Tool for "Home Not-So-Sweet Home."

1. What issue is Krugman addressing?

2. What is the background behind the issue?

3. What is Krugman’s purpose in this essay?

4. What is his perspective?

5. What is his position?

With a partner, follow the directions below:

• Discuss the article’s claims you identified during the previous activity. What evidence did you notice in support of the claims?

• Write the claims you or your classmates identified in the Claim boxes on the Delineating Arguments Tool.

• Now, write the evidence you found to support the claims in the Supporting Evidence boxes.

• Reread the article, looking for the counterclaims that Krugman addresses.

• Write the counterclaims in the Counterclaim boxes.

• What evidence does Krugman use to address those counterclaims and continue to prove his point? Write that evidence in the Supporting Evidence boxes beneath the counterclaims.

• What is the main reasoning structure used in Krugman’s argument? Justify your choice by providing a general description of the organization of the essay.

Activity 6: Discuss

We will discuss the conclusions reached by Paul Krugman in his op-ed essay, considering his perspective as an economist and homeowner, the date of the essay’s publication, and our own developing opinions about homeownership.

Discuss your analysis and delineation of the argument with the class. Participate in a class discussion while considering the following questions related to the credibility of Krugman’s argument:

1. How might Krugman’s background as an economist and a homeowner influence the perspective and position he presents in his op-ed essay?

2. How might Krugman’s background as an economist and a homeowner influence his bias toward the position he presents?

3. Krugman’s essay was published in 2008. How might what you know about the housing market at that time have influenced Krugman’s position and argument?

4. How accurate is the evidence Krugman presents? How do you know?

5. Based on what we have read so far and on your own feelings about the dream of homeownership, what is your reaction to Krugman’s argument?

Activity 7: Read – Discuss

We will overview how to evaluate an argument, using the Evaluating Arguments Tool.

Follow along as your teacher introduces and explains the Evaluating Arguments Tool.

Discuss the elements of argumentation that the tool focuses on, using Paul Krugman’s argument as an example.

Based on class analysis and discussion, individually rate whether Krugman’s essay qualifies as a convincing argument.

Compare your rating and thinking to those of other students in the class.

Activity 8: Discuss

For homework, we will preview the section 1 diagnostic checklist and review the texts, data, and claims that we studied in Lesson 8.

Access the Section 1 Diagnostic Checklist.

To prepare for writing your response, review your reading annotations and the claims you developed in Lesson 8, as well as information from other readings and data analysis exercises you think is relevant.

Review your Vocabulary Journal and Mentor Sentence Journal. Identify a significant word or words and at least one sentence writing technique that you would like to use in your response to the Section Diagnostic.