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Lesson 3

We will complete first drafts of our final arguments, developing introductions that reveal our topics and positions to our audiences and conclusions that leave our readers with our final thoughts or suggested responses to the issues and problems our essays discuss.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I draft introductory and concluding paragraphs that introduce my topic and issue, draw my audience in, lead to or restate my position, and conclude my argument with a strong statement, suggested response, or call to action?

Texts

There are no texts for this Lesson.

Materials

There are no materials for this Lesson.

Activity 1: Discuss

We will reread the body paragraphs we drafted for our arguments and consider what else needs to be done to introduce our topics, issues, and positions to the audiences we have designated.

As a class, discuss how to introduce and conclude an argumentative essay.

Determine if your position paragraph or another paragraph you have written presents an effective introduction for your argumentative essay or if you need to add something to get the attention of your readers and to welcome them into your essay. Consider models from arguments we have read in this unit.

Activity 2: Write

We will draft or revise our arguments’ first paragraphs to effectively introduce our intended readers to our topics and positions.

Step 1

As a class, discuss what components should be in an effective introduction.

  1. How do you introduce your intended audience to your issue and position in a compelling or interesting way? What unique ways can you use to get your reader’s attention right away?

  2. What background information about the topic will your reader need in order to understand your argument?

  3. How will you preview what is to come in your argument in order to further hook and inform the reader?

  4. What organizational structure are you using to compose your argument, and how does that impact what you will include in your introduction?

Step 2

Based on the previous discussion, look at your Section 4 Diagnostic. What information have you already included in this synopsis that could help you write your introduction?

Using the Section 4 Diagnostic, outline ideas for your introduction based on the necessary components of an introduction. Consider looking at arguments studied throughout the unit to gather ideas for how to organize your own introduction if additional support is needed.

Step 3

Write or revise an effective introduction for your argumentative essay.

Activity 3: Discuss – Write

We will reread the drafts we revised, thinking about how to conclude them to leave our intended readers with final thoughts or calls to responsive action.

As a class, discuss how to conclude an argumentative essay, considering models from arguments read in this unit, including the following approaches:

  • In an inductive reasoning approach, use the argument’s position paragraph as your final paragraph in which the position is fully expressed as the endpoint of the claims that have preceded it.

  • Move from restating the argument’s position to suggesting a response or offering a call-to-action related to the issue, problem, or controversy that your argument has addressed and framed for your argument’s designated context, purpose, and audience.

  • Directly link the conclusion to the introduction to "complete the circle" and increase the argument’s sense of unity.

  • Use a final example, story, or quotation to add a dramatic finish to the essay.

  • Use another approach suggested by your teacher or classmates.

Write or revise an effective conclusion for your argumentative essay.

Activity 4: Write

For homework, we will complete the drafts of our arguments for review in the next lesson.

For homework, finalize your draft essay so that it can be reviewed for key writing issues.