Student Name:

● The Big Question:

Considering both points of view, does one side’s argument
outweigh the others?

● Debate Preparation: You will participate in a collaborative discussion, or

debate. Next week each student must come to the discussion prepared with
written responses to each of the four questions below.
▪ Use your “Benefits & Concerns” research notes (Google doc) &
SQWORL resources http://sqworl.com/vbe0ea to help guide you.
▪ Include CITATIONS (quoted text from articles, websites, etc.) as
evidence of your claims.
▪ Use the argumentative sentence stems & transitions (last page) to
create strong claims.
▪ Be prepared to argue both sides (Pro or Con) of Genetically Modified
Foods.

● Color-Coding: Use the following color-codes for the argument writing

essentials:
● Claims (a statement that can be argued and proven with evidence)
● Citations (quoted evidence from another source)
● Statistics (facts with numbers based on data collection)

● Commenting: Identify in your own writing when you appeal to each

persuasive technique. Instead of color-coding, use the COMMENT button.
 ● Ethos (Credibility, Reputation, Citing from a university study, etc.)
● Logos (Using Logic, Facts, Statistics, Reason, etc.)
● Pathos (Appealing to Emotions, Imagination, Feelings, Fear, etc.)

Answer each question in a detailed paragraph(s) using the directions on page 1:

1. Considering both points of view (Benefits & Concerns of GMOs), how does each side’s
argument outweigh the others?

If I were arguing for the benefits of GMOs, a claim I would have is that GMOs are

beneficial to the environment because some GMOs have been made with pesticides built in so

farmers don't have to use as much pesticides. And some GMOs help get rid of waste which

also helps the environment. For example, a piece of evidence is “They make farmers more

productive and reduce the need for chemicals to control bugs” (Newsela:...GMOs and and

engineered food) This shows that when the farmers use the GMOs that have antibug genes Commented [1]: This is ETHOS because Newsela is a
very credible source.

it helps get rid of waste and makes more usable produce and it lowers the farmers carbon

footprint. One thing that surprised me is that 5.6 billion pounds of pesticides are used

around the world each year and when many of these pesticides sink into the soil it can cause Commented [2]: This is LOGOS because it shows a
fact about how many pounds of pesticides are used
each year.
many problems. DDT is a well known example. Overall, using pesticides and making food waste

is not good for the environment we are already cutting down 18 million acres of forest each

year and many of that is used as farmland. We don’t need to poison that land we took from Commented [3]: This uses LOGOS because it uses a
statistic about how much forest is being cut down each
year.
the forests.
Commented [4]: This also uses PATHOS because it
makes you feel sad and mad about how humans are
If I were arguing for the concerns of GMOs, a claim I would have is that GMOs can ruining the environment.

be bad for humans because it can make humans immune to antibiotics when they are really

sick. And they also could cause allergies. For example, a piece of evidence is “Some GMO
 foods have had antibiotic features built into them to make them immune or resistant to

diseases or viruses, according to Iowa State University. When you eat them, these antibiotic Commented [5]: This uses ETHOS because Iowa
state university is credible.

markers persist in your body and can make actual antibiotic medications less effective” (Pros

and Cons of GMOs). This proves that when people eat too much GMO produce that has

antibiotics built in or meat that has been fed GMO antibiotics, it can make them immune to

those antibiotics. And when they are actually sick, those antibiotics won't work and there is

nothing the doctors can do. Another example is that 80 percent of all antibiotics in the US

is used on animals. In the end, not labeling GMOs could cause rare allergies in kids whose Commented [6]: This uses LOGOS because it uses a
statistic about how much of antibiotic are used on
animals in the US.
parents either did not know that the product had that GMO or they didn’t know that their

kid was allergic to that GMO. And eating a bunch of antibiotic GMOs can be fatal if you get

the disease that the GMO was trying to fight.

In conclusion, I believe the benefits outweigh the concerns because many of the

concerns are just speckulation and not proven facts. It is not proven whether GMOs are bad

for your health, but it is proven that the environment is disintegrating and being destroyed

by humans and we need to do something about it. And GMOs might be the answer to all of

our prayers, but everything still needs testing.

2. If you were the President of the United States with a struggling economy, high obesity, and
overpopulation, would you encourage more GMO production or restrict it?

If I were President of the United States with my country suffering from poverty

and starvation, I would allow GMOs that had been tested and had no major effects on the

environment or on human life. All products with GMOs would have to be labeled and all kids
 would have to be educated in school the pros and cons of GMOs. This is because some GMOs

might greatly help humans but it might hurt the environment. Not all GMOs have been fully

tested for the effects they might have. For example, a piece of evidence is “ A survey

conducted by the Food Policy Institute at Rutgers University found that US consumers as a Commented [7]: This shows ETHOS because the
Rutgers University is a credible source.

whole were fairly unknowledgeable about GMOs, with just 48% knowing that GMOs were

available in supermarkets and only 31% believing that they have most likely consumed a GM

product” ( Consumer Perception of Genetically Modified Organisms...). This shows that Commented [8]: This is LOGOS because it is a
statistic about the GMOs in supermarkets and how
much consumers know about GMOs.
people know very little about GMOs other than that they think that GMOs are bad or that

they don’t want to be eating GMOs. So many people are protesting GMOs without knowing

the benefits of GMOs or the concerns. In conclusion, I would use GMOs, but I would

educate the public on GMOs. I would have all companies label their products and I would

make sure that all GMOs were researched .

3. Considering GMO foods you have researched, which do you believe is most beneficial (helpful)
to a civilization and why?

The most beneficial (helpful) GMO to a civilization would be the GMO Mosquito.

This is because these male mosquitoes have been genetically modified to not bite humans

and when they mate with wild females, the offspring won’t be able to grow to full size and

then they will die. They made this GMO in the hopes of helping fight mosquito diseases .

For example, a piece of evidence is “ The result, they hope, will be a reduced or eliminated

population of female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and the viruses they spread, including Zika

virus” ( Florida releases experimental mosquitoes to fight Zika) . This proves that scientists
 are trying to come up with a solution to the many mosquito inflicted diseases. 25,000 deaths

each year around the world die from dengue fever, about 30,000 deaths from yellow

fever,and one million people die from malaria. In conclusion, the mosquito GMO will help the Commented [9]: This shows LOGOS and PATHOS
because it makes you sad from all the deaths from
these diseases and it is a statistic showing all of these
world greatly by helping resist fatal diseases that affect people around the world. deaths.

4. Which GMO foods do you believe is most detrimental (harmful) to a civilization and why?

The most detrimental (harmful) GMO to the environment would be GMO corn. This

is because GMO corn may have a bug resistant gene and because the corn is so widely used.

The bugs are adapting. 88% of all corn in the US is a GMO. That GMO was made to keep Commented [10]: This is LOGOS because it shows a
statistic of how much GMO corn is in the US.

away the peskey rootworm, but now that rootworm is adapting to the GMO. So the farmers

have now bought a entire GMO crop that doesn’t work. Then the farmers have to resort

back to using pesticides to control the worms. For example, a piece of evidence is “Weeds

and pests targeted by engineered crops are genetically adapting themselves, with dismaying

implications” ( Newsela:...GMOs and and engineered food). This proves that bugs are

adapting. It won’t be too long before all of the bug resistant GMOs won’t work anymore and

farmers will have to resort back to old fashioned pesticides. Then what happens when the

bugs adapt to the old fashioned pesticides? In conclusion, not all GMOs are good for people

and the environment. They all need to be tested to see what could happen if these are

introduced into a new habitat. And they all need to be used moderately. We don’t need a

world of GMO plants,animals and clothes run by GMO humans.